Danez Smith (they/them/theirs)

Danez Smith is the author of four poetry collections including "Bluff," "Homie" and "Don’t Call Us Dead." Danez was won the Forward Prize for Best Collection, the Minnesota Book Award in Poetry, the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry, and has been a finalist for the NAACP Image Award in Poetry, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the National Book Award. His new collection is "Blues in Stereo."

Awards: Danez was won the Forward Prize for Best Collection, the Minnesota Book Award in Poetry, the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry, and has been a finalist for the NAACP Image Award in Poetry, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the National Book Award

Communities: LGBTQ+, Gender Nonconforming, African American

The Late, Great Langston Hughes

National Book Award-nominated poet Danez Smith introduces us to a young Langston Hughes as the unknown 18-year-old poet sets off on a train for Mexico City to pursue funding ... as he pens musical verse poetry and co-writes a play with Duke Ellington ... and as he celebrates love as a tool of liberation.

Student Union Sabino (Seats 87)  
Sat, Mar 15, 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Multigenre
Signing area: Sales & Signing Area - UA Campus Store Tent (on Mall) (following presentation)  

Panelist: Danez Smith
Moderator: Raquel Gutiérrez

"Art Begins in a Wound"

Can poetry heal our personal and collective wounds? Confronting both historical and present forms of violence — colonialism, U.S. border policy, racism and more — each of these poets explores language as an urgent response to pain.

Student Union Kiva (Seats 100)  
Sat, Mar 15, 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Poetry
Signing area: Sales & Signing Area - UA Campus Store, Main Floor (following presentation)  

Panelists: Denise Low, Octavio Quintanilla, Danez Smith
Moderator: Aria Pahari

Reshaping American Poetry

Poets explore themes of self, belonging, and resistance in relation to American identity. Through personal and cultural lenses, these authors redefine what it means to aspire, succeed, and struggle in contemporary America, reshaping complex stories of resilience and hope in the wake of the election.

Student Union Kiva (Seats 100)  
Sun, Mar 16, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm
Poetry
Signing area: Sales & Signing Area - UA Campus Store, Main Floor (following presentation)  

Panelists: Jose Hernandez Díaz, Octavio Quintanilla, Danez Smith
Moderator: Paola Valenzuela

Books:

Blues in Stereo

The Early Works of Langston Hughes
Poetry
Legacy Lit
January 2024
ISBN 9781538768914
144 pages

Bluff

Poems
Poetry
Graywolf Press
August 2024
ISBN 9781644452981
160 pages