Cortez, Jayne (1936–)

views updated

Cortez, Jayne (1936–)

African-American poet. Born 1936 in Fort Huachuca, Arizona; m. Ornette Coleman (saxophonist), 1954 (div. 1961); children: son Denardo.

Grew up in Watts section of Los Angeles; moved to New York with son (1967), where she was influenced by activist poets including Amiri Baraka; established publishing company Bola Press (1972); founded band, Firespitters, which combined jazz, funk, and poetry; poetry collections include Pisstained Stairs and the Monkey Man's Wares (1969), Scarifications (1973), Festivals and Funerals (1982), Poetic Magnetic (1991), Coagulations: New and Selected Poems (1985), Somewhere in Advance of Nowhere (1996) and Jazz Fan Looks Back (2002). Received Langston Hughes Award and American Book Award.