Shayla Lawson

Shayla Lawson writes poetry, essays, and cultural criticism that combine memoir, travel, music, visual culture, and Black feminist observation. They published the poetry collections A Speed Education in Human Being, PANTONE, and I Think I'm Ready to See Frank Ocean before bringing those interests into This Is Major. Harper Perennial issued the essay collection in 2020; its full publication title is This Is Major: Notes on Diana Ross, Dark Girls, and Being Dope. Its linked pieces consider Black girlhood and public representation through subjects ranging from family and fashion to film, celebrity, and language. The book reached the concluding selection rounds for both National Book Critics Circle and Lambda Literary awards. Lawson later expanded their international and autobiographical range in How to Live Free in a Dangerous World. Fellowships from institutions including MacDowell, Yaddo, and the National Endowment for the Arts have supported their writing. Across poetry and nonfiction, Lawson favors associative structure, wit, and precise cultural reference over a single conventional memoir narrative.