Devon Powers (born 1977 or 1978) is an American

communication studies Communication studies or communication science is an academic discipline that deals with processes of human communication and behavior, patterns of communication in interpersonal relationships, social interactions and communication in differen ...

professor, author, and former music journalist.

Biography

Powers was born in 1977 or 1978. Her father, Lee R. Powers, is an engineer and her mother, Mandy Powers, is a nurse. In 2007 she married lawyer David Bennion. Powers is African American. In 1999, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and women's studies from

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...

and, in 2008, a Ph.D. in

media studies Media studies is a discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history, and effects of various media; in particular, the mass media. Media Studies may draw on traditions from both the social sciences and the humanities, but mostly ...

from New York University. Between 2001 and 2004, she worked as a freelance music journalist, largely writing for '' PopMatters''. , she is an associate professor at the Klein College of Media and Communication at Temple University. Her research interests include consumer culture (historical and contemporary) and shifts in cultural intermediation, circulation and promotion. She has written two books, ''Writing the Record: The Village Voice and the Birth of Rock Criticism'' (2013) and ''On Trend: The Business of Forecasting the Future'' (2019) and, with Melissa Aronczyk, co-edited ''Blowing Up the Brand: Critical Perspectives on Promotional Culture'' (2010).

''Writing the Record''

In 2013, University of Massachusetts Press published ''Writing the Record: The Village Voice and the Birth of Rock Criticism''. In the monograph, a reworking of her doctoral thesis, Powers provides a deeply researched analysis of the challenging relationship between critics and the rise of

pop culture Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * Pop (Gas al ...

in the 1950s through the 1970s. To tell this story, she focuses on the careers of Richard Goldstein and

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

, both writers at New York's famed '' Village Voice''. Powers argues that these music journalists should be considered

public intellectuals An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and Human self-reflection, reflection about the reality of society, and who proposes solutions for the normative problems of society. Coming from the world of culture, ei ...

, even though they weren't traditional academics. Powers was influenced to study the topic because of her own work as a music journalist. She says she tested many of her ideas about the social function of music criticism in a regular column she wrote for ''PopMatters'' titled ''More Than Words: Musings on Music Journalism''.

''On Trend''

In 2019, University of Illinois Press published ''On Trend: The Business of Forecasting the Future'', a study of the cultural economy of the trend analysis and futurology industry. Powers employed ethnographic research methods, visiting forecasting companies such as Sparks & Honey and conducting dozens of interviews to collect material for the book. Scott McLemee notes that the book shines a light on the largely opaque but influential trend-spotting industry. ''On Trend'' was selected as a 2020 '' Choice'' Outstanding Academic Title.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Powers, Devon 1978 births Living people Oberlin College alumni Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development alumni Temple University faculty Communication scholars American social scientists American women social scientists African-American social scientists 21st-century American non-fiction writers American women non-fiction writers American music journalists African-American women journalists 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American writers