Ph.D., English/Creative Writing, SUNY Albany
M.F.A., Poetry, Chicago State University
B.A., English, University of the District of Columbia
Randall Horton is the recipient of the Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Award, the Bea Gonzalez Poetry Award, the Great Lakes College Association New Writers Award for Creative Nonfiction (Hook: A Memoir) and a National Endowment of the Arts Fellowship in Literature. In 2018-2019 Dr. Horton was selected as Poet-in-Residence for the Civil Rights Corps in Washington DC, which is a non-profit organization dedicated to challenging systemic injustice in the American legal system. He is a member of the experimental performance group Heroes Are Gang Leaders which recently received the 2018 American Book Award in Oral Literature and their musical project, The Baraka Sessions, was named best vocal jazz album by NPR in 2019. In 2020 Dr. Horton received a Right to Return Fellowship to creatively address issues of mass incarceration and racial justice while advancing campaigns for change. His latest collection of poetry {#289-128}: Poems is published by the University of Kentucky (2020) and received the 2021 American Book Award. Dead Weight: A Memoir in Essays was published in 2022 by Northwestern University Press.
Dead Weight: A Memoir in Essays (Feb. 15, 2022)
{#289-128}: Poems (University Press of Kentucky New Poetry & Prose Series, Sep. 8, 2020)
Hook (Feb. 1, 2018)
Pitch Dark Anarchy (Triquarterly/Northwestern University Press, Feb. 2, 2013)
See MoreRoxbury (Nonfiction, Kattywompus Press, Spring, 2012).
"Memory: Elvie Three Months after Rosetta's Funeral, 1954," Brilliant Corners: Journal of Jazz & Literature, (Spring 2013)
"Constructed Epiphany," "Because a Bicycle Symphonizes Freedom," "Aesthetic Freedom as Phenomena," and "Flame Eternal: Echoes of 1822." Black Cinema (University of Indiana, Spring 2013)
The Lingua Franca of Ninth Street (Main Street Rag, 2009)
The Definition of Place (Main Street Rag, 2006)
In the Media
Randall Horton, professor of English, was selected to be part of the third cohort of the Writing Freedom Fellowship, recognizing 20 emerging, mid-career, and established poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers whose lives and work have been impacted by the carceral system.
In the Media
Randall Horton, professor of English, speaks with inmates at Cybulski Community Reintegration Center in Enfield as part of an event put on by Freedom Reads.
In the Media
Randall Horton, a professor of English, comments on the Ben Free Project, which creates opportunities for incarcerated journalists, writers, and creative artists. Horton is a board member and director of the performing arts program.
In the Media
Randall Horton, professor of English, wrote the foreword for 'Final Words,' a sweeping project that consists of a collection of the last statements uttered by 578 men and women executed on Texas Death Row. The book has been named the Gold Category Winner in the publishing category for the Creativepool Annual 2024 Awards.
In the Media
Randall Horton, an English professor, commented on the Radical Reversal program he founded in Birmingham in 2022. The program allows youth to express themselves through poetry and music and has expanded to include podcasting.
In the Media
Randall Horton, professor of English, talks about Radical Reversal, his podcast featuring incarcerated poets performing from within various satellite studios installed inside carceral state facilities around the country.
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Randall Horton, professor of English, wrote an op-ed on the parallels he drew personally from Hunter Biden being convicted on three felonies while using narcotics, writing, 'I have known many Hunter Bidens in my lifetime. I was a Hunter Biden.'
In the Media
Randall Horton, professor of English, reads to a group of women prisoners from his book #289-128 as part of a nonprofit initiative called 'Freedom Reads.'
In the Media
Randall Horton, professor of English, was profiled on his life and experiences.
In the Media
Freedom Reads’ Founder & CEO and University of New Haven English Professor Randall Horton announced the opening of an additional 15 Freedom Libraries at the Carl Robinson Correctional Institution in Enfield, CT.
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Randall Horton, professor of English, comments on the provocative writing by Quan Martin, saying, "It's commodifying the Black experience."
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Randall Horton, professor of English, discusses what he calls his obsession with his home state of Alabama, which has served as the setting of many of my nonfiction, poetic and social justice endeavors.
In the Media
Randall Horton, professor of English, a board member with the American Prison Writing Archive, which houses writing about life and conditions inside more than 400 correctional institutions. He also shared how writing taught him to deal with adversity and develop a moral compass when he was incarcerated more than 20 years ago.
In the Media
Randall Horton, a professor of English, wrote a personal essay on how he began Radical Reversal, the mission of which is to improve rehabilitation services for youth currently incarcerated.
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Randall Horton, professor of English, discusses his latest book, Dead Weight, and the events that occurred throughout his life, in the best of 2022 series on NPR.
In the Media
Randall Horton, professor of English, discusses his life experiences and Radical Reversal, a movement focused on amplifying the dialogue concerning incarceration and on showcasing rehabilitation equity through creative outlets.
In the Media
Randall Horton, professor of English, read from his book Dead Weight at a symposium that explored the realities of incarceration and its impact on prisoners.
In the Media
Randall Horton, professor of English, will participate in a discussion entitled 'Defending the Fifth Freedom: Protecting the Right to Read for Incarcerated Individuals.'
In the Media
Randall Horton, professor of English, discusses his new memoir, Dead Weight, and how he carries the memories of his felony convictions.
In the Media
Randall Horton, professor of English, talks to Gwen Edwards about his newest book, Dead Weight, and his upcoming project with Creative Capital.
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Randall Horton, professor of English, was the featured speaker at a recent event host by Yale English Department’s Literature & Racial Justice Initiative.
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Randall Horton, professor of English, talks about his newest work Dead Weight: A Memoir in Essays.
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Randall Horton, professor of English, combined a reading from his new book, “Dead Weight,” and his first performance with the new band “Radical Reversal” as part of a special performance at SUNY Plattsburgh.
In the Media
Randall Horton, professor of English, will have a reading/performance featuring his new memoir, 'Dead Weight,' on Thursday, February 24, at 7 p.m. in the Cardinal Lounge at SUNY Plattsburgh.
In the Media
Randall Horton, professor of English, discusses his award-winning book of poetry, {#289-128}: Poems with Ann Nyberg.
In the Media
Randall Horton, professor of English, discusses his award-winning book of poetry, {#289-128}: Poems.
In the Media
Randall Horton, associate professor of English, talks about his life and writing.
In the Media
Randall Horton, professor of English, has a new poetry collection out September 8.
In the Media
Randall Horton, associate professor of English, wrote a column about his experience in teaching and the challenging questions for his students on racism, gender bias, sexism, classism, and white power structure.
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Randall Horton, assistant professor of English, will be one of the notable authors featured in University of Kentucky’s Visiting Writers Series.
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Randall Horton, associate professor of English, discusses the writing process and how it relates to recovery in an interview.
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Randall Horton, associate professor of English, joins other writers in discussing injustices and issues within the United States prison system at the Unbound Book Festival.
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Randall Horton, associate professor of English, speaks of the importance of fellow poet Toi Derricotte’s work.
In the Media
Randall Horton, associate professor of English, will read from his work as part of the University of Indianapolis’s Kellogg Writers Series.