Toussaint St. Negritude
Former poet laureate of Belfast, Maine, and 2024 nominee for the poet laureateship of Vermont, poet, bass clarinetist, and composer Toussaint St. Negritude conjures whole liberations in full tempo. The late US Poet Laureate (1985-86) Gwendolyn Brooks once described his work as “full of sweet sounds and surprises." His poetry has been published in Michigan Quarterly Review, Birchsong, Philadelphia Stories, Savannah Literary Journal, PoemCity, and the San Francisco Bay Guardian.
Originally from San Francisco, Toussaint has lived and broadly thrived across the African Diaspora, from the sacred mountains of Haiti, to the Coltrane District of North Philadelphia. He, along with bassist Gahlord Dewald, is the leader of the band Jaguar Stereo!, a free-form ensemble of his own poetry and improvisational jazz. His works have been widely published and recorded for over 40 years.
On an alpine sanctuary facing east, Toussaint St. Negritude continues to thrive in the farthest elevations of Vermont's Northeast Kingdom. Mountain Spells is his first traditionally published volume of poetry. Visit his website to learn more.
Toussaint’s Books
Toussaint St.Negritude
October 22, 2024
“Full of sweet sounds and surprises.”
—Gwendolyn Brooks, late US Poet Laureate (1985-86)
