Margaret Walker (1915–1998) wrote poetry, essays, the novel Jubilee and a biography of Richard Wright. She created pioneering programmes in the humanities and African American studies at Jackson State University, where she was a faculty member for almost three decades. Maryemma Graham is a professor of English and African American studies at the University of Kansas and is the editor of Fields Watered with Blood: Critical Essays on Margaret Walker (Georgia). Nikky Finney won the National Book Award for Poetry in 2011 for her collection Head Off & Split. She is the editor of The Ringing Ear: Black Poets Lean South (Georgia).