Jesmyn Ward: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Born	April 1, 1977 (age 49) • Oakland • California
Awards And Honors	National Book Award (2017) • National Book Award (2011)
Notable Works	“Let Us Descend” • “Men We Reaped” • “On Witness and Respair” • “Salvage the Bones” • “Sing, Unburied, Sing” • “The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks About Race” • “Where the Line Bleeds”

Photos

See All Images →

Ta-Nehisi Coates

Ta-Nehisi Coates

American author

Alice Walker smiling and wearing glasses, a beaded necklace, and a burgundy velvet top at the opening of The Color Purple in New York City.

Alice Walker

American writer

default image

James Alan McPherson

American author

Joan Didion, 1970

Joan Didion

American author

Joyce Carol Oates, 2012

Joyce Carol Oates

American author

Merwin, W.S.

W.S. Merwin

American poet and translator

Annie Proulx seated on a red leather sofa, wearing glasses, a black jacket, and a white shirt, looking toward the camera.

Annie Proulx

American author

Jonathan Franzen, wearing glasses and a blazer, gestures with his hand while speaking during a panel discussion.

Jonathan Franzen

American author

Hazzard, Shirley

Shirley Hazzard

American author

default image

Wright Morris

American writer and photographer

Ralph Ellison

Ralph Ellison

American author and educator

Rita Dove

Rita Dove

American author

Lorde, Audre

Audre Lorde

American poet and author

Ibram X. Kendi in 2020, wearing a patterned white shirt and purple jacket, looking at the camera with a neutral expression.

Ibram X. Kendi

American author

default image

Charles Dudley Warner

American essayist

Mark Twain

Mark Twain

American writer

Edmund White

Edmund White

American author

N. Scott Momaday

N. Scott Momaday

American author

Ann Patchett

Ann Patchett

American author

Amy Tan gestures while speaking to Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi during a session at the Jaipur Literature Festival, with her image projected on a large screen behind her.

Amy Tan

American author