Kiese Laymon
Kiese Laymon was born on August 15th, 1974 and is currently 51 years old. Kiese Laymon was born in Jackson, Mississippi, USA. Laymon attended Oberlin College where he received a BA and Indiana University where he received an MFA.
Kiese Laymon has written 2 Non-Fiction Books. The first was released in 2013 with the book How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America. The most recently released was Heavy which was released in 2018. There are no upcoming non-fiction books by Kiese at this time.
Kiese is/has been the Libbie Shearn Moody Professor of Creative Writing and English at Rice University, and a faculty member of Vassar College, and the University of Mississippi.
Kiese was named a 2022 MacArthur Fellow for his writing across genres, offering the honest perspective of a Black man from the Southern United States.
Kiese Laymon: Awards & Accolades
Laymon's book, Heavy won the Barnes & Noble Discover Prize, Best Non-Fiction by a New Writer, in 2018.
Kiese Laymon books have also been nominated for multiple awards, Long Division was nominated for The Believer, Believer Best Book Award, in 2013. Heavy was nominated for the Kirkus Prize, Best Nonfiction Book, in 2018.
Kiese Laymon: Lists & Other Mentions
- Long Division was the Black Men Read Book Club December 2022 Pick.
- Heavy has made several lists including:
- New York Times: 100 Best Books of the 21st Century Selection in 2024.
- Los Angeles Times: The 30 Best Non-Fiction Books of the Last 30 Years Selection in 2025.
- New York Times: The 50 Best Memoirs of the Past 50 Years Selection in 2019.
- How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America was a New York Times: 100 Notable Books Selection in 2021.
Related Authors
Fans of Kiese Laymon also enjoy these authors:
- Stephen King, author of The Dark Tower Series.
- Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid's Tale Series.
- Neil Gaiman, author of the American Gods Series.
- J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter Series.
- Gillian Flynn, author of: Gone Girl.
Kiese Laymon: F.A.Q
When was Kiese Laymon Born? How old is Kiese Laymon?
Kiese Laymon was born on August 15th, 1974. Kiese Laymon is currently 51 years old.
Where was Kiese Laymon Born?
Kiese Laymon was born in Jackson, Mississippi, USA and is American.
What book awards has Kiese Laymon won?
Laymon's book, Heavy won the award Barnes & Noble Discover Prize, Best Non-Fiction by a New Writer, in 2018.
What was the first book Kiese Laymon wrote?
The first book written by Kiese Laymon was Long Division, published in 2013.
What was the most recent book Kiese Laymon wrote?
His most recently released work was Heavy on October 16th, 2018.
What is the most popular book by Kiese Laymon?
Based on the number of readers on Book Notification, the most popular Kiese Laymon book is
Heavy. Here are his most popular books:
- Heavy (8)
- Long Division (7)
- How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America (10)
Are there upcoming new books by Kiese Laymon?
Kiese Laymon does not have any upcoming books with a set publication date within the next few months at this time.
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How many books has Kiese Laymon written?
Kiese Laymon has written 3 books excluding contributions to anthologies. 1 Standalone Novel, 2 Non-Fiction.