birth_place imagesize birth_date article_title name occupation
chicago , illinois thumbnail 1962 jeffery renard allen
 jeffery renard allen poet , author , essayist
jeffery renard allen

jeffery renard allen -lrb- born 1962 chicago -rrb- is an american poet , essayist , short story writer , and novelist .
he is the author of two collections of poetry , `` harbors and spirits '' -lrb- moyer bell , 1999 -rrb- and `` stellar places '' -lrb- moyer bell , 2007 -rrb- , and three works of fiction , the novel `` rails under my back '' -lrb- farrar , straus , and giroux , 2000 -rrb- , a story collection `` holding pattern '' -lrb- graywolf press , 2008 -rrb- and a second novel , `` song of the shank '' -lrb- graywolf press , 2014 -rrb- .
in writing about his fiction , reviewers often note his lyrical use of language and his playful use of form to write about african-american life .
his poems tend to focus on music , mythology , history , film , and other sources , rather than narrative or autobiographical experiences .
