Ellease Ebele N. Oseye (formerly known as Ellease Southerland; born 1943, Brooklyn, New York) is an African-American poet and author who received the Gwendolyn Brooks Award for Poetry.[1] She teaches African Literature at Pace University.[1]
Ebele Oseye | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ellease Southerland 1943 (age 80–81) Brooklyn, New York |
| Occupation | Writer, Professor |
| Education | BA, MFA |
| Alma mater | Columbia University |
| Notable works | Let the Lion Eat Straw, 1979 |
Early life
editWhile Oseye was born Ellease Southerland in Brooklyn, New York, her parents were recent transplants from the American South.[2] Her father was Monroe Penrose Southerland who worked as a lay preacher, while her mother, Ellease Dozier, worked in the home, tending to Ellease and her fourteen siblings.[3] Her uncle read poetry at her father's services on Sundays, and her family regularly encouraged reading and writing.[4]
Education and career
editOseye graduated from Queens College in 1965, writing "White Shadows" while a student there. She earned her degree then began social work to support her family after her mother's death from cancer, also in 1965.[3]
Oseye earned her masters in fine arts at Columbia University in 1974. During her masters, and until 1976, Oseye wrote and taught at Columbia University.[4]
By 2015, Oseye was a faculty member in Pace University's Dyson College of Arts and Sciences.[5]
Writing themes
editOseye's work has been seen as "spiritual", as well as connected to her family.[3]
Selected works
edit- The Magic Sun Spins (1975, poetry collection)
- Let the Lion Eat Straw (1979, autobiographical novel)
Awards
edit- John Golden Award for Fiction (1964) for White Shadows (novella)
- Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Award (1972) for “Warlock” (poem)
- Best books of 1979 by the American Library Association for Let the Lion Eat Straw
- Coretta Scott King Award (1980 honor) for Let the Lion Eat Straw[6]
References
edit- ^ a b "Author". HarperCollins Publishers: World-Leading Book Publisher. Retrieved 2020-06-26.
- ^ Page, Yolanda Williams (2007). Encyclopedia of African American Women Writers. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-313-33429-0.
- ^ a b c "Ellease Southerland". Oxford Reference. Retrieved 2020-06-26.
- ^ a b Nelson, Emmanuel Sampath (1999). Contemporary African American Novelists: A Bio-bibliographical Critical Sourcebook. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-313-30501-6.
- ^ "Pace University COMMENCEMENT CEREMONIES CLASS OF 2015" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-04-18.
- ^ "Coretta Scott King Book Awards - All Recipients, 1970-Present," ALA.org. Accessed August 21, 2023.