Brian Keith Jackson

Jackson was raised in Monroe, Louisiana, the only child of a middle-class family. He was influenced by the compassion and wisdoms bequeathed to him by his great-grandmother, whom he knew personally and who survived the end of slavery. He earned a bachelor's degree, studying journalism, from University of Louisiana in Monroe. After graduating Jackson moved to Flint, Michigan and began working on a newspaper there. == Career ==

Jackson moved to New York in 1990 with hopes of becoming an actor. He became frustrated with the roles available to him and began playwriting to create the roles he was looking for. The first time he incorporated gay characters into his writing was in his plays, unpacking the characters as part of communities and relatable rather than a stereotypical trope. His plays were performed and read at Nuyorican Poets Cafe, La Mama, Barnes and Noble and Theatre for the New City. It was compared to Alice Walker's The Color Purple and translated to French and a best seller in South Africa. It was on the artist Kehinde Wiley's ten favorite books in 2016. == Awards ==

Jackson's first novel was completed with a fellowship from Art Matters Foundation and it won the American Library Association Black Caucus' First Fiction Award. He won a fellowship from the Millay Colony of the Arts. == Personal life ==

Jackson is openly gay. When Jackson moved to New York he was a model for ACT UP. == Bibliography ==