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Mitchell S. Jackson
American writer From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Mitchell S. Jackson is an American writer.[1] He is the author of the 2013 novel The Residue Years, as well as Oversoul (2012), an ebook collection of essays and short stories.[1] Jackson is a Whiting Award recipient[2] and a former winner of the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence.[3] In 2021, while an assistant professor of creative writing at the University of Chicago, he won the Pulitzer Prize[4] and the National Magazine Award for Feature Writing for his profile of Ahmaud Arbery for Runner's World.[5] As of 2021[update], Jackson is the John O. Whiteman Dean's Distinguished Professor in the Department of English at Arizona State University.[6]
He has also been the recipient of fellowships from TED[7] and the Lannan Foundation.[8] Jackson is also a public speaker and documentarian.[1]
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Biography
Jackson was born in Portland, Oregon.[1] He was raised by a single mother.[9] In his youth, he was arrested on drug charges and sent to prison,[10] where he took an interest in literature and began experimenting with autobiographical writing.[9]
Following his release in the summer of 1998,[10] Jackson received a Master of Arts in writing from Portland State University, as well as a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from New York University.[1]
Jackson is a father of two.[11]
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Career
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In 2012, Jackson published Oversoul: Stories & Essays, an ebook compilation of short fiction and non-fiction.[1] His debut novel, The Residue Years, was released in the summer of 2013 and was praised by publications such as The New York Times,[12] The Paris Review,[13] and The Sydney Morning Herald.[14] Jackson is a Whiting Award recipient.[2] The Residue Years also won The Ernest Gaines Award for Literary Excellence[3] and was short-listed for the Center For Fiction's Flaherty-Dunnan First novel prize,[15] the PEN/ Hemingway award for first fiction,[16] The Hurston/Wright Legacy Award for best fiction by a writer of African descent;[17] it was short-listed for the William Saroyan International Prize for writing,[18] and named an "Honor Book" by the BCALA.[19] He has been the recipient of fellowships from TED,[7] the Lannan Foundation,[8] The Center For Fiction,[20] and The Bread Loaf Writer's Conference.[21]
Jackson is the co-director, writer, and producer of The Residue Years: A Documentary (2013), a documentary film exploring the autobiographical elements of his novel of the same name.[22] It was an Official Selection of the Portland Film Festival.[23] It premiered on the Web at the Literary Hub website.[22]
Jackson's short fiction, nonfiction, and poetry have been published in Vice, Esquire, Gigantic Magazine, Flaunt Magazine, The Frozen Moment: Contemporary Writers on the Choices That Change Our Lives, and New York Tyrant, among other publications. He was the first Black columnist for Esquire.[24]
Jackson is a former TED speaker.[7] He has also read and/or and lectured at institutions including Brown University,[25] Middlebury College,[26] and UMASS;[27] at events including The Brooklyn Book Festival,[28] and the Sydney Writers' Festival;[29] at various adult prisons and youth facilities;[1] and for organizations including The Pathfinders of Oregon,[30] The PEN/Faulkner Foundation,[31] and The Volunteers of America. He has served on the faculty of New York University,[32] Columbia University,[33] and the University of Chicago.[34] He is currently on the faculty at Arizona State University.[6]
Jackson published Survival Math: Notes on an All American Family in 2019.[35] It was selected for Time's 100 Must-Read Books of 2019,[36] NPR's Books We Love 2019,[37] and Buzzfeed's Best Books of 2019.[38]
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Works
Books
Fiction
- —— (2013). The Residue Years. Bloomsbury USA. ISBN 9781620400289.
Collections
- Oversoul: Stories & Essays. The Collections House. 2012.
Short fiction and poetry
- "Sixty, Seventy, Eighty." Gigantic Magazine. 2013.
- "Oversoul." Vice – Fiction Issue. June 2012.
- "An Exquisite Corpse." Gigantic Magazine. October 10, 2011.
- "Presidents: An Epic" The Frozen Moment: Contemporary Writers on the Choices That Change Our Lives. 2011.
- "Head Down, Palm Up." New York Tyrant. Fall 2011.
- "Luminous Days: a novel excerpt." Tusculum College Literary Journal Vol 1. 2005.
- "Post Script." Intimacy: Erotic Stories of Love, Lust, and Marriage by Black Men. 2004.
- "Late Night". Sou’ Western Literary Journal. 2003.
- "Luminous Days." Gumbo: An Anthology of African American Writing. 2002.
Nonfiction
- "Portrait of a Lifeguard." Dossier Journal. 2008.
- "Interview With Emory Douglas." Dossier Journal. 2008.
- "True to the Selves." aboutaword.com. June 29, 2012.
- "No Blood Left Behind." Everyday Genius. November 15, 2012.
- "My First Time." Davidabramsbooks.blogspot.com. August 26, 2013.
- "The Name Game." Bookpage. September 2013.
- "Growing Up Black in the Whitest City in America." Salon. March 17, 2014.
- "How to Catch A Racist: The Donald Sterling Edition." Guernica Mag. May 6, 2014.
- "Dear Gordon." Tin House Magazine. Spring 2015.
- Survival Math: Notes on an All-American Family. Scribner, 2019.
- Twelve Minutes and a Life. Runner's World, 2020.[39]
- He Was My Role Model. My Mentor. My Supplier. New York Times Magazine, December 20, 2023.[40]
Film
- The Residue Years: A Documentary. 2013.
Honors
- 2004: Hurston Wright Foundation, Award For College Writers (Fiction)
- 2008: Urban Artist Initiative, NYC Fellowship
- 2011: Center For Fiction, Emerging Writers Fellowship[20]
- 2013: New York Times Book Review, Editor's Choice
- 2013: Center For Fiction, Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize, Finalist[15]
- 2013: American Book Sellers Association, Debut Dozen
- 2014: Sydney Morning Herald, Pick of the Week[14]
- 2014: The New York Times Book Review, Paperback Row
- 2014: Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence, Winner [3]
- 2014: Lannan Literary Fellowship, Fiction[8]
- 2014: PEN / Hemingway Debut Fiction Award, Finalist[16]
- 2014: Hurston Wright Legacy Award, Finalist
- 2014: Saroyan International Prize For Writing, Shortlist [18]
- 2014: Black Caucus of the American Library Association, Honor Book[19]
- 2015: Portland Community College, Diamond Alumni Award
- 2015: Everybody Reads Selection, Multnomah County Library, Oregon[41]
- 2016: Whiting Writers’ Award, Winner [42]
- 2016: TED, Fellowship [7]
- 2021: National Magazine Award, Feature Writing [43]
- 2021: Pulitzer Prize, Feature Writing [44]
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References
External links
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