Omar Tyree
Encyclopedia
Biography
Tyree was born in PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and graduated from Central High School in 1987; after which he enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
, where he studied to become a pharmacist
Pharmacist
Pharmacists are allied health professionals who practice in pharmacy, the field of health sciences focusing on safe and effective medication use...
, like his mother.
Tyree transferred to Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
in 1989. In 1991, during his senior year, Tyree became the first student in Howard University's history to have a featured column published in The Hilltop, its award-winning campus newspaper. Tyree's column was titled Food for Thought.
In 1991, Tyree received a degree in Print journalism from Howard University. Shortly thereafter, he worked as a reporter and an assistant editor at The Capitol Spotlight, a weekly newspaper in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Later, he was hired as chief reporter for News Dimensions, another Black-owned weekly newspaper.
In 2003, Tyree released a lackluster hip hop album entitled Rising Up!. Tyree's disappointing rhyming skills were likely the reason this album failed to gain popularity.
Today, Tyree is a New York Times best-selling author, a 2001 NAACP Image Award recipient for Outstanding Literature in Fiction, and a 2006 Phillis Wheatley Literary Award winner for Body of Work in Fiction, and has published 16 books that have sold nearly 2 million copies worldwide. He has been recognized as one of the most renowned contemporary commercial writers. He is also an informed and passionate speaker on various community-related and intellectual topics. Tyree is now branching out into the world of feature films, business lectures, and urban children’s books.
Tyree is a popular speaker on the university and corporate circuits. In his Equation for Life lecture, Tyree weaves together a foolproof formula for attaining lifelong success in business and everyday living. Ideal for corporate sales and marketing teams, one attendee who heard the lecture commented, “Omar Tyree’s Equation for Life speech made me rethink my whole life—it has given me the focus I need.” The success of the speeches over the last eight years landed Tyree his first non-fiction book deal with John Wiley, the world's number-one business publisher. The Equation: Applying the 4 Indisputable Components of Business Success is being released in January 2009.
As an author, journalist, performance poet, songwriter, screenwriter, entrepreneur, creative genius, and an energetic and fiery speaker, Tyree is no stranger to the world of contemporary urban influence. Tyree became one of the dominant literary self-promoters of the 1990s, leading to offers of publishing deals by a number of influential mainstream book publishers. In 1995, he signed a lucrative two-book arrangement with publishing powerhouse Simon & Schuster. A few years later Tyree signed a lucrative long-term fiction contract.
His journey as an entrepreneur began in his early twenties, when he started the book publishing company Mar Productions to release his earliest works of fiction. Tyree’s entrepreneurial ventures have evolved to Hot Lava Entertainment, a synergistic production company for books, music, and film. Recently, Tyree released his first movie, The Lure of Young Women, which is available on DVD nationwide.
Tyree’s articles have been published in The Washington Post, Essence, and Upscale.
Recognition
Tyree was named the Literary King of Self-Promotion by Black Issues Book ReviewBlack Issues Book Review
Black Issues Book Review was a bimonthly magazine published in the U.S. in which books of interest to African-American readers were reviewed. It was published from 1999 through 2007....
..
In 2001, Tyree won the 2001 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literature for the novel For the Love of Money.
Events
On 6 September 2008, fans of Tyree were to be able to meet and greet him at the third annual Charlotte Literary Festival.Tyree can be booked for events by going to http://www.4thdimensionmngt.com
Selected biography
As Omar Tyree:- Battlezone (1994)
- Flyy Girl (1997-11)
- A Do Right Man (1998-10)
- Single Mom (1999-10)
- Sweet St. Louis (2000–08)
- For the Love of Money (2001–08)
- Just Say No (2002–07)
- Leslie (2003–08)
- Diary of a Groupie (2004–06)
- Dark Thirst (2004–10)
- Boss Lady (2005–06)
- What They Want (2006–07)
- The Last Street Novel (2007-07)
- Pecking Order (2008)
Under the pen name the Urban Griot:
- College Boy (2003)
- Cold Blooded (2004)