Mitchell S. Jackson
Author photo, 2016
Born
Portland, Oregon, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
EducationPortland State University (MA)
New York University (MFA)
Occupations
  • Author
  • Academic
Awards

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, 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]

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]

Career

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]

Works

Books

Fiction

  • The Residue Years. Bloomsbury USA. 2013. 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 Oregon
  • 2016: Whiting Writers’ Award, Winner [41]
  • 2016: TED, Fellowship [7]
  • 2021: National Magazine Award, Feature Writing [42]
  • 2021: Pulitzer Prize, Feature Writing [43]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Bio: Mitchell S Jackson". Mitchell S Jackson. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Mitchell S. Jackson: 2016 Winner in Fiction". Whiting Awards. 2016. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 Brasted, Chelsea (January 23, 2015). "Mitchell S. Jackson accepts Ernest J. Gaines Award for his debut, 'The Residue Years'". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  4. ↑ "UChicago scholar Mitchell S. Jackson wins Pulitzer Prize for essay on Ahmaud Arbery". University of Chicago News. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  5. ↑ Jackson, Mitchell S. (June 18, 2020). "Ahmaud Arbery Went Out for a Jog and Was Gunned Down in the Street". Runner's World. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  6. 1 2 "Pulitzer Prize winner Mitchell S. Jackson and Whiting Award winner Safiya Sinclair join ASU's Department of English". ASU News. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Meet the 2016 class of TED Fellows and Senior Fellows". TED Blog. TED. December 8, 2015. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 "Mitchell S. Jackson". Lannan Foundation. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  9. 1 2 Thomas, Cullen (March 31, 2014). "Conversations With Literary Ex-Cons #7: Mitchell S. Jackson". The Rumpus. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  10. 1 2 Jackson, Mitchell S. "Re-Vision: Mitchell S. Jackson on why fiction matters". The Center for Fiction. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  11. ↑ Small, Tim (August 28, 2012). "Mitchell Jackson Has an Excellent Jump Shot". Vice. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  12. ↑ Gay, Roxane (August 16, 2013). "Nickel and Dimed: Mitchell S. Jackson's 'Residue Years'". The New York Times. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  13. ↑ Small, Tim (January 30, 2014). "Visible Man: An Interview with Mitchell S. Jackson". The Paris Review. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  14. 1 2 Woodhead, Cameron (November 15, 2014). "Pick of the Week: The Residue Years". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  15. 1 2 "Flaherty-Dunnan 2013 Short List". The Center for Fiction. 2013. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  16. 1 2 "Pen-Hemingway Award Honorees" (PDF). Squarespace. 2016. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  17. ↑ Brown, DeNeen L. (October 25, 2014). "Hurston/Wright Foundation awards NoViolet Bulawayo for her debut novel, 'We Need New Names'". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  18. 1 2 Lee, Sonia (May 2014). "Press release: William Saroyan International Prize for Writing 2014 Shortlist". Stanford University. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  19. 1 2 Washington, Michelle Harrell (February 7, 2014). "BCALA announces winners of 2014 Literary Awards". American Library Association. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  20. 1 2 "The 2011 Center for Fiction Emerging Writers Fellows". Center for Fiction. May 10, 2012. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  21. ↑ "Bread Loaf Writers' Conference 2015 Fellow and Scholar Bios" (PDF). Middlebury College. 2015. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  22. 1 2 "Mitchell S. Jackson's The Residue Years, Part One". Literary Hub. April 19, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  23. ↑ Jacobson, Rebecca (August 19, 2014). "Portland Film Festival: What's so Portland about this fledgling fest?". Willamette Week. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  24. ↑ "ASU Faculty Spotlight: Mitchell Jackson". Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  25. ↑ "Reading by Mitchell S. Jackson: Literary Arts Program". Brown University. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
  26. ↑ "Bread Loaf Writers' Conference Public Events Schedule". Middlebury College. August 10, 2016. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
  27. ↑ Blixt, Wesley (September 10, 2014). "Novelist Mitchell S. Jackson to Kick Off 51st Season of Visiting Writers Series at UMass Amherst M.F.A. Program". UMass Amherst. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
  28. ↑ "Brooklyn Book Festival: Why Fiction Matters". The Center for Fiction. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
  29. ↑ "Omar Musa and Mitchell S. Jackson: The Wild Side". Sydney Writers' Festival. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
  30. ↑ "The Residue Years: The Documentary Speakers Panel & Film Screening". Pathfinders of Oregon. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
  31. ↑ "Feel Your Pain: An Evening with Mitchell S. Jackson and Leslie Jamison". PEN/Faulkner Foundation. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
  32. ↑ "Faculty, Liberal Studies". New York University. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
  33. ↑ "Mitchell S. Jackson". Columbia University School of the Arts. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
  34. ↑ "About". Mitchell S. Jackson. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  35. ↑ Fredericksen, Devon (September 14, 2015). "Mitchell S. Jackson finds another Portland". High Country News. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
  36. ↑ "The 100 Must-Read Books of 2019". TIME. TIME USA, LLC. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  37. ↑ "NPR Books We Love". NPR. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  38. ↑ Rebolini, Arianna; Obaro, Tomi (December 13, 2019). "These Are The Best Books Of 2019". BuzzFeed News. BuzzFeed. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  39. ↑ "Twelve Minutes and a Life". Runner's World. June 18, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  40. ↑ Jackson, Mitchell S. (December 20, 2023). "He Was My Role Model My Mentor My Supplier". The New York Times. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  41. ↑ Williams, John (March 23, 2016). "Whiting Foundation Announces Winners of 2016 Awards for Writing". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 21, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  42. ↑ "The American Society of Magazine Editors Announces Winners for 2021 National Magazine Awards". ASME. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  43. ↑ "The 2021 Pulitzer Prize Winner in Feature Writing". The Pulitzer Prizes. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
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