Jesmyn Ward

Jesmyn Ward

Jesmyn Ward was born on April 1st, 1977 and is currently 48 years old. Jesmyn Ward was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Ward attended Stanford University where she received a B.A. and M.A. and the University of Michigan where she received an M.F.A.

Jesmyn Ward has written 4 Non-Fiction Books. The first was released in 2013 with the book Men We Reaped. The most recently released was Navigate Your Stars which was released in 2020.

Jesmyn Ward has also written the Bois Sauvage series which has 3 books including Where the Line Bleeds and Salvage the Bones.

Jesmyn was the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship in 2017 for her exploration of the bonds within a community and familial love among lower-income African-Americans of the South.

Jesmyn has been an associate professor in the English department at Tulane University. She has also been a Stegner Fellow at Stanford University, the Grisham-Writer-in-Residence at the University of Mississippi, and an assistant professor of creative writing at the University of South Alabama.

Jesmyn Ward: Awards & Accolades

Jesmyn Ward won the Library of Congress Prizes, American Fiction, in 2022.

Ward's books have also won multiple awards, Salvage the Bones won the National Book Awards, Best Fiction, in 2011 as well as the Alex Awards - Best Book in 2012. Sing, Unburied, Sing won the National Book Awards, Best Fiction, in 2017. Let Us Descend won the Libby Book Awards, Best Adult Fiction, in 2024.

The following novels by Jesmyn Ward were also nominated for these awards:

• Where the Line Bleeds: VCU Cabell First Novelist Award, Outstanding Debut Novel (2009).
• Salvage the Bones: Dayton Literary Peace Prize, Fiction (2012).
• Men We Reaped: Alex Awards, Best Book (2014). Dayton Literary Peace Prize, Nonfiction (2014).
• The Fire This Time: Goodreads Awards, Best Nonfiction (2016).
• Sing, Unburied, Sing: Goodreads Awards, Best Fiction (2017). Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Best Fiction (2017). Kirkus Prize, Best Fiction Book (2017). Alex Awards, Best Book (2018). Women's Prize, For Fiction (2018).
• Let Us Descend: Kirkus Prize, Best Fiction Book (2023). Barnes & Noble Awards, Book of the Year (2023). Goodreads Awards, Best Historical Fiction (2023). Libby Book Awards, Best Historical Fiction (2024).

Jesmyn Ward: Lists & Other Mentions

• Men We Reaped was the Black Men Read Book Club June 2020 Pick.
• Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves was a Library Science Book Club June 2020 Pick.
• Let Us Descend was the Oprah's Book Club 2.0 October 2023 Pick.
• Sing, Unburied, Sing has made several lists including:
  1. New York Times: 100 Best Books of the 21st Century Selection in 2024.
  2. Chicago Tribune: Best Books of the Decade (2010s) Selection in 2019.
  3. President Obama: Favourite Books Selection in 2017.
  4. Paste Magazine: The 40 Best Novels of the 2010s Selection in 2020.
• Salvage the Bones has made several lists including:
  1. New York Times: 100 Best Books of the 21st Century Selection in 2024.
  2. Counterpunch: 100 Best Novels in English Since 1900 Selection in 2014.
  3. Chicago Tribune: Best Books of the Decade (2010s) Selection in 2019.
  4. Los Angeles Times: The 30 Best Fiction Books of the Last 30 Years Selection in 2025.
• Men We Reaped has made several lists including:
  1. New York Times: 100 Best Books of the 21st Century Selection in 2024.
  2. Los Angeles Times: The 30 Best Non-Fiction Books of the Last 30 Years Selection in 2025.
  3. New York Times: The 50 Best Memoirs of the Past 50 Years Selection in 2019.
• Let Us Descend was a Time Magazine: 100 Must-Read Books Selection in 2023.

Salvage the Bones was listed at #18 on the Los Angeles Times "Best Fiction Books of the Last 30 Years" list, which was published in April 2025.

Related Authors

Fans of Jesmyn Ward also enjoy these authors:

1. Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid's Tale Series.
2. Alice Hoffman, author of the Practical Magic Series.
3. Alix E. Harrow, author of: The Ten Thousand Doors of January.
4. Percival Everett, author of: James.
5. John Boyne, author of: The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.
6. Emilia Hart, author of: Weyward.
7. Jennifer Egan, author of: Manhattan Beach.
8. Elif Shafak, author of: The Island of Missing Trees.
9. Kristin Hannah, author of: The Nightingale.
10. Matt Haig, author of: The Midnight Library.

Jesmyn Ward: F.A.Q