Kevin Young

Kevin Young often finds meaning and inspiration for his poetry in African American music, particularly the blues. He is the author of thirteen books of poetry and prose, including Ardency: A Chronicle of the Amistad Rebels and Dear Darkness. His collection Book of Hours is a work of both grief and birth, where he writes, "What good / are wishes if they aren't / used up?"

He is the editor of five volumes, including 2010’s The Art of Losing: Poems of Grief and Healing. His book The Grey Album: On the Blackness of Blackness combines essay, cultural criticism, and lyrical chorus. Young’s newest book, Bunk: The Rise of Hoaxes, Humbug, Plagiarists, Phonies, Post-Facts, and Fake News (Graywolf Press, 2017), won the 2018 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for Nonfiction.