L. J. Sysko

Background

About L. J. Sysko

Leslie Jones "L.J." Sysko is the author of two books of poems, including her debut full-length collection THE DAUGHTER OF MAN (University of Arkansas Press, 2023), selected for the Miller Williams Poetry Series by Pulitzer Prize Finalist Patricia Smith. Sysko works as Director of Executive Communications for Delaware State University President Dr. Tony Allen. Of Sysko's book, Publishers Weekly wrote, “Sysko’s witty debut skewers the patriarchy in poems that explore and upend the various societal roles women are expected to play,” The Colorado Review labeled Sysko “a valley girl Beowulf,” and National Book Award finalist Ross Gay called the book “goddam funny” and “a clinic in irony.” Sysko’s poems have been anthologized in BEST NEW POETS and LET ME SAY THIS and have appeared in publications such as Ploughshares, The Missouri Review's "Poem of the Week," Tupelo Quarterly, and Mississippi Review, among others. Sysko holds an MFA in poetry from New England College; she is a Virginia Center for Creative Arts Fellow, a 2024 Delaware Division of the Arts Established Artist Fellow, a 2022 Palm Beach Poetry Festival Thomas Lux Scholar, and Contributing Editor at Tupelo Quarterly. Also a prose writer, Sysko’s nonfiction was a Georgia Review 2023 Prose Prize finalist. Sysko’s essays have been honorably mentioned by Zoetrope's All Story and received finalist recognition from both The Bellingham Review Annie Dillard Award for Creative Nonfiction and The Pinch Literary Awards. A former high school English teacher (14 years) and department chair, Sysko has served Delaware State University President Dr. Tony Allen since 2021, managing messaging and communications, including speeches, talking points, presentations, op-eds, and internal communications. Find links to readings, reviews, news, and more online at ljsysko.com.