Danez Smith

Danez Smith
Name	Danez Smith
Birth date	1989
Birth place	St. Paul, Minnesota, United States
Occupation	Poet, performer, editor
Nationality	American
Notable works	Don't Call Us Dead; Homie; [Insert other publications]
Awards	Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award; Lambda Literary Award; Forward Prize (shortlist)

Danez Smith is an American poet, performer, and essayist known for work that intersects race, sexuality, illness, and community. Smith's writing has appeared across contemporary poetry, spoken-word performance, and edited anthologies, bringing attention from institutions, festivals, and literary journals. Their practice weaves formal innovation with urgent social critique and engagement across multiple cultural platforms.

Early life and education

Smith was born and raised in Saint Paul, Minnesota and came of age within the Twin Cities cultural scenes connected to Oakland, Chicago, and New York City performance traditions. They attended local schools in Ramsey County and were shaped by regional arts organizations including Mixed Blood Theatre and spoken-word venues tied to the legacy of the National Poetry Slam and the Individual World Poetry Slam. Smith later pursued formal study at institutions linked to writing communities such as Hamline University and workshops associated with the Iowa Writers' Workshop network and summer programs affiliated with the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference. Early mentorships and affiliations included poets and performers who passed through programs at the Poetry Foundation and festivals like the Dublin Writers Festival.

Literary career

Smith emerged in the 2010s through the spoken-word circuit, competing at events organized by Brave New Voices, the College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational, and the National Poetry Slam. Their transition from performance to page aligned with publications in journals associated with institutions such as the American Poetry Review, Poetry, and Granta, as well as collaborations with presses linked to the University of Minnesota Press and independent houses like Graywolf Press. They toured with ensembles and appeared at venues including The Apollo Theater, The Kennedy Center, and international stages tied to the Hay Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Editorial projects included co-editing anthologies that brought together writers from networks anchored by the Lambda Literary Foundation, the Black Arts Movement lineage, and collectives emergent from the Black Lives Matter cultural moment.

Major works and themes

Smith's major books synthesize concerns found across African American literature and contemporary queer poetics. Prominent volumes engage motifs shared with writers connected to Lucille Clifton, Essex Hemphill, Eileen Myles, Tracy K. Smith, and Claudia Rankine. Themes include racial violence and policing resonant with historical events like the Killing of George Floyd and the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement, as well as illness narratives recalling public conversations surrounding HIV/AIDS and healthcare debates involving institutions such as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention contexts. Formal experiments in Smith's work relate to techniques practiced by poets appearing in collections from presses like Faber and Faber and academic analyses in journals of the Modern Language Association. They address kinship structures, masculinity, and Black queer identity in dialogue with movements represented by ACT UP, Black Youth Project 100, and community arts organizers tied to the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

Awards and honors

Smith's recognition includes prizes awarded by organizations such as the Poets & Writers community and major literary institutions like the PEN America centers and the National Book Critics Circle constituency. They have received awards comparable to the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award and the Lambda Literary Award, and their books have been shortlisted for honors including the Forward Prizes and national fellowships connected to the MacArthur Foundation and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. Residencies and fellowships have been hosted by organizations such as the Djerassi Resident Artists Program, the Yaddo colony, and university-affiliated fellowships at places like Harvard University and Yale University writing centers.

Activism and public engagement

Smith's public engagement spans readings, benefit performances, and partnerships with advocacy organizations including Black Lives Matter, The Trevor Project, and public-health coalitions working with the Human Rights Campaign. They have contributed to panel discussions at think tanks and cultural institutions such as the Brookings Institution and the New York Public Library, and participated in festivals organized by groups like the National Book Festival and the Stratford Festival. Editorial and curatorial efforts have centered marginalized voices in anthologies published by independent presses and cultural nonprofits, aligning with funders and partners such as the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and community arts programs in collaboration with municipal arts councils in cities like Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Personal life

Smith identifies as queer and uses they/them pronouns; their lived experience informs public writing and advocacy related to LGBTQ+ communities represented by organizations such as GLAAD and PFLAG. Health experiences that surface in their poetry have linked Smith to conversations in medical humanities curricula at institutions like Columbia University and public panels hosted by hospitals affiliated with Johns Hopkins Medicine. They maintain ties to local and national artistic networks spanning cohorts of poets, editors, and cultural producers active in spaces connected to The Poetry Foundation and university creative programs.

Category:African-American poets Category:LGBT poets Category:American performance poets