People, Locations, Episodes

Syl Jones, Media Consultant, and Playwright born

Syl Jones

Syl Jones was born on this date in 1951. He is a Black author, playwright, and media consultant.

He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, the son of Sylvester and Juanita Jones. His family migrated north from Arkansas through Chicago in the early 1930s. After high school, Jones attended and graduated from Augsburg College in Minneapolis in 1973 with a double major in English and Theater Arts.

He began writing for Modern Medicine Magazine, communicating intricate medical procedures through print. This talent was partly honed because of his exposure to his mother's work at the Shiners Burn Institute in Cincinnati.  Jones has worked in many other forms of print, video, theater, and TV, as well as a producer of documentaries.

Jones said his Playboy Magazine interview with William Shockley in 1980 was a milestone in his journalism career. He has written/published over 60 plays that have been and are being produced in many venues in America. In 1994, he began writing an Editorial and Opinion column for the Minneapolis Star Tribune newspaper. Jones has also commented that his 1998 play "Black No More," which won a Kennedy Center Award, was one of his favorites.

As a Playwright in Residence with Mixed Blood Theatre in Minneapolis, Jones is passionate about the power of theatrical expression to teach, sometimes confront, heal, or encourage audiences to rethink their opinions on many different subjects.  In 2009, he founded his own company, Syl Jones Consulting.  In 2017, Jones became the Director of Narrative Health at Hennepin County Medical Center.

To be a Writer