Joanne M. Braxton | |
|---|---|
| Born | 25 May 1950 (1950-05-25) (age 75) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Sarah Lawrence College |
| Occupation(s) | Author, teacher and literary critic |
| Title | Dr |
Joanne Margaret Braxton (born May 25, 1950) is an American author, teacher, and literary critic. She has written about topics includingMaya Angelou and the bookBlack Women Writing Autobiography. Braxton has also edited works such asWild Women in the Whirlwind: Afra-American Culture and the Contemporary Literary Renaissance and a collection ofPaul Laurence Dunbar's poetry. She is an emeritus Frances L. and Edwin L. Cummings Professor of the Humanities at theCollege of William & Mary, and President of the Board of the Braxton Institute.
Joanne Margaret Braxton was born on May 25, 1950, in Lakeland, Maryland, to Harry McHenry Braxton and Mary Ellen Weems Braxton. She is the second born and has 3 brothers; James, Harry Jr. and Douglas, respectively.[1] She attended the Northwestern Senior High School inHyattsville, Maryland.[1] She has a B.A. fromSarah Lawrence College and an M.A. and Ph.D. fromYale University,[2] and an M.Div. from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology ofVirginia Union University.[3] Braxton is also known as "Jodi".[4]
She has published some of her own poetry, including the 1977 collectionSometimes I Think of Maryland, which was praised byGwendolyn Brooks.[1] As a literary critic, Braxton has written about topics includingMaya Angelou[5] and the booksBlack Women Writing Autobiography.[6][7] She basedBlack Women Writing Autobiography on her dissertation. Braxton has also edited works such asWild Women in the Whirlwind: Afra-American Culture and the Contemporary Literary Renaissance and a collection ofPaul Laurence Dunbar's poetry.[4][8] She has taught at universities including Yale and theUniversity of Michigan[1] and is currently an emeritus Frances L. and Edwin L. Cummings Professor of the Humanities at theCollege of William & Mary, where she directs the Middle Passage Project.[2][9] Braxton is also CEO and President of the Board of the Braxton Institute for Human Sustainability Resiliency and Joy.[3]
Braxton has won an Outstanding Educator Award from theState Council of Higher Education for Virginia[10] and several lifetime achievement awards, including an Oni Award in 2002 from the International Black Women's Congress "for uncompromising commitment to uplifting the lives of African people."[11]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
| Other | |
