Lorenzo Thomas
Lorenzo Thomas was a notable Panamanian-American poet and educator, born on August 31, 1944, in the Republic of Panama. He moved to New York City with his family in 1948, where he overcame the challenge of assimilating into a new culture while mastering the English language. His passion for creative writing flourished during his studies at Queens College, where he graduated with a B.A. in English literature and communications in 1967. Thomas published his first poetry collection, *A Visible Island*, the same year and later served in the Navy during the Vietnam War.
After his military service, Thomas became a prominent figure in the literary community, working as a librarian and teaching at Texas Southern University, where he conducted writing workshops and contributed to various literary journals. His career included a significant role at the University of Houston, where he was a full professor and actively involved in cultural initiatives, such as the Juneteenth Blues Festival. Thomas received various prestigious literary awards, reflecting his commitment to advancing African American arts and literature. He passed away from emphysema on July 4, 2005, leaving behind a legacy of literary achievement and cultural advocacy.
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Subject Terms
Lorenzo Thomas
- Born: August 31, 1944
- Birthplace: Panama
- Died: July 4, 2005
- Place of death: Houston, Texas
Biography
Lorenzo Thomas was born on August 31, 1944, in the Republic of Panama, one of two sons of Herbert Hamilton Thomas, a purchasing agent, and Luzmilda Gilling Thomas, a prominent community organizer. In 1948, Thomas’s parents moved the family to New York City. Since his first language was Spanish, as a child and adolescent, he diligently strived to master English in an attempt to ease the difficult process of assimilation. This process created an appetite for creative writing, one that Thomas actively pursued for the rest of his life.
Thomas attended Queens College of the City University of New York; in 1967, he received his B.A. in English literature and communications. While attending Queens, he joined the influential Umbra workshop. He published his first book of poetry, A Visible Island, in 1967. After graduating from Queens, Thomas left New York City in 1968 to join the Navy, serving as a military advisor in Vietnam from 1971 to 1972. After his completion of duty in 1972, he briefly worked as a librarian for Pace College in New York.
In 1973, Thomas accepted an invitation to serve as a writer- in-residence from Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas; he assisted in editing the literary journal Roots. The following year, Thomas began to conduct writing workshops at the community Black Arts Center. These continued until 1976. Afterward, he wrote extensively, publishing his poems in several national journals and promoting them through regular readings. Moreover, in 1974, he began to take an active part with Texas Commission of Arts and Humanities; he served in this capacity for ten years.
In 1984, Thomas was hired by the University of Houston’s downtown campus, where he taught American literature and creative writing. He received a full professorship in 2001. While fulfilling his duties at Houston, Thomas took an active role in the development of Houston’s cultural affairs: He was an organizer of Houston’s Juneteenth Blues Festival and a regular contributor of book reviews to the Houston Chronicle. He died of emphysema in Houston on July 4, 2005.
Thomas won a number of major literary awards and fellowships, including two Poet Foundation Awards, the Lucille Medwick Prize in 1974, and a National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellowship in 1984. However, Thomas’s greatest achievement was his successful attempt to propagate African American arts. His acclaimed contributions of poetry and critical scholarship reflected his ambition to see that African American art became an integral component of its larger culture.