Saeed Jones facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Saeed Jones
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Saeed Jones at BookExpo 2019
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| Born | November 26, 1985 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Western Kentucky University (BA) Rutgers University–Newark (MFA) |
| Notable works |
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| Notable awards | Pushcart Prize |
Saeed Jones (born November 26, 1985) is an American writer and poet. He is known for his powerful writing. His first poetry collection, Prelude to Bruise, was a finalist for a major award in 2014. His second book, a memoir called How We Fight for Our Lives, won the Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction in 2019.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Saeed Jones was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He grew up in Lewisville, Texas. For college, he attended Western Kentucky University. Later, he earned a special degree in Creative Writing from Rutgers University–Newark. This helped him become a skilled writer.
Writing Career
Poetry Collections
Jones began his writing career by releasing a short poetry book in 2011. It was called When the Only Light is Fire. This book became very popular in its category on Amazon.
In 2014, he published his first full-length poetry collection. This book was titled Prelude to Bruise. Many critics praised it. NPR called it "brilliant" and "affecting." TIME Magazine suggested reading it quickly because it was so engaging. The book was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for poetry in 2014.
In September 2022, Jones released another poetry collection. This one was named Alive at the End of the World.
Jones has received several important awards for his poetry. These include the Pushcart Prize and the Joyce Osterwell Award for Poetry. He also won the Stonewall Book Award-Barbara Gittings Award for Literature. He was also nominated for the 2014 Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry. His work has been featured on PBS NewsHour and on So Popular! with Janet Mock on MSNBC. In 2015, he was featured on the cover of Hello Mr. magazine.
Prose and Other Projects
Before focusing fully on his books, Jones worked for BuzzFeed. He helped start and lead their culture section. While at BuzzFeed, he also co-hosted a morning show called AM to DM. This show ran from 2017 until 2019. He also wrote an advice column for BuzzFeed's newsletter.
His memoir, How We Fight for Our Lives, was published in 2019. A memoir is a book about a person's own life experiences. The New Yorker described the book as "urgent" and "matter of fact." NPR called it an "outstanding memoir." The book won the Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction in 2019. It also won a Lambda Literary Award in 2020.
In 2022, Jones was interviewed on the Storybound (podcast) podcast. This interview was part of the show's fifth season.
In August 2022, Jones started his own podcast on Sirius XM. It is called Vibe Check. He hosts it with Sam Sanders and Zach Stafford. The podcast talks about news and culture from a Black and diverse perspective.
Personal Life
Saeed Jones currently lives in Columbus, Ohio. He was raised practicing Nichiren Buddhism and continues to do so today.
See also
In Spanish: Saeed Jones para niños
