Age, Biography and Wiki

Sapphire (Ramona Lofton) was born on 4 August, 1950 in Fort Ord, California, U.S., is an American author and performance poet (born 1950). Discover Sapphire's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Learn How rich is she in this year and how she spends money? Also learn how she earned most of networth at the age of 73 years old?

Popular As Ramona Lofton
Occupation Author and performance poet
Age 73 years old
Zodiac Sign Leo
Born 4 August 1950
Birthday 4 August
Birthplace Fort Ord, California, U.S.
Nationality United States

We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 4 August. She is a member of famous Author with the age 73 years old group.

Sapphire Height, Weight & Measurements

At 73 years old, Sapphire height not available right now. We will update Sapphire's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible.

Physical Status
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Dating & Relationship status

She is currently single. She is not dating anyone. We don't have much information about She's past relationship and any previous engaged. According to our Database, She has no children.

Family
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Sapphire Net Worth

Her net worth has been growing significantly in 2023-2024. So, how much is Sapphire worth at the age of 73 years old? Sapphire’s income source is mostly from being a successful Author. She is from United States. We have estimated Sapphire'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 Author

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Timeline

1950

Ramona Lofton (born August 4, 1950), better known by her pen name Sapphire, is an American author and performance poet.

Ramona Lofton was born in Fort Ord, California, one of four children of an Army couple who relocated within the United States and abroad.

After a disagreement concerning where the family would settle, her parents separated, with Lofton's mother "kind of abandoning them".

Lofton dropped out of high school and moved to San Francisco, where she attained a GED and enrolled at the City College of San Francisco before dropping out to become a "hippie".

1970

In the mid-1970s Lofton attended the City College of New York and obtained an MFA degree at Brooklyn College.

Lofton held various jobs before starting her writing career, working as a performance artist as well as a teacher of reading and writing.

1977

Lofton moved to New York City in 1977 and became heavily involved with poetry.

She also became a member of a gay organization named United Lesbians of Color for Change Inc. She wrote, performed and eventually published her poetry during the height of the Slam Poetry movement in New York.

Lofton took the name "Sapphire" because of its one-time cultural association with the image of a "belligerent black woman," and also because she said she could more easily picture that name on a book cover than her birth name.

1987

Sapphire self-published the collection of poems Meditations on the Rainbow in 1987.

1990

One critic referred to it as "one of the strongest debut collections of the 1990s".

Her first novel, Push, was unpublished before being discovered by literary agent Charlotte Sheedy, whose interest created demand and eventually led to a bidding war.

1994

As Cheryl Clarke notes, Sapphire's 1994 book of poems, American Dreams is often erroneously referred to as her first book.

1995

Sapphire submitted the first 100 pages of Push to a publisher auction in 1995 and the highest bidder offered her $500,000 to finish the novel.

1996

The book was published in 1996 by Vintage Publishing and has since sold hundreds of thousands of copies.

Sapphire noted in an interview with William Powers that "she noticed Push for sale in one of the Penn Station bookstores, and that moment it struck her she was no longer a creature of the tiny world of art magazines and homeless shelters from which she came".

The novel brought Sapphire praise and much controversy for its graphic account of a young woman growing up in a cycle of incest and abuse.

2007

Sapphire's writing was the subject of an academic symposium at Arizona State University in 2007.

2009

A film based on her novel premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2009.

It was renamed Precious to avoid confusion with the 2009 action film Push.

The cast included Gabourey Sidibe, Mo'Nique, who won the Academy Award for her portrayal of Precious' mother Mary, Mariah Carey, and Lenny Kravitz.

Sapphire herself appears briefly in the film as a daycare worker.

In 2009 she was the recipient of a Fellow Award in Literature from United States Artists.

Sapphire has focused on bringing to light the parts of life that do not receive attention.

In her words:"A major focus of my art has been my determination to reconnect to the mainstream of human life a segment of humanity that has been cast off and made invisible. I have brought into the public gaze women who have been marginalized by sexual abuse, poverty, and their blackness. Through art I have sought to center them in the world."

2011

In 2011, she released The Kid, a sequel to Push about Precious's son, Abdul.

Sapphire admitted that part of the reason she decided to continue the story was because of the encouragement and interest Push received in scholarly conversations.

2019

Sapphire's work is included in the 2019 anthology New Daughters of Africa, edited by Margaret Busby.

Sapphire lives in New York City.

She is bisexual.

Like her character Precious, Sapphire was sexually abused at the age of eight by her father.

Novels

Poetry