Kiese Laymon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kiese Laymon
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Laymon at the 2018 Texas Book Festival
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| Born | August 15, 1974 Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.
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Kiese Laymon (born August 15, 1974, in Jackson, Mississippi) is an American writer. He teaches English and Creative Writing at Rice University. He has written three main books. These include a novel called Long Division (2013). He also wrote two memoirs: How to Slowly ... and Others in America (2013) and the award-winning Heavy: An American Memoir (2018). Laymon received a special award called a MacArthur Fellowship in 2022.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Kiese Laymon grew up in Mississippi. He earned his first college degree, a Bachelor of Arts, from Oberlin College. Later, he got his Master's in Fine Arts from Indiana University.
He also went to Jackson State University. His mother was a professor there. He attended Millsaps College too. While there, he was suspended for a year. This happened after he took a library book without checking it out. He had also written articles in the school newspaper. These articles discussed important topics about race.
Writing Journey
Kiese Laymon's 2018 memoir, Heavy: An American Memoir, is a very personal book. It talks about his relationship with his mother. She taught him to love reading and writing. His mother faced many challenges and worked hard. She wanted him to be strong for a world that could be tough.
The book also explores big ideas like American racism and family life. It discusses masculinity, geography, and hip hop. It shares stories about growing up Black in the Southern United States.
Laymon also has a blog called Cold Drank. On his blog, he shares essays and short stories. Other writers also contribute their work. He has written for many well-known publications. These include Gawker, ESPN.com, The Washington Post, and The New York Times. He has also written for NPR, BuzzFeed, and The Guardian.
Martha Anne Toll, writing for NPR, praised Laymon. She called him a "star in the American literary world." She said his writing is "courageous, honest, loving, and uniquely beautiful." She described Heavy as a tribute to the Deep South. It is also a powerful story about growing up Black and loving books. The memoir shows how his family, though challenging, also provided a strong foundation.
When Laymon was teaching at Vassar College, he worked on his novel Long Division. He wanted to keep important parts about racial politics in the book. This made it harder to find a publisher at first. Eventually, an independent publisher called Agate Publishing released his novel in June 2013.
Teaching Career
Kiese Laymon was an associate professor at Vassar College. He taught English and Africana Studies. Later, he became a professor of Creative Writing. This was in the MFA program at the University of Mississippi.
As of 2022, he is a professor of English and Creative Writing at Rice University.
Awards and Special Recognition
Kiese Laymon has received several important awards and honors:
- 2013 & 2014: He was named a member of The Root 100. This list features 100 important Black influencers.
- 2018: He won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. This was for his memoir, Heavy: An American Memoir.
- 2019: He received the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction. This was also for Heavy: An American Memoir.
- 2022: He was awarded a MacArthur Fellows Program. This is a very prestigious award.
Selected Works
Here are some of Kiese Laymon's books:
- Novels
- Long Division (2013), ISBN: 978-1932841725
- Memoirs
- Heavy: An American Memoir (2018), ISBN: 978-1501125652
