Bill Text: IL HR0815 | 2017-2018 | 100th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Recognizes the accomplishments of poet Tyehimba Jess.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2018-02-13 - Resolution Adopted [HR0815 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2017-HR0815-Introduced.html

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HR0815 LRB100 17986 ALS 33171 r
HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
Representatives wish to recognize the work and accomplishments
of Tyehimba Jess; and
WHEREAS, Tyehimba Jess grew up in Detroit, Michigan and
started writing poetry at the age of 16; when he was 18, he won
second prize for poetry at an NAACP academic competition; he
enrolled in the University of Chicago to study Public Policy;
however, when taking classes with poet and scholar Sterling
Plumpp, who became his mentor, he realized his real passion was
for poetry; he graduated from the University of Chicago in 1991
with a bachelor's degree in public policy; he earned his Master
of Fine Arts from New York University in 2004; and
WHEREAS, Tyehimba Jess is the author of two books of
poetry, Leadbelly and Olio; his inspiration for writing stems
from his desire to convey historical themes through expression
and performance; and
WHEREAS, Tyehimba Jess has won many awards, including the
2017 Pulitzer Prize for Olio, an Illinois Arts Council
Fellowship in Poetry, the Chicago Sun-Times Poetry Award, and a
Whiting Fellowship; his work has appeared in Soul Fires: Young
Black Men on Love and Violence, Obsidian III: Literature in the

HR0815 - 2 - LRB100 17986 ALS 33171 r
African Diaspora, and Power Lines: Ten Years of Poetry from
Chicago's Guild Complex; and
WHEREAS, Tyehimba Jess teaches poetry and fiction at the
College of Staten Island of the City University of New York and
is the faculty adviser for Caesura, the college's literary arts
magazine; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
recognize the contributions Tyehimba Jess has made to the
literary world and to the people of Illinois, and we
congratulate him on his 2017 Pulitzer Prize; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
presented to Tyehimba Jess as a symbol of our esteem and
respect.