Kevin Young is the director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture and poetry editor of the New Yorker. He was previously the director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. He is the author of a number of books of poetry and prose, including Jelly Roll- A Blues, a finalist for both the National Book Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Poetry; Bunk, a New York Times Notable Book, longlisted for the National Book Award and named on many 'best of' lists for 2017; and The Grey Album, winner of the Graywolf Press Nonfiction Prize and the PEN Open Book Award, a New York Times Notable Book, and a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for criticism. He was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2016.
One of the most important poets of his generation. * Washington Post * Kevin Young perfectly illustrates poetry's enduring vitality. * Entertainment Weekly * Keeping up with him is like trying to keep up with Bob Dylan or Prince in their primes. Even the bootlegs have bootlegs. -- Dwight Garner * New York Times * There appears to be no format in which Young does not shine. * Washington Post * One of the poetry stars of his generation. * Los Angeles Times *