“Instead of giving up on me, you provided thoughtful feedback on my projects for the rest of the course. I especially remember how good it felt when you gave me feedback on my final project about formulating the Black woman superhero, inspired by Sula, Getting Mother’s Body, Purple Hibiscus, and other works. Your guidance not only made me a better writer but also helped build my confidence tremendously.”
Dr. Marlo’s passion for social justice, writing, and the arts started at a young age. She grew up in Florida as the oldest daughter of an artist and a writer who devoted their time to uplifting their community. After attending Florida A&M University, she worked as a newspaper reporter and editor for nearly a decade before she left journalism for graduate school. She earned her Ph.D. in American Literature in 2009 and has taught and mentored new scholars ever since.
Even with all these career pivots, she explains, "At my core, I’m a storyteller, and I come from a long line of Southern folks who love shaping their worlds with words.”
Her current book projects include editing a collection of essays exploring the Black literary and cultural explosion of the 1970s, as well as a biography of Bill Gunn, a visionary 20th-century queer Black author, actor, playwright, and filmmaker.
Her essays on culture and politics have appeared in scholarly and popular publications, including Atmos, Black Perspectives, The African American Review, Home Girls Make Some Noise: A Hip-Hop Feminism Anthology, and BlackGirlMagic Beyond the Hashtag: Twenty-first Century Acts of Self Definition.