Cyrée Jarelle Johnson facts for kids

Cyrée Jarelle Johnson, born in 1990, is an American poet, editor, and librarian. He helped start a literary magazine called Deaf Poets Society. He currently works as a librarian at Pratt Institute. His first book of poems, Slingshot, won an important award called the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry.

Early Life and Education

Johnson grew up in Piscataway, New Jersey. He went to Hampshire College for his bachelor's degree. Later, he earned his master's degree in creative writing from Columbia University in 2019.

When he was about four years old, Johnson was diagnosed with autism. In college, he was also diagnosed with lupus, which is a long-term health condition. He once shared that people with autism often think in a very clear way, which is true for him. He explained that he loves and dislikes things with strong feelings.

Career Highlights

Johnson is a co-founder and poetry editor for Deaf Poets Society. This literary magazine began in 2016. It was created to feature works by writers with disabilities and those who are d/Deaf. The magazine makes sure its content is easy for everyone to access. It provides works in different ways, like text, audio, and images.

Johnson is also an assistant professor and a librarian at Pratt Institute. His job focuses on making sure everyone feels welcome and included. He was also a leader for the Black Lives Matter group in Philadelphia.

He has said that his writing often talks about disability. It also explores what he had to do to survive and thrive. His first book of poems, Slingshot, was published in 2019 by Nightboat Books. A review in New York Times called his work "challenging" but also noted its "clear queer intimacies."

Awards and Recognition

Johnson has received several important awards for his work:

• 2020 - He won the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry for his book Slingshot.
• 2020 - He also received the Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowship from the Poetry Foundation.

Published Works

• 2019. Slingshot. This was his first paperback book of poems. It was published on September 17, 2019, by Nightboat Books. ISBN: 9781643620091