Damon Young (writer)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Damon Young
Damon Young Writer.jpg
Born1979 (age 42–43)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
OccupationWriter, editor
LanguageEnglish
EducationCanisius College
GenreNon-fiction
Notable worksWhat Doesn't Kill You Makes You Blacker
Years active2008–present
Children2

Damon Young (born 1979)[1] is an American writer and editor. He is the co-founder of the website Very Smart Brothas. Young released his first book, What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Blacker, in 2019 with HarperCollins.[2]

Early life and education[]

Young was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Vivienne and Wilbur Young.[3] He spent most of his adolescence in East Liberty. As a teenager, Young lived in Penn Hills where he became a basketball player for Penn Hills High School.[4] He earned a basketball scholarship at Canisius College, graduating with a degree in English in 2002.[5]

Career[]

Young co-founded a website called Very Smart Brothas (VSB) in 2008 with D. Marcellus Wright, who uses the pen name Panama Jackson.[1] The website featured essays on pop culture, politics, and absurdist humor written for an African-American audience. Gizmodo Media Group acquired VSB in 2016. It is now a vertical on the website The Root.[6]

He is also a columnist for GQ, and a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times.[6][7]

Young signed a two-book publishing deal with HarperCollins' Ecco imprint in November 2016.[1] His first book, What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Blacker: A Memoir in Essays, was released in March 2019.[8] Consisting of a collection of personal essays primarily about race, gender, class, and Black identity,[9] the book received positive critical attention. Publishers Weekly wrote in a review: "Young's charm and wit make these essays a pleasure to read; his candid approach makes them memorable."[10] Karamagi Rujumba wrote for the Post-Gazette: " 'What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Blacker' is in equal parts a deeply introspective account of a life and an astute critique of the contours along which black people survive the limitations of historic and systemic racism."[9] Michael Kleber-Diggs wrote for the Star Tribune: "Readers who know Young's work from the blog he co-founded, Very Smart Brothas, will recognize his voice, his fondness for lists, his precise, comprehensive and spectacular references to pop culture, his wit, and his keen mind."[11] The book won the 2020 Thurber Prize for American Humor.[12]

Ebony named him to its Power 100 2017 list under the Luminaries category.[13]

Personal life[]

Young is married and has a young daughter and son. He resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[2][14]

Works[]

  • Your Degrees Won’t Keep You Warm At Night Lexington, KY: Very Smart Brothas Media, 2011. ISBN 9781453708767, OCLC 702658318
  • What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Blacker New York, NY: Ecco, 2019. ISBN 9780062684301, OCLC 1090242570

References[]

  1. ^ a b c Ramanathan, Lavanya (November 21, 2016). "Very Smart Brothas is the blackest thing that ever happened to the Internet. Period". Washington Post. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  2. ^ a b Simon, Scott (March 23, 2019). "'What Doesn't Kill You' Navigates The Challenges Of Existing While Black". NPR.org. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  3. ^ Cunningham, Lisa (February 27, 2019). "Damon Young's What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Blacker". Pittsburgh City Paper. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  4. ^ Byko, Laura (April 29, 2015). "Blogger left basketball behind to chronicle black experience in Pittsburgh". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  5. ^ "Canisius College Welcomes Damon Young Back to Campus". Canisius College. March 21, 2019. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  6. ^ a b Weidenhof, Alex (July 8, 2017). "Gizmodo Media Group acquires Very Smart Brothas blog". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  7. ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/09/opinion/racism-covid-vaccine.html
  8. ^ León, Concepción de (March 25, 2019). "Damon Young on the 'Absurdity' of Being Black". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
  9. ^ a b Rujumba, Karamagi (March 22, 2019). "Damon Young finds hilarity and profundity in vulnerability". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  10. ^ "What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Blacker: A Memoir in Essays". Publishers Weekly. January 17, 2019. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  11. ^ Kleber-Diggs, Michael. "Review: 'What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Blacker,' by Damon Young". Star Tribune. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  12. ^ https://www.thurberhouse.org/thurber-prize-winner
  13. ^ Ebony.com. "EBONY Power 100 2017 Honoree - Damon Young". EBONY Power 100 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  14. ^ King, Jamilah (March–April 2019). "White people often don't see Damon Young. That's about to change". Mother Jones. Retrieved March 25, 2019.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""