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Damon Young (writer)
Damon Young (born December 30, 1978)[1][2] is an American writer and editor. He is the co-founder of the website Very Smart Brothas. Young released his first book, What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Blacker, in 2019 with HarperCollins.[3] Early life and educationYoung was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Vivienne and Wilbur Young.[4] He spent most of his adolescence in East Liberty. As a teenager, Young lived in Penn Hills where he became a basketball player for Penn Hills High School.[5] He earned a basketball scholarship at Canisius College, graduating with a degree in English in 2002.[6] CareerYoung co-founded a website called Very Smart Brothas (VSB) in 2008 with D. Marcellus Wright, who uses the pen name Panama Jackson.[1] The website featured essays on pop culture, politics, and absurdist humor written for an African-American audience. Gizmodo Media Group acquired VSB in 2016. It is now a vertical on the website The Root.[7] He is also a columnist for GQ, and a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times.[7][8] Young became a weekly contributing columnist for The Washington Post in January, 2022.[9] Young signed a two-book publishing deal with HarperCollins' Ecco imprint in November 2016.[1] His first book, What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Blacker: A Memoir in Essays, was released in March 2019.[10] Consisting of a collection of personal essays primarily about race, gender, class, and Black identity,[11] the book received positive critical attention. Publishers Weekly wrote in a review: "Young's charm and wit make these essays a pleasure to read; his candid approach makes them memorable."[12] Karamagi Rujumba wrote for the Post-Gazette: " 'What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Blacker' is in equal parts a deeply introspective account of a life and an astute critique of the contours along which black people survive the limitations of historic and systemic racism."[11] Michael Kleber-Diggs wrote for the Star Tribune: "Readers who know Young's work from the blog he co-founded, Very Smart Brothas, will recognize his voice, his fondness for lists, his precise, comprehensive and spectacular references to pop culture, his wit, and his keen mind."[13] The book won the 2020 Thurber Prize for American Humor.[14] Ebony named him to its Power 100 2017 list under the Luminaries category.[15] Personal lifeYoung is married and has a daughter and son. He resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[3][16] Works
References
External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Damon Young.  Wikiquote has quotations related to Damon Young (writer).
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