Quincy Troupe facts for kids

Quincy Thomas Troupe, Jr. was born on July 22, 1939. He is an American poet, an editor, and a journalist. He used to be a professor at the University of California, San Diego, in La Jolla, California. He is most famous for writing the life story of Miles Davis, a very well-known jazz musician.

Early Life and Inspirations

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

When Quincy was a teenager in 1955, he heard Miles Davis's music for the first time. He was at a fish restaurant in St. Louis, Missouri. He felt like this music was a secret initiation, something special just for him. He wrote about this experience in his book Miles and Me.

From Sports to Poetry

As a young man, Troupe was very good at sports. He went to Grambling State University on a basketball scholarship. But after his first year, he decided to leave. He then joined the United States Army and was stationed in France. He played basketball for the Army team there.

While in France, he met a famous French thinker named Jean-Paul Sartre. Sartre suggested that Troupe should try writing poetry. This meeting changed the direction of Troupe's life.

The Watts Writers Workshop

After leaving the Army, Troupe moved to Los Angeles, California. He became a regular at the Watts Writers Workshop. This was a place where writers could meet, share their work, and learn. Troupe started writing poetry that was inspired by jazz music.

The Watts Writers Workshop was a very important place. It was a meeting spot for people involved in the Black Power movement, the Black Arts Movement, and the civil rights movement. Troupe met many other writers and activists there, like Ishmael Reed and James Baldwin. In 1968, he edited a book of poems and essays called Watts Poets: A Book of New Poetry and Essays.

Troupe's writing style is connected to other Black Arts Movement writers. These include Amiri Baraka, Nikki Giovanni, and Ishmael Reed. Their work was very different, but it was all influenced by world literature and jazz music. Later, it was found that the Workshop faced many challenges.

Quincy Troupe's 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, either alone or with groups.

Writing About Miles Davis

In 1985, Spin magazine asked Troupe to interview Miles Davis. This interview was so good that a publishing company, Simon & Schuster, asked him to help Miles Davis write his life story. The book, Miles: The Autobiography, came out in 1990. It won an American Book Award and received many good reviews.

Teaching and Poet Laureate Role

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

In 2002, he was chosen to be California's first poet laureate. This is an honor given to a poet who represents the state. However, during a background check, it was found that he had not finished his degree from Grambling. He had only attended for two semesters. Troupe admitted this and decided to step down from the poet laureate position in October 2002. He also retired from his teaching job at UCSD.

After this, Troupe moved back to New York City.

Other Important Works

In 2006, Troupe worked with self-made millionaire Chris Gardner on his life story, The Pursuit of Happyness. This book later became a famous movie starring Will Smith.

Other important books by Troupe include James Baldwin: The Legacy (1989) and Miles and Me: A Memoir of Miles Davis (2000). He also helped edit Giant Talk: An Anthology of Third World Writing (1975). He was also a founding editor for two literary journals. In 2022, Troupe released a new book of poems called Duende. This book was considered for a major poetry award.

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

Books by Quincy Troupe

• 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)