The life and literary interests of Lorenzo Thomas span vast distances, ranging from Central America to New York City to the American Southwest, underscoring his stature as one of the most broadly based and multifaceted writers of African descent in America today. Thomas's most extensive work has been in poetry, though his few critical essays are remarkable for their vision and comprehension. His poetry is noteworthy for its extraordinary, imaginative depiction of popular American culture and for his unique intermixture of apparently unrelated frames of reference.

Born in the Republic of Panama on 31 August 1944, Lorenzo Thomas came to the United States in 1948 when his parents immigrated to New York. His mother, Luzmilda Gilling Thomas, born in 1914 in Costa Rica to Jamaican parents, has been a community organizer and has been active in local New York politics. Thomas's father, Herbert Hamilton Thomas, was born in St. Vincent, West Indies...