Terrance Hayes
A poet who remixes form and confronts race and identity with a vibrant, inventive, and deeply personal musicality.
Born 1971 (age 55)·American poet and educator·Birthday: November 18·Generation X
Biography
Terrance Hayes emerged from South Carolina to become one of American poetry's most dynamic and influential voices. After playing college basketball, he turned his disciplined focus to words, earning an MFA from the University of Pittsburgh. His work is instantly recognizable for its formal dexterity—he's known for creating his own structures, like the 'golden shovel,' which builds new poems from the lines of existing ones. Hayes doesn't just write about the Black experience; he dissects it, performs it, and sets it to a complex internal rhythm, weaving pop culture, personal history, and sharp social critique. His recognition, including a MacArthur 'Genius' Grant and a National Book Award, speaks to his ability to make poetry feel both urgently contemporary and timeless. As a professor, he has shaped a generation of new writers, extending his impact far beyond the page.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Terrance was born in 1971, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Terrance Was Born
The biggest hits of 1971
#1 Movie
Fiddler on the Roof
Best Picture
The French Connection
#1 TV Show
Marcus Welby, M.D.
Terrance's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1971Born
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1976Started school
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1984Became a teenager
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1987Could drive
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1989Could vote
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1992Turned 21
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2001Turned 30
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 40
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 50
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 55 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the 2010 National Book Award for Poetry for his collection 'Lighthead'.
- Awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 2014.
- Served as a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets from 2017 to 2023.
- Published the acclaimed poetry collection 'American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin' in 2018.
Did You Know?
He was a standout basketball player at Coker College before focusing on poetry.
Hayes is a skilled visual artist and often incorporates his own drawings into his manuscripts and publications.
He created the poetic form called the 'golden shovel,' where the last words of each line form a pre-existing poem or phrase.
“I love the moment when a metaphor becomes a thing.”
