Background
Melba Joyce Boyd was born on April 2, 1950, in Detroit, Michigan, United States. She was the daughter of John Percy and Dorothy (Wynn) Boyd. John Percy Boyd was a postal supervisor. Dorothy (Wynn) Boyd was a school administrator.
1971
42 W Warren Ave, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
Melba Boyd completed bachelor's and master's degrees in English at Wayne State University in 1971 and 1972.
1979
500 S State St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
Melba earned a Doctor of Arts in English from the University of Michigan in 1979.
(In this important study, poet Melba Joyce Boyd analyzes H...)
In this important study, poet Melba Joyce Boyd analyzes Harper not simply as a feminist and an activist, but as a writer. Boyd reads her in context, placing Harper's life, poetry, novels, and speeches within the nineteenth century African-American quest for "freedom and literacy." Harper's genius is illuminated as Boyd traces her radicalism through her struggles with issues of race, gender, and class, and the other personal and social injustices she confronted. Discarded Legacy comprises three parts: "The Abolitionist Years," "The Pursuit of the Promised Land," and "The Woman's Era." These divisions characterize the thrust of the historical periods which encompass Harper's lifetime and the thematic focus of her writings. Though Harper's primary political emphasis is on slavery and the Reconstruction, she sustains a strong feminist voice throughout these times and in all of her writings.
https://www.amazon.com/Discarded-Legacy-Politics-1825-1911-American/dp/0814324894/?tag=2022091-20
1994
(Do poets' surroundings shape their viewpoint and work? Ab...)
Do poets' surroundings shape their viewpoint and work? Abandon Automobile seeks to address this question by bringing together the work of more than one hundred of Detroit's most acclaimed and accessible poets. Writing about location as if it were a living entity, these poets visualize Detroit as a variety of complex archetypes - the city becomes a savior, a beast, a nurturing mother, a seductress, a friend, an enemy. Like the city itself, the poetry represented is diverse and the poems are by turns tender, forceful, introspective, and vital. In the introduction to the volume, Melba Joyce Boyd and M. L. Liebler show how Detroit's poetry scene has changed over the years to embrace political movements and cultural transformations. Readers will find that one doesn't need to be a Detroit native to enjoy the many themes of this anthology. The exciting range of voices represented in this collection will appeal to anyone interested in poetry, regional literature, and urban life.
https://www.amazon.com/Abandon-Automobile-Detroit-American-Paperback/dp/0814328105/?tag=2022091-20
2001
(The collected writings in Roses and Revolutions not only ...)
The collected writings in Roses and Revolutions not only confirm the talent and the creative intellect of Randall as an author and editor but also demonstrate why his voice remains relevant and impressive in the twenty-first century. Randall was named the first Poet Laureate of the City of Detroit and received numerous awards for his literary work, including the Life Achievement Award from the National Endowment of the Arts in 1986. Students and teachers of African American literature, as well as readers of poetry, will appreciate this landmark volume.
https://www.amazon.com/Roses-Revolutions-Selected-Writings-American/dp/0814334458/?tag=2022091-20
2009
(Poetry. African American Studies. Melba Joyce Boyd's late...)
Poetry. African American Studies. Melba Joyce Boyd's latest poetry offering is an insightful examination of her relationships with family, friends, and colleagues. She writes of the complexities, joys and sadnesses of lives shared, and the influences of daily living on them.
https://www.amazon.com/Death-Dance-Butterfly-Melba-Joyce/dp/061531290X/?tag=2022091-20
2012
biographer editor educator filmmaker writer author
Melba Joyce Boyd was born on April 2, 1950, in Detroit, Michigan, United States. She was the daughter of John Percy and Dorothy (Wynn) Boyd. John Percy Boyd was a postal supervisor. Dorothy (Wynn) Boyd was a school administrator.
Boyd completed bachelor's and master's degrees in English at Wayne State University. She earned a Doctor of Arts in English from the University of Michigan in 1979.
In 1972 Melba Joyce Boyd became a substitute teacher at public schools in Detroit in Michigan. In 1972 she was an English teacher at high school.
From 1972 till 1976 Melba worked as an assistant editor at Broadside Press. From 1980 till 1984 she was an associate editor. From 1972 till 1979 Boyd worked as an instructor in English composition, black studies, and women’s studies at Wayne County Community College in Detroit. In 1974 Melba worked as an English teacher at Eastside Street Academies. From 1975 till 1976 she was an instructor at Shaw College, Detroit, Michigan. From 1976 till 1977 Boyd worked as an instructor at Wayne State University. From 1979 till 1980 Melba Joyce Boyd was a curriculum specialist in English and film at W.I.C. Magnet School Project for the Gifted and Talented. From 1980 till 1982 she worked as an instructor in English composition, black studies, and women’s studies at Wayne County Community College.
From 1982 till 1983 Melba Joyce Boyd was a visiting professor at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. From 1983 till 1984 Boyd worked as a senior Fulbright lecturer at the University of Bremen.
From 1983 till 1988 Melba Joyce Boyd worked as an assistant professor of English and African-American world studies at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. In 1986 Melba Joyce Boyd became a visiting professor at Colgate University.
From 1988 till 1989 Boyd was an associate professor of black studies and at Center for Women’s Studies at Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. In 1989 Melba Joyce Boyd worked as an associate professor of African-American studies and director of African-American Studies Program at the University of Michigan, Flint, Michigan.
From 1992 till 1993 Melba Joyce Boyd was an adjunct associate professor at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor in Michigan. From 1993 till 1996 she was an associate professor of Africana studies. In 1996 Melba Joyce Boyd took and published and interview from the US band “Against The Current.” In 1996 she worked as an editor at editorial board at Wayne State University Press in Detroit, Michigan, United States. In 1996 Melba Joyce Boyd became a professor and head of the department at Wayne State University. In 1999 Melba became an adjunct professor at the Center for Afro-American and African Studies.
Melba Joyce Boyd has authored 13 books and is a Distinguished University Professor and Chair of the Department of Africana Studies at Wayne State University. She has held academic appointments at the University of Iowa, Ohio State University, the University of Michigan–Flint and Wayne State University.
Now Melba Joyce Boyd is a lecturer at colleges and universities in the United States and abroad, including Columbia University, University of Notre Dame, University of Pennsylvania, University of Houston, Mississippi State University, Universities of Hannover and Osnabruck, University of Colorado, Sinte Gleska College, and Grinnell College. She was also a great lecturer at film presentations and poetry readings. Melba Joyce Boyd is a consultant to City of Detroit, Ohio Arts Council, and Michigan Foundation for the Arts.
(The collected writings in Roses and Revolutions not only ...)
2009(Do poets' surroundings shape their viewpoint and work? Ab...)
2001(In this important study, poet Melba Joyce Boyd analyzes H...)
1994(Poetry. African American Studies. Melba Joyce Boyd's late...)
2012Melba Boyd is a Presbyterian.
Melba Boyd is independent.
Melba is concerned with the personal and political issues of race, class, and gender, therefore Boyd's work has gradually become less dependent on the poet's individual experience to communicate meaning and more concerned with others' experience.
Quotations: "I think like a poet, which alters my view of the ordinary. I am inspired to write by whatever catches my eye or ear or heart. I am especially attracted to history, or what I feel is of historical interest. As a black person living in America, I am concerned about the conditions and circumstances of oppressed people in this country and elsewhere. I am interested in bringing attention to what is too often ignored or belittled in this fast-paced society driven by greed and materialism. I am also interested in the beauty of life, and in finding beauty that is distinct in its own being. Although I often write on difficult and painful subjects that reflect suffering and injustice, I still believe that humanity is capable of greatness that contradicts the severity of its most ugly moments.''
Melba is a member of Modern Language Association, American Studies Association, Collegium African American Research and Alpha Kappa Alpha.
Melba Boyd married Herb Douglas Boyd on June 3, 1975. Herb was a writer. In August 1984 they got divorced. Melba Boyd and Herb Douglas Boyd had got children: John Percy III Boyd, Maya Boyd.