David Wright is an American writer.

Early life and education

Wright grew up in

Borger, Texas Borger ( ) is the largest city in Hutchinson County, Texas, Hutchinson County, Texas, United States. The population was 12,551 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Borger is named for businessman Asa Philip "Ace" Borger, who also est ...

. His mother is a white

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

woman who survived the Nazi occupation of Paris. Her parents were affluent, assimilated

French Jews The history of the Jews in France deals with Jews and Jewish communities in France since at least the Early Middle Ages. France was a centre of Jewish learning in the Middle Ages, but Persecution of Jews, persecution increased over time, includ ...

. His mother was a member of the

French Communist Party The French Communist Party (, , PCF) is a Communism, communist list of political parties in France, party in France. The PCF is a member of the Party of the European Left, and its Member of the European Parliament, MEPs sit with The Left in the ...

; she immigrated to the US in the 1950s as the GI bride of an African-American soldier. He holds a BA from

Carleton College Carleton College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1866, the main campus is between Northfield and the approximately Carleton ...

and an MFA from the

MFA Program for Poets & Writers MFA may refer to: Organizations * Marine and Fisheries Agency, a former UK government executive agency * Ministry of Foreign Affairs (including a list of ministries with the name) * Movement of the Forces of the Future (), a political party in Cô ...

at the

University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) is a public land-grant research university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system and was founded in 1863 as the ...

. He also studied at the

École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales The School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (, EHESS) is a graduate ''grande école'' and '' grand établissement'' in Paris focused on academic research in the social sciences. The school awards Master and PhD degrees alone and conj ...

. Before he started teaching creative writing, he was a player/coach on various American football teams in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. He teaches at the

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United States. Established in 1867, it is the f ...

, but lives in Texas. He has also published under the name "David Wright Faladé," in honor of his biological father, Max Faladé, from

Porto-Novo , , ; ; ; also known as Hogbonu and Ajashe) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities in Benin, second-largest city of Benin. The commune covers an area of and as of 2002 had a population of 223,552 people. In 1863, following Bri ...

Benin Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It was formerly known as Dahomey. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north-west, and Niger to the north-east. The majority of its po ...

, the grandson of

Béhanzin Gbehanzin also known as Béhanzin ( – 10 December 1906) is considered the eleventh (if Adandozan is not counted) King of Dahomey, modern-day Republic of Benin. Upon taking the throne, he changed his name from Kondo. Following his father ...

, the last

King of Dahomey The King of Dahomey (''Ahosu'' in the Fon language) was the ruler of Dahomey, a West African kingdom in the southern part of present-day Benin, which lasted from 1600 until 1900 when the French Third Republic abolished the political authority of ...

Works

Books

* ''The New Internationals'', Grove Press, January, 2025. * ''Black Cloud Rising'', Atlantic Monthly Press, February 2022. * *

Short stories

*"The Sand Banks, 1861" (2020)

Documentary film

*''Rescue Men: The Story of the Pea Island Lifesavers'' (2010).

Television journalism

* "The Pea Island Story", co-written and co-produced with Stephanie Frederic and David Zoby. Aired on '' BET Tonight'', February 1999.

Awards

* 2017:

International Board on Books for Young People International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

, grades 9–12, ''Away Running'' * 2011: Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program,

Universidade de São Paulo The FISU World University Games, formerly the Universiade, is an international multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The former name is a portmanteau of the words "Universi ...

, Brazil. * 2009: North Carolina Humanities Council, Large Grant, for production of Rescue Men: The Story of the Pea Island Lifesavers. * 2005: Dobie-Paisano Fellowship, University of Texas and the Texas Institute of Letters. * 2004: Tennessee Williams Scholar, Sewanee Writers’ Conference. * 1999:

National Endowment for the Humanities The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...

, Summer Institute for College and University Faculty Fellow,

W. E. B. Du Bois William Edward Burghardt Du Bois ( ; February 23, 1868 – August 27, 1963) was an American sociologist, socialist, historian, and Pan-Africanist civil rights activist. Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Du Bois grew up in a relativel ...

Institute for Afro-American Research,

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, "The Civil Rights Movement: History and Consequences". * 1997–1998: Chancellor’s Minority Postdoctoral Fellowship, Afro-American Studies and Research Program,

. * 1994:

Zora Neale Hurston Zora Neale Hurston (January 7, 1891 – January 28, 1960) was an American writer, anthropologist, folklorist, and documentary filmmaker. She portrayed racial struggles in the early-20th-century American South and published research on Hoodoo ...

/ Richard Wright Award, the Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Foundation, Fairfax, VA. * 1993:

Paul Cuffe Paul Cuffe, also known as Paul Cuffee (January 17, 1759 – September 7, 1817) was an African American and Wampanoag businessman, Whaling in the United States, whaler and Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist. Born Free negro, free int ...

Memorial Fellowship, Munson Institute of American Maritime Studies, Mystic, Connecticut.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, David African-American Jews African-American novelists American people of Beninese descent American people of French-Jewish descent University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign faculty Harvard Fellows Living people University of Massachusetts Amherst MFA Program for Poets & Writers alumni Carleton College alumni Frank C. Munson Institute of American Maritime History alumni People from Borger, Texas 21st-century American novelists 21st-century African-American writers 20th-century African-American writers Year of birth missing (living people)