Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, Kevin Young is one of the most interesting poets to come out of the United States of America in recent times. Citing influences as varied as the Harlem Renaissance writer Langston Hughes, Emily Dickinson and the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, he has explored issues of race, identity, family, and America's diverse cultures.
Having written his first poetry collection while still a student at university, Young has gone on to write more poetry, edit anthologies and write for magazines. Currently he serves as Atticus Haygood Professor of English and Creative Writing at Emory University and earlier this year he was appointed Poetry Editor of the celebrated cultural magazine, The New Yorker. A further poetry collection is due out soon, which he describes as being about his own personal history and the broader history of African-American life.
