Leonard pitts biography

Leonard Garvey Pitts Jr. (born October 11, 1957) is an American commentator, journalist, and novelist.
Pitts is the author of four celebrated novels: Before I Forget, Freeman, Grant Park and The Last Thing You Surrender.
Journalist and author Leonard Garvey Pitts, Jr. was born on October 11, 1957 in Orange, California to Leonard Garvey and Agnes Rowan Pitts.

•

Leonard Pitts, Jr. is a retired columnist for The Miami Herald. His twice-weekly column, syndicated nationally to more than 200 newspapers, was one of the most popular in the country. In 2004, he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Commentary for what the judges called “fresh, vibrant columns that spoke, with both passion and compassion, to ordinary people on often divisive issues."

Pitts has been writing professionally since 1976 when, as an 18-year-old junior at the University of Southern California, he began doing reviews and profiles for SOUL, a national black entertainment tabloid. Two years later, he was its editor. In the years since then, Pitts’ work has appeared in such publications as TV Guide, Reader’s Digest and Parenting. In addition, he wrote, produced and syndicated Who We Are, an award-winning 1988 radio documentary on the history of black America, and has written and produced numerous other radio programs on subjects as diverse as Madonna and Martin Luther King, Jr. He was also a writer for radio's popular countdown program, “Casey's Top 40

•

Leonard Pitts Jr. Biography

1957—

Columnist

The syndicated commentaries of Miami Herald columnist Leonard Pitts are among the most widely read in the United States, appearing in about 150 newspapers. Pitts's columns offer insightful commentary on the American experience, particularly the African-American experience. Perhaps his most famous column was a stirring call to American unity penned the day after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Pitts drew on his own childhood as well as the lives of other African-American men in his bestselling book Becoming Dad: Black Men and the Journey to Fatherhood. After several nominations, Pitts was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 2004.

Leonard Garvey Pitts, Jr., was born on October 11, 1957, in Orange, California. He and his three siblings grew up in the impoverished South Central section of Los Angeles, and his home life was far from ideal. His father drank heavily, let disputes escalate to gunfire, and was often unemployed. Yet Pitts remained philosophical about his upbringing, quoted as saying by revie

•

Primary tabs

Career

Miami Herald
1995–present: "In My Opinion" news columnist, nationally syndicated via Knight Ridder News ServiceNews Division, Miami, Florida, USA
1991–1995: Music critic and writerArts Section, Miami, Florida, USA

EDUCATOR AND LECTURER
2013: Visiting ProfessorGeorge Washington University
2011: Visiting Professor - taught a course in writing about racePrinceton University
2004: Scripps Howard Visiting ProfessionalHampton University; TeacherVirginia Commonwealth University; TeacherUniversity of Maryland; TeacherOhio University

PUBLISHED AUTHOR
2012: Author: FreemanPublisher: Agate Bolden
2009: Author: Before I ForgetPublisher: Agate Bolden
2009: Author: Daily Triumphs, Tragedies, and CuriositiesPublisher: Agate Bolden
2009: Author: Forward from This Moment: Selected Columns, 1994-2008Publisher: Agate Bolden
1999: Author: Becoming Dad - Black Men and the Journey to FatherhoodPublisher: Longstreet Press

Westwood One, Inc.
1989–1991: Staff writer for the music countdown show American Top 40 and it