James Lewis Huss is an award-winning poet, novelist, and playwright. He began his writing career at the University of South Carolina, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. He then earned his Master of Arts in English at Northwestern State University in Louisiana and for more than 20 years has taught English Literature and Language in the USA, China, Bolivia, and Taiwan. James currently teaches English literature and film at a private international school in Washington, DC.
James primarily considers himself a poet, having penned more than 100 poems—over 30 of which are featured in literary journals, magazines, and anthologies—and one epic in blank verse: Out of the Water, The Epic of Moses. But he is also a novelist and playwright, authoring two YA novels—Book of Pilgrimage and Homined—and ten full-length plays (in blank verse). His forthcoming work features a poetry collection called This Is America. and a narrative memoir in verse called Dreaming Isn’t Easy, A 90% True Story About a Regular Kid Growing up in the South.
In 2020, he created a new literary genre—the Mock Renaissance Tragedy. Two of James’s plays have had international staged readings: Shakespeare’s Robin V and Thomas Kyd’s The Scottish Lady at Two Three Comedy Club in Taipei, Taiwan. Several of his plays have received recognition:Tom Middleton and The Ur-thello was read as a part of the 2025 Baltimore Playwrights Festival, Witch’s Tit was shortlisted for the 2024 Epiphanies New Works Festival, and Thomas Kyd’s The Scottish Lady was selected for the 2027 Baltimore Playwrights Fesival.
In addition to his literary pursuits, James has also studied martial arts for almost four decades and has extensive training in karatedo, aikido, and tai chi chuan. For more information, visit ZenzanDojo.com.