Ahmos Zu-Bolton II
*Ahmos Zu-Bolton II was born on this date in 1948. He was a Black poet, playwright, educator, editor, and publisher.
From Poplarville, Mississippi, Zu-Bolton grew up in DeRidder, Louisiana, near the Texas border. His father was a career soldier who rose to sergeant major in the United States Army. In 1965, he was among several Black students who had integrated into Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. After serving in the Army in Vietnam, Zu-Bolton founded Hoo-Doo, a magazine devoted to Black activism and arts, and published A Niggered Amen: Poems and co-edited Synergy D.C. Anthology in 1975.
Zu-Bolton's other publications include Ain’t No Spring Chicken (Voice Foundation, Inc., 1998), a collection of poetry and folklore, and 1946: A Poem (Ishmael Reed, 2002). His work has appeared in numerous magazines, including the anthologies Giant Talk, Mississippi Writers: Reflections of Childhood and Youth, Vol. III, and Black Southern Voices: An Anthology of Fiction Poetry, Drama, Nonfiction, and Critical Essays (1992).
In addition to his poetry, Zu-Bolton had written several plays, including The Widow Paris: A Folklore of Marie Laveau, The Funeral, Family Reunion, and The Break-In. He died March 8, 2005, at Howard University Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
The Department of English
University of Mississippi, MS 38677
