Amiri Baraka

Amiri Baraka(bornEverett LeRoi JonesOctober 7, 1934), formerly known asLeRoi JonesandImamu Amear Baraka, is an African-American writer of poetry,drama,fiction,essays, andmusic criticism. He is the author of numerous books of poetry and has taught at a number of universities, including theState University of New York at Buffaloand theState University of New York at Stony Brook. He received thePEN Open Book Awardformerly known as the Beyond Margins Award in 2008 forTales of the Out and the Gone.