United States of America
I teach journalism and professional writing, with a focus on developing new courses in writing for digital platforms.
My research is informed by a passion for 21st century protest music and a fascination with the effects of writer/audience interaction in popular culture.
Activism and advocacy are reflected in volunteer work including ghostwriting for environmental and social-justice groups.
Music has the power to bring people together and help them heal, even when the wounds are deep and painful. But when the same wounds are reopened again and again, the music had better be extraordinarily powerful.This has been the challenge facing musicians in the wake of the shooting death of Michael Brown, an unarmed black man killed by a white police officer in Ferguson, Mo.
Although she died in 2003, the legendary soul/jazz singer Nina Simone is still very much with us. Of course, Simone lives on through her music. Her discography has grown over time, keeping tempo with her legend; the 40-plus albums recorded during her lifetime have been remixed, remastered, reimagined and repurposed as tributes, compilations, themed works and on movie soundtracks.
Popular TV shows seem to take everything over the top - even the illnesses suffered onscreen. Of course, medical programs are bound to feature an eclectic mix of ailments, but that's not what we're talking about here.