Ted Joans
Ted Joans was an influential American poet and artist born on July 4, 1928, in Cairo, Illinois. He became a prominent figure in the Beat Generation after moving to Greenwich Village, where he began writing and performing poetry inspired by jazz and Surrealism. Joans was notably encouraged by the esteemed poet Langston Hughes, which solidified his connection to rhythm and social commentary in his work. His poetry often reflected African-American experiences and was rich in oral tradition, with works like "Bird Lives!" paying tribute to jazz icon Charlie Parker.
Despite his associations with well-known Beat writers, Joans's poetry was not widely published in the same venues, leading to a lesser representation in anthologies. After spending three decades as an expatriate in Europe and Africa, he returned to North America in the 1990s, where he continued to write and perform. In his later years, his work gained renewed recognition, culminating in significant publications like "Teducation: Selected Poems, 1949-1999." Joans passed away on April 25, 2003, but is remembered for his vibrant contributions to poetry and his role as a critic of American society. He received the Columbus Foundation Award in 2002 for his lifetime achievements.
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Ted Joans
Poet
- Born: July 4, 1928
- Birthplace: Cairo, Illinois
- Died: April 25, 2003
- Place of death: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Biography
Ted Joans was born on July 4, 1928, in Cairo, Illinois. Although the story that he was born on a river boat has been widely circulated, it is largely apocryphal. However, it is true that his father was a river boat entertainer; and from him, Joans derived his love of jazz. He studied painting at Indiana University and received a B.F.A. degree in 1951.
Joans soon made his way to Greenwich Village in New York City, where he became a part of what is now known as the Beat Generation. At this time he began writing and performing his poetry. Poet Langston Hughes read Joans’s poetry and encouraged his writing and performing. Hughes’s love of jazz and rhythmic language became important influences on Joans’s work, and the two men remained friends for many years. Surrealism also influenced Joans’s imagery and language. At the same time, Joans’s poetry was social commentary.
Although Joans was closely associated with Beat writers Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac, among others, he did not publish his poetry in the small magazines that published most of the Beats work. Consequently, his work is underrepresented in anthologies of Beat poetry. Joans lived for a time with the great jazz musician Charlie Parker. When Parker died in 1955, Joans chalked the words, “Bird Lives!” all over New York City; some have called this his best-known poem.
In 1957, Joans published his first book of poetry, Beat Poems, which he followed with Funky Jazz Poems in 1959 and All of Ted Joans and No More: Poems and Collages and The Hipsters in 1961. These poems, as well as those in his subsequent collections, draw on oral tradition, African-American experience, Surrealism, and jazz for their inspiration. “Jazz is my religion, and Surrealism my point of view,” Joans famously remarked.
In the early 1960’s, Joans left Greenwich Village and traveled to Europe. He remained an expatriate for the next thirty years, spending summers in Paris and winters in Timbuktu, Mali. Joans returned to North America in the 1990’s, living with artist Laura Corsiglia in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He continued to write and perform during this time, becoming better known in his last years. In 1999, he published Teducation: Selected Poems, 1949-1999, a highly regarded collection of his poetry. In 2001, he and Corsiglia collaborated on a collection of jazz poems, Our Thang: Selected Poems, Selected Drawings.
In spite of the resurgence of his career, Joans was not a wealthy man, and he continued to read poetry to earn a living when he was in his seventies. On April 25, 2003, Joans died of diabetes in Vancouver, much to the sorrow of his old friends and new fans.
Joans was honored for his lifetime achievement in 2002 when he received the Columbus Foundation Award. As a member of the Beat Generation, an outspoken critic of American society, a lively entertainer, and a prolific writer, Joans will be remembered as an important poet of the twentieth century.