Kevin Young (poet) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kevin Young
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Young at the 2017 Texas Book Festival
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| Born | Kevin Young November 8, 1970 Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Occupation | |
| Language | English |
| Education | Harvard College (AB) Brown University (MFA) |
| Genre | Poetry, literary criticism |
| Subject | Blues |
| Notable awards | Guggenheim Fellowship; finalist, National Book Award |
| Spouse | Kate Tuttle |
Kevin Young (born November 8, 1970) is a well-known American poet and writer. He is currently the director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture at the Smithsonian Institution, a big museum in Washington, D.C. He started this important job in 2021.
Kevin Young has written 11 books of his own and helped edit eight others. Before working at the Smithsonian, he was the director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture at the New York Public Library. He has won many awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship. His 2003 poetry book, Jelly Roll: A Blues, was even a finalist for the National Book Award. He also used to teach English and creative writing at Emory University. In 2017, he became the poetry editor for The New Yorker magazine.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Kevin Young was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, on November 8, 1970. He was the only child of two busy parents. His father, Dr. Paul E. Young, was an eye doctor, and his mother, Dr. Azzie Young, was a chemist. Because of their jobs, his family moved around a lot when he was young. He lived in six different places before he turned ten! Eventually, his family settled down in Topeka, Kansas.
Kevin Young first became interested in writing when he was 13 years old. He took a summer writing class at Washburn University, which sparked his passion.
He later attended Harvard College, a famous university. There, he studied with well-known poets like Seamus Heaney and Lucie Brock-Broido. He also became friends with the writer Colson Whitehead. After graduating from Harvard in 1992, he continued his studies at Stanford University and then earned his Master of Fine Arts degree from Brown University. At Brown, the poet Michael S. Harper was a very important teacher for him.
Kevin Young's Writing Career
While living in Boston and Providence, Kevin Young was part of a group of African-American poets called the Dark Room Collective. He has been greatly influenced by famous poets like Langston Hughes, John Berryman, and Emily Dickinson. He also finds inspiration in the art of Jean-Michel Basquiat.
First Books and Key Themes
Kevin Young wrote much of his first book, Most Way Home, while he was still in college. It was published in 1995 and was chosen for the National Poetry Series. It also won an award called the John C. Zacharis First Book Award. In this book, Young explores stories from his own family.
He has a group of three books – To Repel Ghosts, Jelly Roll, and Black Maria – that he calls his "American trilogy." He named this series Devil's Music.
Later Works and Recognition
Kevin Young's book The Book of Hours, published in 2014, won the 2015 Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize. He has also written other poetry collections like For The Confederate Dead, Dear Darkness, and Blues Laws: Selected and Uncollected Poems 1995–2015.
Besides writing his own poems, he has edited several collections of poems by others. These include Giant Steps: The New Generation of African American Writers, Blues Poems, and Jazz Poems. His poems have appeared in many famous magazines, such as The New Yorker, Poetry Magazine, and The Paris Review.
His 2003 poetry book, Jelly Roll, was a finalist for the National Book Award, which is a very important award for writers. In 2003, he also received a Guggenheim Fellowship, which helps artists and scholars with their work.
Teaching and Leadership Roles
Kevin Young taught writing at the University of Georgia and Indiana University before joining Emory University. At Emory, he was a professor of English and creative writing. He also managed the Raymond Danowski Poetry Library, which has a huge collection of rare poetry books.
In 2016, Kevin Young became the Director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York City. This center is a major research library focused on African-American history and culture.
In 2017, he was named the poetry editor for The New Yorker magazine, a very respected position in the literary world.
He is also working on two new books. One is a non-fiction book called Bunk, which looks at the history of lies and hoaxes in the U.S. The other is a poetry collection about African American history and his own childhood in Kansas.
In 2020, Kevin Young was chosen to be the director of the National Museum of African-American History and Culture. He started this big job in January 2021. He is also a member of important groups like the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Personal Life
Kevin Young currently lives in Washington, D.C., where the National Museum of African American History and Culture is located.
Awards and Honors
Kevin Young has received many awards for his writing and contributions to literature:
- 1993: National Poetry Series selection for Most Way Home
- 1993: John C. Zacharis First Book Prize for Most Way Home
- 2003: National Book Award (Poetry) finalist for Jelly Roll
- 2003: Guggenheim Fellowship
- 2013: PEN/Open Book for The Grey Album
- 2015: Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize for Book of Hours
- 2016: Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- 2017: Anisfield-Wolf Book Award in Nonfiction for Bunk
- 2017: Inducted into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame
- 2020: Named a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets
- 2021: T. S. Eliot Prize (shortlist) for Stones
- 2024: Harvard Arts Medal
