Tommy Pico facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tommy Pico
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Pico at the 2018 Texas Book Festival
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| Born | December 13, 1983 |
| Occupation | Writer, poet, and podcast host |
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Notable work
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IRL, Nature Poem |
Tommy Pico, born on December 13, 1983, is a talented writer, poet, and podcast host. He is a member of the Kumeyaay Nation, a Native American tribe.
Contents
Tommy Pico's Early Life
Tommy Pico grew up on the Viejas Reservation. This is a Kumeyaay tribal land located near San Diego, California. His father was an important leader, serving as the tribal chairman.
Pico started writing comics when he was just five years old. As a teenager, he enjoyed making his own small magazines, called zines, and writing poetry. His name in the Kumeyaay language means "bird song."
He went to Sarah Lawrence College to study medicine. His plan was to become a doctor and help his community on the reservation. However, he later decided to follow his passion for writing. He moved to New York City and worked as a barista in Williamsburg. This is where he began to focus on writing poetry.
In 2008, Pico lived in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Later, in 2019, he moved to Los Angeles with a friend.
His Creative Work
In 2011, Tommy Pico became a mentor in the Queer/Art/Mentors program. This program helps young LGBTQ+ artists. In 2013, he was chosen as a Lambda Literary Fellow for poetry. This is a special honor for writers.
Books and Poetry
Pico's first book, IRL, came out in 2016. It was published by a small company called Birds, LLC. IRL is written like one very long text message. It uses a style similar to ancient epic poems.
The poem is told from the point of view of a made-up character named Teebs. Teebs is like Pico's alter-ego, a different version of himself. IRL was highly praised and appeared on many "best of the year" lists for 2016. In 2017, it won the Brooklyn Public Library Literary Prize.
His second book, Nature Poem, was published in 2017. Like IRL, this book also features Teebs as the main character. In Nature Poem, Pico used the epic style again. He explored and challenged common ideas about Native Americans. He wanted to show that they are not just "noble savages" who are always connected to nature. Nature Poem also received great reviews.
Pico continued his writing with Junk in 2018 and Feed in 2019. He calls these four books—IRL, Nature Poem, Junk, and Feed—his "Teebs tetralogy." A tetralogy is a series of four works.
Podcasts and TV Shows
Tommy Pico helps organize a live reading series called Poets With Attitude with Morgan Parker. He also co-hosts two popular podcasts.
One podcast is Food 4 Thot. It talks about queer identity, race, relationships, books, and pop culture. The other podcast is Scream, Queen!, which he hosts with Drea Washington. This podcast discusses horror films and how they relate to people from different backgrounds. Pico also appeared in the 2022 documentary series Queer for Fear: The History of Queer Horror.
In 2018, Pico was asked to create special sounds for New York City's High Line park. He also designed a walking tour of Seattle for an art gallery and publisher.
He has written for popular TV shows like Reservation Dogs and Resident Alien. In 2021, Pico was selected as a Sundance Institute Fellow. This is a special honor for talented filmmakers and writers.
Awards and Recognition
Tommy Pico has received several awards for his amazing work:
- In 2017, his first book, IRL, won the Brooklyn Public Library Literary Prize.
- His second book, Nature Poem, won a 2018 American Book Award. It was also a finalist for the 2018 Lambda Literary Award.
- In 2018, he won a Whiting Award for his poetry.
