M. Ayodele Heath
Encyclopedia
M. Ayodele Heath is an American poet
, spoken word
performer, and fiction
writer.
and holds an MFA in Poetry from New England College
. His first book of poems, Otherness, was published in 2011 on Brick Road Poetry Press.
(2010). Additional honors include a 2001 Emerging Artist grant from the Atlanta Bureau for Cultural Affairs, a 2007 McEver Visiting Chair in Writing at the Georgia Institute of Technology
, a 2009 Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Prize , and a 2011 RHINO Editors' Prize.
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, spoken word
Spoken word
Spoken word is a form of poetry that often uses alliterated prose or verse and occasionally uses metered verse to express social commentary. Traditionally it is in the first person, is from the poet’s point of view and is themed in current events....
performer, and fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
writer.
Life
Born in Atlanta, M. Ayodele Heath studied electrical engineering at the Georgia Institute of TechnologyGeorgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
and holds an MFA in Poetry from New England College
New England College
New England College is a private four-year college in Henniker, New Hampshire, enrolling a total of approximately 1800 undergraduate and graduate students.-History:The school was created in 1946 for students attending college on the G.I...
. His first book of poems, Otherness, was published in 2011 on Brick Road Poetry Press.
Awards
Heath has received fellowships to Summer Poetry at Idyllwild (2002 and 2003), the Caversham Center for Writers & Artists in South Africa (2005), and the Cave Canem FoundationCave Canem Foundation
Cave Canem Foundation is an American 501 organization established to remedy the under-representation and isolation of African American poets in Master of Fine Arts programs and writing workshops across the United States...
(2010). Additional honors include a 2001 Emerging Artist grant from the Atlanta Bureau for Cultural Affairs, a 2007 McEver Visiting Chair in Writing at the Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
, a 2009 Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Prize , and a 2011 RHINO Editors' Prize.
External links
- interview, FGTV's Writers in Focus
- interview, In Motion Magazine
- interview, at Business of Words
- review, at Alabama Writers' Forum
- article, Out Loud Poetry, Oakland Writing Project Newsletter
- article, Poetry Slam A Fingersnapping Good Time, The Collegian of Georgia Perimeter College
- performance video, Genealogy of the Byrd Family, at Poetry Matters Now
- poem, The Tragic Mulatto, at storySouth
- 2 Poems, Dusk of the Afrikaner, A Brief History of Okra (Master's Take), at diode Poetry Journal
- poem, Things My Father Gave Me (Which I Never Asked for), at storySouth
- short story, The Gospel According to Queen James, at storySouth
- poem, The Stuttering House Negro Diviner Speaks: Heath Plantation, 1863, at RHINO