Tanya Shirley Explained

Tanya Shirley (born 1976) is a Jamaican poet.

Life

Tanya Shirley was born in Jamaica in 1976.^[1] She attended high school in Canada before returning to Jamaica to study at the University of the West Indies, where she switched from studying social science to studying English literature.^[2] She later gained an MFA in creative writing from the University of Maryland.^[3] She teaches in the Department of Literatures as an adjunct lecturer at UWI, Mona.^[4]

Shirley's debut poetry collection, She Who Sleeps With Bones (2009), was a best-seller in Jamaica.^[1]

In 2017 she married Alan Johnstone, a financial investigator.^[5]

Works

• She who sleeps with bones. Leeds, UK: Peepal Tree, 2009.
• The merchant of feathers. Leeds: Peepal Tree, 2014.

Notes and References

1. Book: Sharing the Earth: An International Environmental Justice Reader. 15 June 2015. University of Georgia Press. 978-0-8203-4770-7. 266–.
2. Mel Cooke, Tanya Shirley - a constantly maturing poet, Jamaica Gleaner, July 24, 2011. Accessed July 11, 2020.
3. Book: Kei Miller. New Caribbean Poetry: An Anthology. 2007. Carcanet. 978-1-85754-941-6. 97.
4. http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/entertainment/20150102/tanya-shirley-launch-poetry-book Tanya Shirley to Launch Poetry Book
5. http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/magazines/allwoman/a-reservoir-of-laughterl-et_us_dazzle_%26_sparkle_103440?profile=1237 VOWS: A reservoir of laughter... let us dazzle & sparkle...