Quincy Troupe facts for kids

Quincy Thomas Troupe, Jr. (born July 22, 1939) is an American poet, editor, and journalist. He used to be a professor at the University of California, San Diego. Troupe is famous for writing about the life of Miles Davis, a well-known jazz musician.

Early Life and Inspiration

Quincy Troupe's father was Quincy Trouppe, a baseball catcher. His father added an extra "P" to their last name. This helped people in Mexico say his name correctly.

When Quincy Troupe was a teenager in 1955, he heard music by Miles Davis. He was at a restaurant in St. Louis, Missouri. This music made a big impression on him. He felt like it was a special moment just for him.

In his book Miles and Me, Troupe wrote about this time. He felt like he had joined a secret club. This experience made him feel different from other students. He thought many of them were "square," meaning not cool or stylish.

College and Army

As a young man, Troupe was very good at sports. He went to Grambling State University on a basketball scholarship. But he left after his first year.

Then, he joined the United States Army. He was sent to France and played on the Army basketball team. While in France, he met a famous French thinker named Jean-Paul Sartre. Sartre suggested that Troupe try writing poetry.

Watts Writers Workshop

After the Army, Troupe moved to Los Angeles, California. He spent a lot of time at the Watts Writers Workshop. Here, he started writing poetry that sounded like jazz music.

The Watts Writers Workshop was a place for many artists. It was also important for the Black Power movement, Black Arts Movement, and civil rights movement. Troupe met many important people there. He even edited a book of poems called Watts Poets in 1968.

Troupe's work is connected to other Black Arts Movement writers. These included Amiri Baraka and Ishmael Reed. Their writing was different, but it was inspired by world literature and jazz.

Later, it was found that the Workshop was targeted by a secret government program. This program was called COINTELPRO. The Workshop building was burned down in 1973. This was done by someone working for the program. This person also caused problems for other groups that supported Black culture.

Writing Career

In the 1970s, Troupe lived in New York. He taught at the College of Staten Island. He also performed his poetry around the country.

In 1985, a magazine asked Troupe to interview Miles Davis. This led to a big project. A publisher asked Troupe to help Miles Davis write his life story.

Miles Davis Autobiography

The book, Miles: The Autobiography, came out in 1990. It won an American Book Award. Many people praised the book.

From 1991 to 2003, Troupe was a professor. He taught about Caribbean and American literature. He also taught creative writing at the University of California, San Diego.

Poet Laureate and Resignation

In 2002, Troupe was chosen as California's first poet laureate. This is a special honor for a poet. But during a background check, it was found that he did not have a degree from Grambling. He had only attended for two semesters.

Troupe admitted that he had not earned the degree. He decided to resign from the poet laureate position. He also retired from his teaching job at UCSD. After this, Troupe moved back to New York City.

Later Works

In 2006, Troupe worked with Chris Gardner on his life story. The book was called The Pursuit of Happyness. It later became a movie starring Will Smith.

Other important books by Troupe include James Baldwin: The Legacy (1989). He also wrote Miles and Me: A Memoir of Miles Davis (2000). In 2022, he released a poetry book called Duende. This book was considered for a National Book Award.

Troupe lives in New York City with his wife, Margaret.

Books

• Miles and Me, Seven Stories Press (2018)
• Earl the Pearl: My Story by Earl Monroe & Quincy Troupe, Rodale Press (2013)
• Errançities, New Poems, Coffee House Press (2011)
• The Architecture of Language, Coffee House Press (2006)
• The Pursuit of Happyness, by Chris Gardner and Quincy Troupe, HarperCollins/Amistad (2006)
• Little Stevie Wonder, A children's book, Houghton-Mifflin (2005)
• Transcircularities; New and Selected Poems, Coffee House Press, October (2002)
• Take it to the Hoop Magic Johnson, a children's book, Jump At The Sun, a division of Hyperion/Disney Books of Children (2001)
• Miles and Me, University of California Press (2000)
• Choruses, poems, Coffee House Press (1999)
• Avalanche, poems, Coffee House Press (1996)
• Weather Reports: New and Selected Poems, Harlem River Press, New York and London (1991)
• Miles: The Autobiography, Miles Davis with Quincy Troupe, Quincy Troupe, Co-author, Simon & Schuster, New York, 1989
• James Baldwin: The Legacy ed., Touchstone Press (Simon & Schuster), New York (1989)
• Skulls Along the River, poems, Quincy Troupe, I. Reed Books, New York (1984)
• Snake-Back Solos: Selected Poems 1969-1977, Quincy Troupe, I. Reed Books, New York (1979)
• The Inside Story of T.V.'s Roots, Quincy Troupe and David L. Wolper, Warner Books, New York (1978)
• Giant Talk: An Anthology of Third World Writing, Rainer Schulte and Quincy Troupe, eds., Random House, New York (1972)
• Embryo, Quincy Troupe, Balenmir House, New York (1972)
• Watts Poets and Writers, Quincy Troupe, ed., House of Respect, California (1968)