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Yona Harvey
Harvey at Busboys and Poets, 2014
Harvey at Busboys and Poets, 2014
Born 1974 (age 50–51)
Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Occupation Poet
Professor
Alma mater Howard University
Ohio State University
University of Pittsburgh
Notable works Hemming the Water
Notable awards Kate Tufts Discovery Award

Yona Harvey (born in 1974) is an American poet and a professor at the University of Pittsburgh. She won the Kate Tufts Discovery Award in 2014. She is also a writer for Marvel Comics, becoming one of the first two Black women to write for Marvel.

Yona Harvey's Early Life and Education

Yona Harvey grew up and went to college. She earned her first degree in English from Howard University. There, she studied with other famous writers like Ta-Nehisi Coates, Kemp Powers, and Douglas Kearney.

Later, she earned a graduate degree in English from Ohio State University. She also got a Master of Library and Information Science degree from the University of Pittsburgh.

Yona Harvey's Writing Career

Poetry Collections and Awards

Yona Harvey's poems have appeared in many literary magazines. These include jubilat, Ploughshares, Gulf Coast, and Callaloo.

In 2013, she published her first book of poems, called Hemming the Water. This book won the Kate Tufts Discovery Award in 2014. It was also a finalist for the Hurston-Wright Legacy Award in poetry that same year.

Critics praised Hemming the Water. One reviewer said her poems were like "the best machines that sew and sing." Another mentioned how her poems mix "tenderness and violence" in a unique way.

Teaching and Professor Roles

Yona Harvey is currently the Tammis Day Professor of Poetry at Smith College. Before that, she was a professor at the University of Pittsburgh.

She teaches writing in the English department. Her classes cover many topics. These include African literature, digital media, poetry, and different ways to write.

Writing for Marvel Comics

Yona Harvey wrote her first comic book story when she was in college.

In 2016, she started writing for Marvel Comics. She worked on the series World of Wakanda. This series is a spin-off from the popular Black Panther comics. Yona Harvey and Roxane Gay were the first two Black women to write for Marvel.

Ta-Nehisi Coates, who also writes for Marvel, suggested Yona Harvey for the job. He believed her poetry skills would help her write short, powerful comic stories. Yona Harvey wrote the origin story for a character named Zenzi. She said she was inspired by Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.

Harvey and Coates also wrote another Black Panther comic series. It was called Black Panther & The Crew and was set in Harlem. This series ran for six issues.

Future Writing Projects

Yona Harvey is working on a second book of poems. She is also writing a memoir. A memoir is a book about a person's own life experiences.

Yona Harvey's Personal Life

Yona Harvey was married to the poet Terrance Hayes. They met at a writing retreat for Black poets in 1996. They have two children, a son and a daughter.

Yona Harvey's Published Works

  • Hemming the Water, Four Way Books 2013, ISBN: 9781935536321
  • The Subject of Retreat (poem, 2015)
  • Hurricane (poem, 2013)
  • Gingivitis, Notes on Fear (poem, 2013)
  • Selected poems via Washingtonart.com
  • Selected poems via Bucknell.edu
  • Her work has been included in other poetry collections.

Yona Harvey's Awards and Honors

  • Winner, 2014 Kate Tufts Discovery Award
  • Finalist, 2014 Hurston-Wright Legacy Award, Poetry
  • Winner, 2016 Carol R. Brown Creative Achievement Awards, Established Artist, from the Pittsburgh Foundation and the Heinz Endowments
  • Individual Artist grant in nonfiction from The Pittsburgh Foundation

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Yona Harvey para niños

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