Avery r. young
avery r. young (stylized in lowercase) is an American poet from chicago. He was born in chicago and grew up on the west side in the austin neighborhood. His ancestors came from lexington, mississippi. He went to hanson park elementary, mather high school, and earned a BA in English from loyola university chicago.
as a child, he found poetry after reading arnold adoff's I Am the Darker Brother and taking part in a chicago public schools oratory contest. In the 1990s he joined the spoken word scene, writing pieces including one for revolutionary fred hampton. His poems have appeared in anthologies like The Golden Shovel Anthology.
he published neckbone in 2019 through TriQuarterly. he leads the blues/funk/gospel band avery r. young & de deacon board, and has two albums: booker t. soltreyne: a race rekkid (2013) and tubman. Critics describe his music as blk folk and neo-soul, known for powerful live performances. He also sang with Nicole Mitchell's Mandorla Awakening II: Emerging Worlds.
young has worked as a poetry editor for Bridge magazine and as a teaching artist for the university of chicago's Arts + Public Life and for Urban Gateways. He is part of The Floating Museum, a group that uses chicago neighborhoods as art spaces.
awards and honors: in 2023 he was named Poet Laureate of chicago for two years—the first person in the newly created program. that same year he was inducted into the chicago LGBT hall of fame. He is a Cave Canem Foundation Fellow and, in 2022, received the Leader for a New Chicago award. He is openly gay.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 11:47 (CET).