Jayne Cortez (10 May, 1934 – 28 December, 2012 was poet, publisher, performer, and activist. She is part of the Black Arts movement canon.
Fun Facts about Jayne Cortez:
- Sallie Jayne Richardson was born in Fort Huachuca, AZ as the second of three children. Her father was a career military man, and her mother was a secretary.
- The family moved to Los Angeles, CA when the future poet was seven years old, and where she grew up.
- As a young girl she loved jazz and Latin musing. Later she studied music, as well as art and drama, in high school.
- Sadly, she had to drop out of Compton Community College due to financial difficulties. It was than that she took on a nom-de-plume of Cortez, honoring her Filipino grandmother.
- She was married to Ornette Coleman, a jazz musician from 1954 to 1964, and later own married Melvin Edwards, a painter and sculptor.
- An activist though and through, she was involved in the fight for civil rights. Ms. Cortez advocated for using to push political agenda.
- Jayne Cortez published about 12 books of poetry. Her work has been translated to 28 languages.
- During her lifetime, Ms. Cortez taught, lectured, and performed at many festivals, universities, and museums.
- In 1991, Jayne Cortez founded her own publishing company, Watts Repertory Company, and the Organization of Women Writes of Africa, splitting her time between two homes, New York City and Dakar, Senegal.
- Jayne Cortez received a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, and several awards including the American Book Award, and the International African Festival Award.
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Sources:
Jayne Cortez | Poetry Foundation
About Jayne Cortez | Academy of American Poets
Jayne Cortez, Jazz Poet, Dies at 78 | The New York Times
Jayne Cortez | Afro-American, Feminist, Performance Poet | Britannica
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Fun Facts Friday: Jayne Cortez
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Jayne Cortez (10 May, 1934 – 28 December, 2012 was poet, publisher, performer, and activist. She is part of the Black Arts movement canon.
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Man of la Book
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