The Writer’s Block: A Q&A with Kevin Young

Kevin Young is the author of eleven books of poetry and prose. A poet, editor, essayist, and curator from Topeka, Kansas, his numerous awards include the Paterson Poetry Prize for his poetry collection Jelly Roll: A Blues (2003), the 2015 Lenmore Marshall Prize for Book of Hours (2015), and the Graywolf Press Nonfiction Prize for The Grey Album (2012). He is currently a professor of English and Creative Writing at Emory University.

In June 2016, Young visited City of Asylum for Cave Canem’s annual retreat and poetry reading, where he read with Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon and Evie Shockley. In this interview with Sampsonia Way, he discussed his literary and musical influences and his current projects.