Author: Lasana Sekou
Alternate names: Lasana M. Sekou
Born: 1959
Bio: Lasana M. Sekou, author, poet, short story writer. Among Sekou’s 13 books of poetry, monologues, and short stories are 37 Poems, The Salt Reaper – Poems from the flats and Brotherhood of the Spurs. The writings of the St. Martin author have been required reading at Caribbean and North America universities. Sekou’s poetry and reviews of his work have appeared in Callaloo, The Massachusetts Review, Del Caribe, De Gids, Das Gedicht, Prometeo, World Literature Today, Postcolonial Text, Caribbean Review of Books, and Boundary 2. His poems have been translated into Spanish, Dutch, German, and Chinese. Awards and honors include an IWW Visiting Fellow (Hong Kong Baptist University), a James Michener Fellow (University of Miami), a knighthood (The Netherlands), Recognition for literary excellence in the service of Caribbean unity (Dominican Republic), Culture Time Literary Artist of the Decade, Carlos Cooks Community Service Award, Distinguished Visitor (La Romana, Dominican Republic), and CTO/Conde Nast Award of Excellence. Sekou is an advocate for the independence and unification of St. Martin, which is a colony of France and the Netherlands.