Jayne Cortez (2001)

African American jazz poet and author Jayne Cortez received high praise for her very first published book of poems, Pisstained Stairs and the Monkey Man’s Wares (1969). Since then, she has published more than ten books and has performed her poetry with music on more than nine recordings. Cortez’s work is celebrated for her political voice and the surreal quality of her writing. As an activist, she organized “The Slave Routes: Resistance, Abolition & Creative Progress,” an international symposium. She directed the film Yari Yari Pamberi: Black Women Writers Dissecting Globalization and is co-founder and president of the Organization of Women Writers of Africa, Inc. Her books have been translated into more than 20 languages. Her latest publications include The Beautiful Book and A Jazz Fan Looks Back (2002).