Cyrée Jarelle Johnson

Cyrée Jarelle Johnson (born 1990)[1] is an American poet, editor, and librarian. He co-founded the literary magazine Deaf Poets Society and is currently a librarian at Pratt Institute. His debut poetry collection Slingshot received a Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry.[2]

Cyrée Jarelle Johnson
BornMarch 1990 (age 30)
United States
OccupationPoet, editor, librarian
LanguageEnglish
GenrePoetry
Notable worksSlingshot (2019)
Notable awards2020 Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry
SpouseAzure D Osborne-Lee
Website
cyreejarellejohnson.com

Early life and education

Johnson was raised in Piscataway, New Jersey,[3] and grew up a household he described as "abusive".[2]

He received his bachelor's degree from Hampshire College and completed his MFA in creative writing at Columbia University in 2019.[3][4]

Johnson was diagnosed with autism when he was about four years old[5] and with lupus as a teenager.[6] He stated in an interview for Mashable, "Autism scholarship characterizes folks on the spectrum as 'black and white thinkers' — and that's quite true for me. What I love, I love with verve and fervor. What I hate, I hate with verve and fervor."[5]

Career

Johnson is co-founder and poetry editor of Deaf Poets Society literary magazine, which was created in 2016 to specifically center works by writers with disabilities and those who are d/Deaf.[6][1] The magazine was developed with accessibility in mind, such as providing works in various formats including text, audio, and images.[6]

Johnson is an assistant professor and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Librarian at Pratt Institute.[3] He is also a former Chapter Lead for Black Lives Matter Philadelphia.[6]

He described his work as indirectly addressing disability and "what [he] had to do to stay alive."[1] He published his debut poetry collection Slingshot in 2019 under Nightboat Books.[4] In a New York Times review Stephanie Burt described the collection: "It’s challenging work, in its language, its stories, its subcultural references (“prince died for fem bois”), yet it offers pellucid queer intimacies."[7]

Personal life

Johnson is transmasculine[2] and uses he/him pronouns.[6][8] Johnson is gay.[1] He is married to Azure D Osborne-Lee and they reside in Brooklyn.[2]

Accolades

Works
  • 2019. Slingshot. First edition paperback, publication date 17 September 2019, Nightboat Books. ISBN 9781643620091

References
  1. ""I Can't Make You See What I See": Talking with Cyree Jarelle Johnson and Jesse Rice-Evans". Public Books. 2020-04-27. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
  2. Jordan, Jamal (2018-06-21). "Queer Love in Color". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-08-18.
  3. Edwards, Jessy (2020-09-14). "Crown Heights Librarian Wins Prestigious National Poetry Award". Brooklyn Reader. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  4. "Cyree Jarelle Johnson '19 Nominated for a Lambda for 'Slingshot'". Columbia - School of the Arts. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
  5. Dupere, Katie. "7 activists tell us the best thing about being autistic". Mashable. Retrieved 2020-08-18.
  6. Segal, Corinne (2016-08-07). "Meet the Deaf Poets Society, a digital journal for writers with disabilities". PBS NewsHour. Retrieved 2020-08-18.
  7. Burt, Stephanie (2019-10-01). "Dead Fathers, Feminist Icons and Other Poetic Obsessions". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
  8. Foundation, Poetry (2020-09-17). "Poetry Foundation Announces the 2020 Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowships Winners". Poetry Foundation. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
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