Tyrone Williams

Tyrone Williams was born in Detroit on February 24, 1954. He earned his BA, MA, and PhD in English at Wayne State University.

Williams is the author of eight poetry collections, including Stilettos in a Rifle Range (Wayne State University Press, 2022); As Iz (Omnidawn, 2018); Line 9, Part I (Compline, 2020), and the coauthor of washpark (Delete Press, 2021) with fellow poet Pat Clifford. 

Williams began teaching at Xavier University in 1983, eventually becoming a professor then, from 2000 to 2006, served as chair of the university’s English department. In 2023, he retired from Xavier and served as the David Gray Chair of Poetry and Letters in the English department of SUNY at Buffalo. 

Williams died on March 11, 2024.