Jamaal May


Jamaal May is an American poet from Detroit.

Life and career

May lived in Detroit, where he taught poetry in public schools as a Writer-in-Residence with InsideOut Literary Arts. He received an MFA from Warren Wilson College. May has taught at the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and was a fellow at the Kenyon Review between 2014 and 2016. May cites Vievee Francis, another poet from Detroit, as an influence and mentor.
His work has appeared in the Best American Poetry 2014,The Believer, Poetry, and Ploughshares. His first book, Hum, received generally favorable reviews.