Age, Biography and Wiki

Al Young (Albert James Young) was born on 31 May, 1939 in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, U.S., is an American poet, novelist, essayist, screenwriter (1939–2021). Discover Al Young's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Learn How rich is he in this year and how he spends money? Also learn how he earned most of networth at the age of 81 years old?

Popular As Albert James Young
Occupation N/A
Age 81 years old
Zodiac Sign Gemini
Born 31 May, 1939
Birthday 31 May
Birthplace Ocean Springs, Mississippi, U.S.
Date of death 17 April, 2021
Died Place Concord, California, U.S.
Nationality United States

We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 31 May. He is a member of famous poet with the age 81 years old group.

Al Young Height, Weight & Measurements

At 81 years old, Al Young height not available right now. We will update Al Young's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible.

Physical Status
Height Not Available
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Who Is Al Young's Wife?

His wife is Arline June Belch (m. 1963–2016; death)

Family
Parents Not Available
Wife Arline June Belch (m. 1963–2016; death)
Sibling Not Available
Children 1

Al Young Net Worth

His net worth has been growing significantly in 2023-2024. So, how much is Al Young worth at the age of 81 years old? Al Young’s income source is mostly from being a successful poet. He is from United States. We have estimated Al Young's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets.

Net Worth in 2024 $1 Million - $5 Million
Salary in 2024 Under Review
Net Worth in 2023 Pending
Salary in 2023 Under Review
House Not Available
Cars Not Available
Source of Income poet

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Timeline

1939

Albert James Young (May 31, 1939 – April 17, 2021) was an American poet, novelist, essayist, screenwriter, and professor.

Born May 31, 1939, in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, on the Gulf Coast near Biloxi.

His maternal grandparents had been sharecroppers.

Young attended the "Kingston School for Colored", a segregated school in the South.

1957

He graduated in 1957 from Central High School in Detroit.

From 1957 to 1960 he attended the University of Michigan.

At the University of Michigan he co-edited Generation, the campus literary magazine.

1961

In 1961 he moved to the San Francisco Bay Area.

Settling at first in Berkeley, California, he held a wide variety of jobs (including folksinger, lab aide, disk jockey, medical photographer, clerk typist, employment counselor).

1963

He was married to technical writer and editor Arline June Young (née Belch) from 1963 until her death in 2016.

The couple had one child, a son named Michael.

1969

He graduated with honors in 1969 from University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley), with a degree in Spanish.

From 1969 to 1976, he was Edward B. Jones Lecturer in Creative Writing at Stanford University near Palo Alto, where he lived and worked for three decades.

After living in Palo Alto from 1969 to 1999, in 2000 Young returned to Berkeley, where he continued to freelance.

1970

In the 1970s, he wrote film scripts Joseph Strick, Sidney Poitier, Bill Cosby, and Richard Pryor.

1974

In 1974, Young was awarded a Guggenheim fellowship in fiction.

He was also awarded a Fulbright fellowship, two Puschart prizes, the PEN-USA Award, multiple National Endowment for the Arts fellowships, and a Wallace Stegner fellowship.

1976

He also wrote linear notes for George Benson's Breezin' album (1976).

1980

In the 1980s and 1990s, as a cultural ambassador for the United States Information Agency, he traveled throughout South Asia, Egypt, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian West Bank.

1982

He twice received the American Book Award, for Bodies and Soul: Musical Memoirs (1982), and The Sound of Dreams Remembered: Poems 1990–2000 (2002).

1983

Young taught poetry, fiction writing and American literature at UC Berkeley; University of California, Santa Cruz from 1983 until the early 1990s; University of California, Davis; Bowling Green State University; Foothill College; the Colorado College; Rice University; the University of Washington; the University of Michigan; and the University of Arkansas.

1989

He also met classmate Janet Coleman in Michigan, whom he later co-authored work with in 1989.

2001

In 2001, he traveled to the Persian Gulf to lecture on American and African-American literature and culture in Kuwait and in Bahrain for the U.S. Department of State.

2002

In 2002, he was appointed the San José State University's Lurie Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing.

He also taught at Charles University in the Czech Republic under the auspices of the Prague Summer Programs.

2003

In the spring of 2003 he taught poetry at Davidson College (Davidson, NC), where he was McGee Professor in Writing.

In the fall of 2003, as the first Coffey Visiting professor of Creative Writing at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, he taught a poetry workshop.

From 2003 to 2006, he served on the faculty of Cave Canem's summer workshop retreats for African-American poets.

His students included poet Persis Karim.

2004

Subsequent lecture tours took him to Southern Italy in 2004, and to Italy in 2005.

His poetry and prose have been translated into Italian, Spanish, Swedish, Norwegian, Serbo-Croatian, Polish, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, German, Urdu, Korean, and other languages.

Blending story, recitation and song, Young often performed with musicians.

2005

He was named Poet Laureate of California by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger from 2005 to 2008.

Young's many books included novels, collections of poetry, essays, and memoirs.

His work appeared in literary journals and magazines including Paris Review, Ploughshares, Essence, The New York Times, Chicago Review, Seattle Review, Brilliant Corners: A Journal of Jazz & Literature, Chelsea, Rolling Stone, Gathering of the Tribes, and in anthologies including the Norton Anthology of African American Literature, and the Oxford Anthology of African American Literature.

On May 15, 2005, he was named Poet Laureate of California by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

In appointing Young as Poet Laureate in 2005, the Governor Schwarzenegger praised him: "He is an educator and a man with a passion for the Arts. His remarkable talent and sense of mission to bring poetry into the lives of Californians is an inspiration."

Muriel Johnson, Director of the California Arts Council declared: "Like jazz, Al Young is an original American voice."

2009

In 2009, Young was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters (L.H.D.) from Whittier College.

2019

In February 2019, Young had a stroke.