A Long Road: The Life of
Thylias Moss  

“If no black woman had ever written anything, I would have written. I don’t mind adding to the African American female aesthetic – whatever that is. I hope its not easy to define” (Silberman )  Thylias Moss, is an African American poet and grew up in a time when many black people were largely discriminated against. Her published works range from children’s books, to poetry collections, to an autobiography that is due out soon. As an amazing poet she has won many awards including The Macarthur Fellowship, a Dewar’s Profiles Performance award, and a Witter Bynner Award for poetry to name a few. She rights about a variety of topics that range from growing up in a racist world, and the African American “experience”, to an old wood stove.

Thylias Moss rights about women's rights. Being both African American and a woman. She rights about her experience as an African American  Also Moss rights about being a mother. Her poems range in topic from happy, joyful topics to the oppression of the African Americans during the civil rights movement.

             Moss came into the world in 1954. She was born into a poor family and was the only child. Her first few years were happy. Moss lived with her family in the upstairs rooms of an older Jewish couple. The couple loved Moss and treated her kindly. They later sold the house to a family with a thirteen -year-old daughter, who Moss quickly began to fear. It was the start of an unhappy time in her life.

            When Moss was nine her family relocated, and she was sent to school in a mostly white district. Here she was treated badly by both her teachers and her peers.

The other children would taunt her and the teachers denied her proper materials. Moss also wrote her first poem during this time about her treatment. After the move she began attending church regularly and learned how to speak to an audience through listening to the sermons. Moss also met her husband in the church. They were married when Moss was only nineteen.

             Moss went on the get a bachelors degree from Oberlin college and later her masters from the University of New Hampshire. She has two sons who also inspire her poetry. Moss currently lives in Ann Arbor, and teaches English at the University of Michigan.

            Thylias Moss has published many books, plays, and poetry collections. Her Books Consist of  Small Congregations: New and Selected Poems, Pyramid Of bone, Last chance for Tarzan Holler, Rainbow Remnants, In Rock Bottom, Ghetto Sky, Hosiery Seams on a bowlegged Woman and, At Redbones. These are her poetry collections. She also has a memoir called Tale of a Blue- Sky Dress, a children’s book called I Want To Be, and has published two plays. (The Dolls in the Basement and Talking to Myself.)  For these writings, Moss has won the Macarthur Fellowship, a Dewar’s Profiles Performance award, and a Witter Bynner Award for poetry, A Guggenheim Fellowship, and finally the Whiting award.

Biography Written By: Kathryn Holt