Washington, Durthy A.
Pseudonym:
JoRayma C
Birth City:
Nuernberg, Germany
Current Location:
Colorado Springs, CO
Email (Public):
Occupation(s):
Writer - Journalist - English professor - Seminar leader
Biography:
A writer, seminar leader, and former English professor, Durthy A. Washington has taught graduate, undergraduate, and adult education courses at several colleges and universities including The Colorado College, UCCS, and the US Air Force Academy.
Durthy is the founder of LitUnlocked, which offers workshops and seminars dedicated to the art of mindful, culturally responsive reading. Each workshop centers on the LIST Paradigm, an innovative approach to critical reading that helps readers unlock the power of literature with four keys to culture: Language, Identity, Space, and Time.
Published Works:
Contributor, "Outsiders and Others: Revisiting Richard Wright's Underground Man" (Lexington Books, 2021)
"Sonny's Blues" in Encyclopedia of the Black Arts Movement (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2019)
"The Early Novels of Toni Morrison" in Encyclopedia of the Black Arts Movement (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2019)
Contributor, "Exploring the LIST Paradigm: Reading and Teaching Beloved" (Grey House Publishing, 2015)
"Third World Girl as Superhero in Junot Diaz's The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao" in The Image of the Hero in Literature, Media, and Society (Colorado State University, Pueblo, 2014)
"Teaching Ernest Gaines's A Lesson Before Dying" in Academic Exchange Quarterly (Summer, 2008)
Contributor, "Teaching Song of Solomon: Exploring the LIST Paradigm" (National Council of Teachers of English, 2007)
"Muhammad Ali", "Martin Luther King, Jr.", and "Malcolm X" in Dictionary of Literary Influences (Greenwood Press, 2004)
Cliffs Notes "Ralph Ellison's The Invisible Man" (IDG Books Worldwide, Inc., 2001)
Cliffs Notes "Harriet Jacob's Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" (IDG Books Worldwide, Inc., 2000)
Cliffs Notes "Ernest Gaines's A Lesson Before Dying" (Cliffs Notes, Inc., 1999)
Cliff Notes "Tony Morrison's Song of Solomon" (Cliffs Notes, Inc., 1999)
Contributor, "A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines: Rationales for Teaching Young Adult Literature" (Calendar Islands, 1999)
"Woman or Feminist?: Black Women and the Women's Movement" in The Urban Spectrum (Denver, CO, Mar. 1998)
"The Mystery of History: A Literary Perspective" in The Urban Spectrum (Denver, CO, March 1997)
"'Change the Joke...': On English and Ebonics" in The Urban Spectrum (Denver, CO, Feb. 1997)
"Criminal Injustice: The Case of Mumia Abu-Jamal" in The African American Voice (Colorado Springs, CO, Aug. 1995)
"Conquering Coping Fatigue" in Psych Discourse (Apr. 1995)
"The Colored Museum: An Existential Exhibit of the African-American Experience" in African American Voice (Colorado Springs, CO, Feb. 1994)
Awards/Honors:
English Language Specialist, St. Petersburg University, Russia (Feb.-Apr. 2015)
Cadet Escort, Olmsted Cultural Immersion Trip, Ghana, West Africa (2010)
Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad Program, Senegal, West Africa (2009)
NYU Faculty Research Network Seminars (2003, 2005, 2006, 2008)
Hurston-Wright Fouundation Writer's Workshop, Howard University, Washington, D.C. (July 2004)
U.S. Air Force Academy Outstanding Academy Educator Award (May 2001)
Keynote Speaker, U.S. Air Force Academy African American Heritage Luncheon (Feb. 2001)
U.S. Air Force Academy Literary Research Award (May 2000)
Pikes Peak Library District Board of Trustees (1997-1999)
Education/Training:
MA English, San Jose State University - MS Education, University of Southern California, Los Angeles - BA English, San Diego State University
Organizations:
The Toni Morrison Society - PILLAR Institute for Lifelong Learning - Pikes Peak Library District Adult Reading Program (Facilitator) - Friends of the Pikes Peak Library - Educating Children of Color Conference - African American Youth Leadership Conference
Speaker Availability:
Yes
Speaker Topics:
Culturally Responsive Reading - Culturally Responsive Teaching - African American Literature - Approaches to Teaching Literature - Writing Memoir and Autobiography
Local Authors Genres: