Brenda Marie Osbey

About the Author

Brenda Marie Osbey is a distinguished poet, scholar, and professor emerita at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she taught creative writing and African American literature for over two decades. Born and raised in New Orleans, her work deeply engages with the cultural, historical, and spiritual landscapes of the American South, particularly the Creole and African American experiences. Osbey's poetry often weaves themes of memory, loss, resilience, and social justice, drawing from oral traditions and the rhythms of jazz and blues. Her latest collection, What Saves Us: Poems of Empathy and Outrage in the Age of Trump, confronts the political upheavals of contemporary America with unflinching empathy and fierce indignation, earning critical acclaim for its lyrical power and moral urgency. A former MacArthur Fellow, Osbey continues to influence generations of writers through her incisive voice and commitment to preserving Black Southern narratives.