Ishmael Reed

Ishmael Reed is a winner of the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship (genius award), the renowned L.A. Times Robert Kirsch Lifetime Achievement Award and the Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Award. He has been nominated for a Pulitzer, has been a finalist for two National Book Awards, is Professor Emeritus at the University of California at Berkeley, and founder of the Before Columbus Foundation, which promotes multicultural American writing. He also founded PEN Oakland which issues the Josephine Miles Literary Awards. Ishmael Reed is the author of over twenty titles including the acclaimed novel Mumbo Jumbo, as well as essays, plays and poetry. Other titles include: The Freelance PallbearersThe Terrible ThreesThe Last Days of Louisiana RedYellow Back Radio Broke DownReckless EyeballingFlight To CanadaJapanese By Spring, among others.

Photo copyright: Mark Constantini / The Chronicle