MARCIA DOUGLAS
University of Colorado
Department of English, Box 226
Boulder, Colorado 80309
mdouglas@colorado.edu
EDUCATION:
State University of New York at Binghamton
Ph.D.: English (1997)
Areas of Concentration: African American/Caribbean Literature,
Creative Writing (fiction and poetry.)
Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
M.F.A.: Creative Writing (1993)
Oakwood College, Huntsville, AL
B.A.: (1990)
ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS:
2001 to present
Associate Professor-- Department of English. University of Colorado,
Boulder
Fall 1998 to
Summer 2001
Assistant Professor-- Department of English. North Carolina State
University, Raleigh.
PUBLICATIONS:
Books
Notes From a Writer's Book of Cures and Spells (a novel) Peepal Tree, 2005
Madam Fate (a novel) Soho Press: New York, NY, 1999 & Women's Press:
London, 1999.
Electricity Comes to Cocoa Bottom (A Poetry Book Society
Recommendation) Peepal Tree Press: Leeds, England, 1999.
Fiction and Poetry/Selected (Anthologies):
“One-girl Half Way Tree Concert” short story in Kingston Noir, Colin
Channer (ed.), Akashic Press, 2012.
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“Voice Lesson From the Unleashed Woman’s Unabridged Dictionary” poem
in 50 Years of Jamaican Poetry, Kwame Dawes (ed)., Peepal Tree Press,
2012.
“Angel of Eros in the House of Zion” excerpt from The Marvellous Equations
of the Dead in Caribbean Erotic: Poetry, Prose and Essays, Adisa and WeirSoley (eds.), Peepal Tree Press, 2012
Excerpt from Notes from a Writer’s Book of Cures and Spells in The Art of
Friction: Where (Non)Fictions Come Together, (Talbot and Blackstone eds.)
University of Texas Press, 2008.
“The Ascania Docks in Southampton, Circa 1955” in The Oxford Book of
Caribbean Verse. Steward Brown and Mark McWatt (eds.), Oxford Press,
2005.
"Notes from a Writer's Book of Charms and Spells" in Mojo: Conjure Stories.
Nalo Hopkinson (ed.) Warner Books: New York, 2003.
“Electricity Comes to Cocoa Bottom” in The Edexcel Anthology for GCSE
English. Anna Maloney (ed.) Hodder & Stoughton Educational: London,
2002.
"Mrs. Mongoose and the Bag of Thanks" in Enlaces: Transnacionalidad-- El
Caribe y su Di·spora-- Lengua, Literatura y Cultura en los Albores del Siglo
XXI. Linda RodrÌquez Guglielmoni and Miriam Gonz·lez Hernandez (eds.)
The Latino Press: CUNY, NY, 2000.
Excerpt from Madam Fate in Whispers From the Cotton Tree Root:
Caribbean Fabulist Fiction. Nalo Hopkinson (ed.) Invisible Cities Press,
2000.
"Electricity Comes to Cocoa Bottom" in A Fresh Look and a Fresh Listen:
National Poetry Day, 2000. Sian Hughes ( ed. ) The Poetry Society: London.
"The Ascania Docks in Southampton, Circa 1955" in The Forward Book of
Poetry 2000, Simon Armitage (ed.) U.K.
"The Ascania Docks in Southampton, Circa 1955" in Cultural Activism:
Poetic Voices, Political Voices. Gertrude Gonzales and Anne Mammary
(eds.) SUNY, 1998.
"Voice Lesson From the Unleashed Woman's Unabridged Dictionary,"
"Murline" and "Electricity Comes to Cocoa Bottom," in Sisters of Caliban:
Contemporary Women Poets of the Caribbean. M.J. Fenwick (ed.) Azul
Editions, Washington DC, 1996.
Fiction and Poetry/Selected (Journals):
“Debris” (Poetry) in AfroBeat, 2011.
“Concerning Zion and the Higherstanding of Maths” (excerpt from
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The Marvellous Equations of the Dead) in Edinburgh Review 123, Spring,
2008.
"Marie-ma" (fiction) in FEMSPEC, Spring 2005.
"The Language of Snails" (fiction) in MARGIN: Exploring Modern
Magical Realism, Spring 2004.
"Voice Lesson," "Watford Memorial" and "En Route" (Poetry) in
Thamyris: Mythmaking from Past to Present. Vol. 1, No.2, 1999.
“Labrish on a Kingston Minibus,” “Kings Street” and “The Ascania Docks
in Southampton, Circa 1955” (Poetry) in MacComere: Journal of the
Association of Caribbean Women Writers and Scholars, Spring 1998.
"Nantucompong" (Poetry) Phoebe: A Journal of Feminist Scholarship, Theory
and Aesthetics, Vol. 8, Nos. 1&2, Spring & Fall 1996.
"Leaving for Ohio" (Poetry) Tar River Poetry, Vol. 35, No.2, Spring '96.
"Coming Back" (Poetry) Sun Dog: The Southeast Review, Vol. 15, No.1
"Electricity Comes to Cocoa Bottom" (Poetry) Concourse 8, Fall 1995.
"Sylvia Gordon's Rooster" (Fiction) APTE: Contemporary Fiction by Emerging
Writers of African Descent, Summer 1995.
"Cane Juice" (Fiction) Puerto del Sol, Vol. 30, No.1, Spring 1995.
Essays /Selected:
“The Rastology of I&I”: A Writer’s Journey into I-finity” in
English Language Notes, Vol. 49, Spring 2012.
"Writing the New Millennium" in Association of Caribbean Women
Writers and Scholars Newsletter, Fall/Winter, 2000.
"Caribbean Women Writing at the Frontier" in Mosaic, Summer, 2000.
"Writing Madam Fate" in Caribbean Beat, April 1999.
"Unraveling the Thread: Writing Electricity Comes to Cocoa Bottom" in
Poetry Book Society Bulletin, Winter 1998.
PRESENTATIONS:
Fiction/Poetry Readings (Selected)
Sixth Annual Maroon Conference, Portland/Jamaica (2014)
&Now Literary Festival, CU/Boulder (2013)
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Augusta State University, GA (2012)
Calabash Internatioal Literary Festival, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica (2012)
Fourth Annual Maroon Conference, Portland /Jamaica (2012)
Associated Writing Programs, Denver CO (2010)
Second Annual Maroon Conference, Portland/ Jamaica (2010)
Cameron University, Lawton, OK (2009)
CABA/Caribbean Arts and Book Fair, Miami (2008)
Hollins University, Roanoke (2008)
Carleton College, MN (2008)
Association of Caribbean Women Writers and Scholars Conf., Miami (2006)
Poets Against the War, Boulder, CO (2004)
Square One Literary Salon, Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art (2004)
Word and Vision, Boulder Public Library (2003)
Many Mountains Moving Literary Salon, Boulder, CO (2003)
Center for Multicultural Experience, State Univ. of New York, Oneonta
(2002)
Cannon Mine Reading Series, Lafayette, CO (2002)
Zora Neale Hurston Center, Simmons College, Boston (2001)
Women’s Studies Program, University of Arizona, Tempe (2001)
Wake County Library Centennial Celebration, North Carolina (2001)
American Association of University Women, Raleigh/Wake County
(2000)
North Carolina Wesleyan College, Rocky Mount, North Carolina, (2000.)
The Eighth Annual Conference of Caribbean Women Writers and Scholars,
University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, (2000.)
Madam Fate Book Tour, selected east coast book stores, (1999.)
University of South Carolina, Columbia, (1999.)
The Seventh Annual Conference of Caribbean Women Writers and
Scholars, Grenada, ( 1998. )
Miami International Book Fair, (1998.)
The Sixth Annual Conference of Caribbean Women Writers and Scholars,
Florida International University, Miami, (1996.)
The Southern Tier Institute for Arts in Education, Vestal, NY (1996.)
Annual Symposium of the African Diaspora, Binghamton University, (1996.)
Performances
Natural Herstory: a one-woman stage piece adapted from Madam Fate,
Notes From a Writer’s Book of Cures and Spell, Electricity Comes to Cocoa
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Bottom and The Marvellous Equations of the Dead. Directed by: Cecilia Pang.
Performed at:
Second Annual Maroon Conference, Portland/Jamaica. Performance of
“Sistah Vaughn” June, 2010
Regis University, Denver, CO; 2010
The Dairy Center for the Arts, Boulder, Colorado; June 6, 2009
The University of Colorado, Boulder; April 2, 2009
California College of the Arts, San Francisco; February 2008.
Hollins University, Roanoke, VA; February 2008.
Humor Me: a performance of original work in collaboration with the
Helander Dance Theatre. Performed at:
Dairy Center for the Arts, Boulder, CO; April, 2011
Papers/Talks (Selected):
I Say All This to Say That: Where Words Come From, presented at University
of Colorado, Boulder; 2013.
The Rastalogy of I&I: A Writer’s Journey in I-finity presented at The Shape of
the I Conference, University of Colorado, Boulder; 2012.
REVIEWS:
Reviews of Notes From a Writer’s Book of Cures and Spells:
Wasafiri, Vol. 23, No. 2. June 2008, She, July/August 2006, Morning Star,
February 13, 2006.
Reviews of Madam Fate:
Library Journal, February 15, 1999; Chicago Tribune, January 10, 1999;
The Boston Sunday Globe, February 7,1999; Daily Gleaner, April 8, 1999;
Book Lovers, February/March/April, 1999; New Nation, September, 1999;
New York Times, February 14, 1999; Multicultural Review, June 1999; Miami
Herald, November 1999, World View, Vol. 12, Fall 1999, Morning Star,
March 1, 2000, The Caribbean Writer, Vol. 14, 2000,
Reviews of Electricity Comes to Cocoa Bottom:
Times Literary Supplement, May 28, 1999; Caribbean Beat, Jan/Feb 2000
Asheville Review, January 2001, The Caribbean Writer, Vol. 14, 2000,
Wasafiri: An International Magazine of Contemporary Writing, Spring 2001
Issue No. 33, Daily Gleaner, April 13, 2008.
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TEACHING:
Courses Taught at the University of Colorado, Boulder:
ENGL 5239 Graduate Fiction Workshop
ENGL 5299 Studies in Fiction
ENGL 4051 Advanced Fiction Workshop
ENGL 3051 Intermediate Fiction Workshop
ENGL 2051 Introductory Fiction Workshop
ENGL 3377 Contemporary Caribbean Literature
ENGL 3060 Verbal Riddim: Modern and Contemporary Caribbean Literature
ENGL 3041 Studies in Fiction and Poetry
COMMITTEE/
PUBLIC SERVICE:
Honors Council, Univ. of Colorado (2011 to present)
UROP Committee, University of Colorado (2011 to present)
Salary Committee (2005 – 2007; 2013)
Creative Writing Committee, Univ. of Colorado ( 2001 to present)
Associate Chair of Creative Writing, Univ. of Colorado (2008 - 2011)
Executive Committee, English Department, Univ. of Colorado (2003 – 2006;
2008 - 2011)
Creative Writing Hiring Committee, Univ. of Colorado (2003/2004 and
2008/2009)
ATLAS Faculty Advisory Committee, Univ. of Colorado (2008 – 2011)
Editorial Board Member of Free Verse: A Journal of Contemporary Poetry
and Poetics (2001 - 2005)
Board Member of Carolina Wren Press, Durham N.C. (1998 - 2001)
Fiction Editor of Obsidian III: Literature of the African Diaspora (1998 2001)
GRANTS/AWARDS:
National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship (2014)
CU Book Semester Grant (Spring 2012)
LEAP Associate Professor Development Grant, 2009)
Graduate Council for Arts and Humanities Grant/CU(2003 and 2004)
Pushcart Nomination, 2004.
Poetry Book Society Recommendation/British Arts Council (1999)