Jericho Brown
Born and raised in Shreveport, Louisiana, Brown has worked as an educator at institutions such as the University of Houston, the University of San Diego, and Emory University. His poems have been published in The Nation, New England Review, The New Republic, Oxford American, and The New Yorker, among others. He released his first book of prose and poetry, Please, in 2008.
Jericho Brown

Larry D. Moore · CC BY 4.0
- Name
- Jericho Brown
- Birth Name
- Nelson Demery III
- Born
- 14 April 1976
- Birthplace
- Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S.
- Education
- Dillard University (BA) University of New Orleans (MFA) University of Houston (PhD)
- Full name
- Nelson Demery III.
- Nationality
- United States
- Occupation
- poet · writer
- Known for
- The Tradition
- Honours
- American Book Awards · Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards · Whiting Awards · Pulitzer Prize for Poetry · Guggenheim Fellowship · MacArthur Fellows Program
- Languages
- English
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Documentary summary
Born and raised in Shreveport, Louisiana, Brown has worked as an educator at institutions such as the University of Houston, the University of San Diego, and Emory University. His poems have been published in The Nation, New England Review, The New Republic, Oxford American, and The New Yorker, among others. He released his first book of prose and poetry, Please, in 2008.
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Note VALÉORINE
Jericho Brown (born 1976) is a poet and writer, of American nationality. The poet was born Nelson Demery III in United States.
Jericho Brown was educated at Dillard University, LSU New Orleans and University of Houston. The poet worked for Emory University and University of Houston and is a member of American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Among the works is The Tradition. Languages used include English. Honours include American Book Awards, Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards and Guggenheim Fellowship, among others.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 27 September 2026
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q15440076 · wikipedia · Jericho Brown
In this article
Biography
Biography
His second book, The New Testament, was released in 2014. His 2019 collection of poems, The Tradition, garnered widespread critical acclaim. Brown has won several accolades throughout his career, including a Whiting Award, an American Book Award, an Anisfield-Wolf Book Award,[12] and the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.[1][2]
Jericho Brown studied at University of Houston, LSU New Orleans and Dillard University. The recorded working language is English. Employment is recorded with Emory University and University of Houston. Works named in the authority record are The Tradition. Distinctions recorded are American Book Awards, Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards, Whiting Awards and Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.

Jericho Brown, poet, at the annual AWP conference in Los Angeles, California.
Bea Phi
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Jericho Brown • Birth Name — Nelson Demery III • Born — 14 April 1976 • Birthplace — Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S. • Language — English • Education — Dillard University (BA) University of New Orleans (MFA) University of Houston (PhD) • Notable Works — The Tradition (2019) • Website — jerichobrown.com/
Early life and education
Early life and education
Born Nelson Demery III and raised in Shreveport, Louisiana, Brown later changed his name and graduated from Dillard University, where he was initiated as a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, through the Beta Phi chapter, in the fall of 1995. He also graduated from the University of New Orleans with an MFA, and from the University of Houston with a Ph.D.[3]
Career
Career
Brown was a teaching fellow in the English department at the University of Houston from 2002 to 2007, a visiting professor at San Diego State University's MFA program in spring 2009, and an assistant professor of English at the University of San Diego. He has also taught at numerous conferences and workshops, including the Iowa Summer Writing Festival at the University of Iowa. He is an associate professor of English and director of the Creative Writing Program at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.[4] Previously, he worked as a speechwriter for the mayor of New Orleans.[5] In 2011, Brown received the 2011 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship for Poetry. His poems have appeared in The Iowa Review, jubilat, The Nation, New England Review, The New Republic, Oxford American, The New Yorker, Enkare Review, and The Best American Poetry. He serves as an Assistant Editor at Callaloo.[6] His first book, Please (New Issues Poetry & Prose, 2008), won the American Book Award.[7] His second book, a book of poetry titled The New Testament (Copper Canyon Press, 2014), won the 2015 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award. Brown's third book, a collection of poems titled The Tradition (Copper Canyon Press, 2019), garnered widespread critical acclaim and won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. Brown published his fourth book in 2023, How We Do it: Black Writers on Craft, Practice and Skill, an anthology of 31 essays and interviews from African American authors.[8]
Articles
Articles
* *
Interviews
Interviews
* * *
Poems
Poems
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Identity
Identity
Jericho Brown is recorded as having received American Book Awards, Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards and Whiting Awards. Recognition and collections. Brown received American Book Awards, Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards, Whiting Awards, Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, Guggenheim Fellowship and MacArthur Fellows Program.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1976
Jericho Brown born at United States.
Books
* * * *
Primary material
Documents and archives
scholarly publication
- The Tradition by Jericho Brown, CLA Journal, 2021
Scholarly · Crossref registry · 2021
- The Tradition by Jericho Brown, Prairie Schooner, 2019
Scholarly · Crossref registry · 2019
reference work
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q15440076: Jericho Brown
Reputable secondary · Wikimedia Foundation
- “Jericho Brown”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Awards
• 2024 MacArthur Fellowship • 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry • 2019 Finalist, National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry[10] • 2019 Finalist, National Book Award for Poetry[11] • 2016 Guggenheim Fellowship • 2015 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award • 2011 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship for Poetry • 2009 American Book Award • 2009 Whiting Award[13] • 2009–2010 fellowship at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University[14]
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.National Endowment for the Arts 2011 Poetry Fellows.
- 2.2020 Pulitzer Prizes. The Pulitzer Prizes. May 4, 2020.
- 3.Academy of American Poets. Jericho Brown.
- 4.Jericho Brown. poets.org. June 15, 2010.
- 5.Kellaway, Kate. Jericho Brown: "Poetry is a veil in front of a heart beating at a fast pace". The Guardian. July 28, 2018.
- 6.Jericho Brown. The Missouri Review.
- 7.Wmich.edu.
- 8.HOW WE DO IT | Kirkus Reviews.
- 9.Blair, Elizabeth. Here's who made the 2024 MacArthur Fellows list. NPR. 2024-10-01.
- 10.National Book Critics Circle Announces Finalists for the 2019 NBCC…. The Poetry Foundation.
- 11.Jericho Brown. National Book Foundation.
- 12.Emory University. Emory poet and professor Jericho Brown wins prestigious Anisfield-Wolf Book Award | Emory University | Atlanta GA. news.emory.edu.
- 13.Rich, Motoko. Whiting Prizes Awarded to Emerging Writers. The New York Times. October 29, 2009.
- 14.Jericho Brown. Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University.
- 15.Anderson, Lexi. Why Everyone Needs to Read Jericho Brown's 'Please'. Study Breaks. Pratt University. November 13, 2018.
- 16.Teicher, Craig Morgan. A Collection Of Poems That Offers An Unlikely Kind Of Hope. NPR. October 18, 2014.
- 17.Phillips, Maya. A Poetic Body of Work Grapples With the Physical Body at Risk. The New York Times. April 2, 2019.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
scholarly publication
The Tradition by Jericho Brown, CLA Journal, 2021Crossref registry
Institutional witnessscholarly publication
The Tradition by Jericho Brown, Prairie Schooner, 2019Crossref registry
Institutional witnessreference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q15440076: Jericho BrownWikimedia Foundation
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 15 August 2026.
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