Tongo Eisen-Martin facts for kids
Tongo Eisen-Martin is an American poet and activist. He uses his words to speak out about important issues. He is currently the official poet laureate of San Francisco, California. This means he is recognized as an important poet for the city.
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About Tongo Eisen-Martin
Tongo Eisen-Martin was born in 1980 in San Francisco, California. His mother, Arlene Eisen, was a revolutionary. His parents named him after Josiah Tongogara, a leader from another country. A famous artist named Miranda Bergman is his godmother. He has a younger brother named Biko. They both went to Meadows-Livingstone school in San Francisco when they were kids.
His Education and Teaching
Tongo Eisen-Martin studied at Columbia University. He earned two degrees there, a bachelor's and a master's. Both of his degrees were in African-American Studies. He also taught at Columbia University. He helped create a special course in 2012 called We Charge Genocide Again!. He has also taught poetry and writing in places like San Quentin and Rikers Island. These are detention centers where people are held. He is also a co-founder of Black Freighter Press, which is a publishing company.
Awards and Recognitions
Tongo Eisen-Martin has won many awards for his poetry. His book Heaven Is All Goodbyes was published in 2017. It won several important awards. These include a PEN Oakland Award and the American Book Award in 2018. It also won the California Book Award and was named Poetry Book of the Year by the National California Booksellers Association in 2018.
His book Blood on the Fog came out in 2020. It was recognized as one of the Best Poetry Books of 2021. This honor came from Elisa Gabbert of the New York Times.
His Published Works
Here are some of the books Tongo Eisen-Martin has written:
