Benjamin Naka-Hasebe Kingsley is an Indigenous American writer and poet. Benjamin belongs to the Onondaga Nation.[1] He is most recognized for his collections: Colonize Me (Saturnalia, 2019) and Not Your Mama’s Melting Pot (Backwaters Press, 2018).[2] He has also released another collection, Dēmos: An American Multitude (Milkweed Editions, 2021).[3]
Education
editKingsley got his Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) from the University of Pennsylvania.
Colonize Me
editColonize Me is Kingsley's second poetry collection.[4] The poems in the collection are often based on his real experiences.[5] The collection won an Eric Hoffer Award.[6]
Dēmos: An American Multitude
editDēmos: An American Multitude was released on March 7, 2021.[3] The collection features poems relating to Onondaga, Japanese, Cuban and Appalachian cultures.[3]
Career
editFrom 2019 until at least October 21, 2020, Kingsley worked as an Assistant Professor of English in the College of Arts and Letters at Old Dominion University.[7]
Personal life
editKingsley grew up in Indiana, Pennsylvania.[8] His parents were both factory workers at a True Temper wheelbarrow factory.[1]
In August 2017, during the time which he was writing Dēmos, Kingsley claims that he was assaulted by a police officer in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.[9] According to Kingsley, he was maced by a police officer without reason on the street at night. He then stumbled into oncoming traffic, before going to a local pizza shop, where patrons helped clear his eyes with water.[9]
Awards
edit- 2020 Winner of the Library of Virginia Literary Award[10]
- 2019 Howard Frank Mosher Short Fiction Prize[11]
- Fellowship from Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown
- 2017 VONA/Voices of Our Nation
- 2017–2019 Gilman School Tickner Writing Fellow[12]
References
edit- ^ a b "Benjamín Naka-Hasebe Kingsley". Poetry Foundation. September 28, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
- ^ Poets, Academy of American. "About Benjamín Naka-Hasebe Kingsley | Academy of American Poets". poets.org. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
- ^ a b c Dēmos. August 27, 2020.
- ^ "Barrelhouse Reviews: Colonize Me by Benjamín NakA-Hasebe Kingsley". BARRELHOUSE. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
- ^ "Barbara Berman's 2019 Holiday Poetry Shout-Out". The Rumpus.net. December 12, 2019. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
- ^ "Montaigne Medal Finalists". www.hofferaward.com. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
- ^ "ODU Professor Wins Library of Virginia Literary Award". Old Dominion University. September 12, 2022. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
- ^ "Mr. Ben Naka-Hasebe Kingsley". The Gilman News. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
- ^ a b "Ten Questions for Benjamín Naka-Hasebe Kingsley". Poets & Writers. March 9, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
- ^ Staff reports. "Cottom, Tilghman and Kingsley win Library of Virginia Literary Awards". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ "News Archives". Hunger Mountain. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ "Benjamín Naka-Hasebe Kingsley | Blackbird v17n2 | #poetry". blackbird.vcu.edu. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
 | This article about an American writer is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |