Background
James Robert Saunders was born on April 4, 1953 in Richmond, Virginia, United States, in the family of James Robert and Marjorie Charlotte (Wilson) Saunders.
James Robert Saunders was born on April 4, 1953 in Richmond, Virginia, United States, in the family of James Robert and Marjorie Charlotte (Wilson) Saunders.
In 1975 James received Bachelor of Arts (cum laude) at University Virginia, then Master of Arts there in 1981. In 1978 he earned Juris Doctor at Harvard University, and finally he got Doctor of Arts at University Michigan in 1986.
Professor Saunders has taught and written about a wide range of authors including Zora Neale Hurston, Eudora Welty, Ralph Ellison, Howard Frank Mosher, Edward P. Jones, and others.
"Urban Renewal and the End of Black Culture in Charlottesville, Virginia," remains what is perhaps his most impactful book, as it presents the autobiographies of dislocated residents in a community that exemplified what was the essence of blackness.
Another of his co-authored books, the historical "Black Winning Jockeys in the Kentucky Derby," is coming to be recognized as, in addition to being a history, an interesting study of American literature.
Professor Saunders' essay, "A Worn Path: The Eternal Quest of Welty's Phoenix Jackson," has been getting new attention, prompting him to reread, with a different eye, his own correspondence with her.
James has lectured or presented papers in various locations, including Auburn; Washington; Chicago; Akron; Columbus; Toledo; West Chester; and Charlottesville.
On July 6, 1982, James married Renae Nadine Shackelford, and they have a daughter Monica.