Haki R. Madhubuti

He changed his name in 1974.

• Name — Haki R. Madhubuti • Birth Name — Don Luther Lee • Other Names — Don L. Lee • Born — 23 February 1942 • Birthplace — Little Rock, Arkansas, United States • Occupation — Poet Author Publisher • Education — Iowa Writers' Workshop at University of Iowa (MFA) • Movement — Black Arts Movement • Known for — Third World Press • Spouse — Safisha Madhubuti • Awards — American Book Award

Born Donald Luther Lee in Little Rock, Arkansas, Madhubuti adopted his Swahili name after visiting Africa in 1974. He was raised in Detroit, Michigan, with his mother until the age of 16, when she was murdered. His mother, Maxine, was the prime force behind his creativity and interest in black literature and arts. After serving in the United States Army from 1960 to 1963, Madhubuti received a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Iowa Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa in 1984.

At an early age, Madhubuti became deeply interested in and influenced by Black Arts Movement (BAM) figures such as writer Richard Wright. Madhubuti is a major contributor to the black literary tradition, in particular through his early association with the BAM beginning in the mid-1960s, and has had a lasting and major impact. Recognizing the lack of resources and institutions dedicated to black scholars, Madhubuti became a leading proponent of independent Black institutions. In December 1967, Madhubuti met with Carolyn Rodgers and Johari Amini in the basement of a South Side Chicago apartment to found Third World Press, an outlet for African-American literature. He is also a publisher and chair of the board. It is the largest independent black publishing house in the U.S. Over the years, the press has published works by Gwendolyn Brooks, Amiri Baraka, Sonia Sanchez, Sterling D. Plumpp, and Pearl Cleage.

Heavily influenced by Gwendolyn Brooks, Madhubuti's poetry is marked by a rhythmic, experimental style, frequently in free verse. Madhubuti's poetry shifted from the personal to the political over the span of his career. He has dedicated a number of poems to Brooks and is the founder and director emeritus of the Gwendolyn Brooks Center for Black Literature and Creative Writing. He has published over 35 books (some under his former name, Don L. Lee) and is one of the world's best-selling authors of poetry and non-fiction, with books in print in excess of 3 million. His books include Claiming Earth: Race, Rage, Rape, Redemption (1994), GroundWork: New and Selected Poems 1966–1996 (1996), and HeartLove: Wedding and Love Poems (1998). Madhubuti has co-edited two volumes of literary works from Gallery 37: The Spirit (1998) and Describe the Moment (2000). His poetry and essays have been published in more than 100 anthologies. He also wrote Tough Notes: A Healing Call For Creating Exceptional Black Men (2002). Possibly his most famous work, Black Men: Obsolete, Single, Dangerous?: The African American Family in Transition, a nonfiction book about African-American social issues, was published in 1990 and has sold more than 1,000,000 copies.

Madhubuti co-founded the Black Books Bulletin (with Larry Neal), the Institute of Positive Education/New Concept Development Center (established in 1969), and the Betty Shabazz International Charter School (established in 1998) in Chicago, Illinois. He is also a founder and board member of the National Association of Black Book Publishers, a founder and chair of the board of the International Literary Hall of Fame for Writers of African Descent, and founder and director of the National Black Writers Retreat. Prior to stepping down, Madhubuti held the position of Distinguished University Professor, co-founder and director emeritus of the Gwendolyn Brooks Center for Black Literature and Creative Writing, and director of the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program at Chicago State University.

Madhubuti's 2005 book, Yellow Black, is an autobiographical novel detailing the first 21 years of his life. He lives in Chicago with his wife Safisha Madhubuti, professor emeritus at Northwestern University.

* • "An Interview with Haki R. Madhubuti: Taught by Women & other Writers". Moraine Valley Community College Library, February 18, 2021. • "In Conversation with Renowned Poet Haki Madhubuti", Augustana College, March 5, 2024. • "Giant of the Black Arts Movement - Dr. Haki Madhubuti", ASAHL TV, April 1, 2024.