Pousson was born and raised in Acadiana, the Cajun French bayou of Louisiana. His novel, "Black Sheep Boy", includes stories that won a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship. Two stories were finalists for the Glimmer Train Fiction Awards. His collection of poetry, "Sugar", was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award, and his first novel, "No Place, Louisiana", was a finalist for the John Gardner Fiction Book Award.