Melba Joyce Boyd (born April 2, 1950) is an American writer, editor and academic, who is a significant figure in African-American poetry.Samuels, W. D. (2013).
Encyclopedia of African-American Literature
', Infobase, . She has authored 13 books and is a Distinguished University Professor and Chair of the Department of Africana Studies at

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-l ...

Background

Born in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, Boyd completed bachelor's and master's degrees in English from

Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a Public university, public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. B ...

. During the 1970s and early 1980s, she taught English at

Cass Technical High School Cass Technical High School (simply referred to as Cass Tech) is a four-year Public magnet high school in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, United States. from the University Cultural Center Association, retrieved June 9, 1001 It was established in 19 ...

in Detroit and at Wayne County Community College. She earned a

Doctor of Arts The Doctor of Arts (D.A.; occasionally D.Arts or Art.D. from the Latin language, Latin ''artium doctor'') is a List of academic disciplines, discipline-based terminal degree, terminal doctorate, doctoral academic degree, degree that was originall ...

degree in English from the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

in 1979. Boyd was a

Fulbright Scholar The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the peopl ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

from 1983 to 1984. She has held academic appointments at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

, the

University of Michigan–Flint The University of Michigan–Flint (UM-Flint) is a public university in Flint, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1956 as the Flint Senior College, it was initially established as a remote branch of the University of Michigan, offering upper-d ...

and Wayne State University. Boyd is a former editor at Broadside Press, which was once the best-known American publisher of African-American literature. Some of her work has focused on the life of Dudley Randall, Broadside's founder. She was the recipient of the 2005 Black Caucus of the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

Book Honor for Nonfiction for her book ''Wrestling with the Muse: Dudley Randall and the Broadside Press''. She has written, produced and directed the documentary film ''The Black Unicorn: Dudley Randall and the Broadside Press''. Eight of her books are collections of poetry and she has won numerous awards for her poetry, one of which was a Michigan Council for the Arts Individual Artist Award. In 1997, Boyd wrote the official poem for the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, which is inscribed on the Museum wall.Melba J. Boyd - Distinguished Professor & Chair
.

. Retrieved May 6, 2015. Boyd's poetry is often characterized by sharp, fragmented phrasing. Common themes include urban life and the divides created by class and race.

References

External links

"Curriculum Vitae: Melba Joyce Boyd"
Wayne State University, 2017. {{DEFAULTSORT:Boyd, Melba Living people 1950 births 20th-century African-American women writers 20th-century African-American writers 20th-century American poets 20th-century American women writers 21st-century African-American women writers 21st-century African-American writers 21st-century American poets 21st-century American women writers African-American poets American women academics Ohio State University faculty University of Iowa faculty University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts alumni University of Michigan–Flint people Wayne State University alumni Wayne State University faculty