Truth Thomas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Truth Thomas
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| Born | Glenn Edward Thomas Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Occupation | Musician, Poet, Publisher, Editor |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Howard University; New England College |
| Genre | Poetry, Music |
| Notable works | Speak Water, Take Love, Where We Stand: Poems of Black Resilience, The Skinny Poetry Anthology, Party of Black, Bottle of Life, A Day of Presence |
Truth Thomas, whose birth name was Glenn Edward Thomas, is an American artist who does many things! He is a talented singer-songwriter, a poet, an editor, and a publisher. He even started his own company called Cherry Castle Publishing. Truth Thomas is famous for his poetry, especially his book Speak Water, which won a big award called the NAACP Image Award in 2013. He also wrote a children's book called My TV is Not the Boss of Me. He even invented a special type of poem called the "Skinny"! Before he became known as Truth Thomas, he had a music career. His first album, Take Love, was produced by Don Cornelius, who created the famous Soul Train TV show. In 1992, he officially changed his name to Truth Thomas. He has also been a special writer for the Howard County Poetry and Literature Society and the first Poet Laureate of Howard County, Maryland. His poems have appeared in over 150 different books and magazines.
Early Life and Music Journey
Truth Thomas was born in Knoxville, Tennessee. He grew up in a very musical and smart family. His grandmother was a teacher, a singer, and played the violin. His mother was also a teacher and a singer, and she was great at languages and playing the piano. All of his aunts and uncles played musical instruments too! So, he was surrounded by music as a child in the South. He learned a lot from his family's music and from the music at the Tabernacle Baptist Church.
In the late 1960s, his family moved to the Washington Metropolitan Area. There, he spent a lot of his youth making music at Rock Creek Baptist Church. Before he fell in love with the piano, he played the violin, clarinet, and guitar. He went to Montgomery Blair High School. After high school, he studied political science at Howard University in Washington, D.C., during the day. At night, he was a rising singer-songwriter. He performed with a group called Members Only in clubs around D.C.
In 1980, he left Howard University to focus on his music career in Los Angeles. In 1981, Don Cornelius signed him to a production deal with Capitol Records.
Becoming a Poet
After living and working in Los Angeles and London for many years, Truth Thomas returned to the Washington area in the early 2000s. This is when he started to seriously study poetry. In 2004, he went back to Howard University to study Creative Writing. He later earned his Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) degree from New England College in 2008.
Today, Truth Thomas is very active as a poet, editor, publisher, and singer-songwriter. His work has been shown in more than 150 different publications. His writing often talks about important topics like fairness and equality for all people, both in the United States and around the world. One writer, Dr. Randall Horton, said that Truth Thomas's special talent is "his ability to take us places where we've never been before."
His poems have been in many magazines and collections, including Poetry and The 100 Best African American Poems. In 2010, he helped start a literary magazine in Washington, D.C., called the Tidal Basin Review. In 2012, he started his own publishing company, Cherry Castle Publishing. That same year, he also returned to music, singing with jazz musician Roy Nathanson in New York City. In 2013, Truth Thomas won the NAACP Image Award for his poetry book Speak Water.
Awards and Books
Truth Thomas has won several awards for his amazing work:
- 2008: Charles H. Chapman Award from Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity
- 2013: NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work - Poetry
- 2014: Jessie Redmon Fauset Book Award Finalist
Here are some of the books he has written:
- Party of Black. flipped eye. 2006. ISBN: 978-1-905-23312-0.
- A Day of Presence. flipped eye. 2008. ISBN: 978-0-9818584-0-1.
- Bottle of Life. flipped eye. 2010. ISBN: 978-0-981-85842-5.
- Speak Water. Cherry Castle Publishing. 2012. ISBN: 978-0-615-62142-5.
- My TV is Not the Boss of Me. Cherry Castle Publishing. 2014. ISBN: 978-0-615-87794-5.
Music Albums
Here are his music albums:
- 1982: Take Love. Capitol Records ST-12230
- 1996: Truth. Cherry Castle Records
- 2002: If The Spirit is Willing. Cherry Castle Records
