His debut collection Prelude to Bruise was named a 2014 finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for poetry.

"[5] The Kenyon Review said the work "evokes a perilous, often mythic, eroticism within a brutalizing context of violence.

[17] Jones also wrote an advice column for BuzzFeed's READER newsletter entitled "Dear Ferocity.

[19] NPR called it an "outstanding memoir" with "elements that profoundly connect him to poetry" and to "many of us who grew up dreaming of a chance at upward social mobility".

[21][22] In 2022, Jones's interview with Debbie Millman was featured on the Storybound (podcast) season 5 premiere[citation needed].