Background

My passion for social justice, writing, and the arts started at a young age. I grew up in Tallahassee, Florida, as the oldest daughter of an artist and a writer who devoted their lives to uplifting their community. Their collective efforts launched the Harambee Festival, which continues to this day. After attending Florida A&M University, I worked as a newspaper reporter and editor for nearly a decade before I left journalism for graduate school.

I earned a Ph.D. in American Literature in 2009 and I have taught thousands of undergraduate students and supported dozens of graduate students through their doctoral studies. As an author, I write about Black cultural expression since the Civil Rights Movement. I enjoy exploring the experimental, the alternative, and the vanguard, mapping connections across spaces, places, and time.