A self-proclaimed poet first, scholar and Emory University professor Jericho Brown uses poetry to examine how the world engages with his various identities and how his self-examination does the same. Through his award-winning poems, he doesn’t just challenge the way we read poetry, but challenges the way we engage with it as well. Brown’s release, <em>The Tradition</em>, introduced the duplex, a fusion of traditional sonnets, Arabic ghazals and American blues influences. With three poetry collections under his belt, including, <em>Please</em>, <em>The New Testament</em>, and <em>The Tradition</em>, Brown examines social injustices, community trauma, his identity as a Black gay man, the relationship between intimacy and violence. Brown's innovative approach paid off and earned Brown the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. This year, <a href="https://www.queerty.com/meet-the-black-queer-creatives-who-just-won-the-genius-award-20241008" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.queerty.com/meet-the-black-queer-creatives-who-just-won-the-genius-award-20241008">he’s one of 22 prestigious MacArthur Fellows</a>. — J.S.M.