'bout me
Jzl Jmz
(pronounced juh-zell jaym-s) aka [Lady Tournament] is a Black Los Angelena & award-winning Transsexual based in Portland, OR. Her early professional career included positions at The Huffington Post &The Offing. She’s been featured in the LA Times, Poetry Magazine, Oprah Magazine, Ms. Magazine, PEN America, Willamette Weekly, The New York Public Library & several anthologies. She’s the author of 3 full-length poetry collections: Mannish Tongues (Platypus Press 2017), The 2021 Poetry Center Book Prize-winning: The Black Condition ft. Narcissus (2019) & Local Woman (2025) (Nightboat Books). Her film & performance work has been taught & toured nationwide. She has been a Lambda Literary Fellow, & Precipice Art Grant Recipient through Portland’s Institute of Contemporary Art. Her first sculpture exhibition ROOMinnate debuted at Ori Gallery (Aug-Oct 2024). She’s an occasional rapper & founder of Tournament.Haus Mutual Aid Fund. Find her talking slick or in another dimension.
read interviews with her here
to hire her for editing, find out more here.
to hire her for graphic design, find out more here.
contact: jzl@jxzzhndz.party
photos by Wiley
