Pseudonym
JoRayma C
Birth City
Nuernberg, Germany
Current Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Email (Public)
Occupation(s)
Writer - Journalist - English professor - Seminar leader
Biography

A writer, seminar leader, and former English professor, Durthy A. Washington has taught graduate, undergraduate, and adult education courses at several colleges and universities including The Colorado College, UCCS, and the US Air Force Academy. Durthy is the founder of LitUnlocked, which offers workshops and seminars dedicated to the art of mindful, culturally responsive reading. Each workshop centers on the LIST Paradigm, an innovative approach to critical reading that helps readers unlock the power of literature with four keys to culture: Language, Identity, Space, and Time.

Awards/Honors
English Language Specialist, St. Petersburg University, Russia (Feb.-Apr. 2015)
Cadet Escort, Olmsted Cultural Immersion Trip, Ghana, West Africa (2010)
Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad Program, Senegal, West Africa (2009)
NYU Faculty Research Network Seminars (2003, 2005, 2006, 2008)
Hurston-Wright Fouundation Writer's Workshop, Howard University, Washington, D.C. (July 2004)
U.S. Air Force Academy Outstanding Academy Educator Award (May 2001)
Keynote Speaker, U.S. Air Force Academy African American Heritage Luncheon (Feb. 2001)
U.S. Air Force Academy Literary Research Award (May 2000)
Pikes Peak Library District Board of Trustees (1997-1999)
Education/Training
MA English, San Jose State University - MS Education, University of Southern California, Los Angeles - BA English, San Diego State University
Published Works
“Mischling.” Nonwhite and Woman: 131 Micro Essays on Being in the World. Eds. D…
"The Colored Museum: An Existential Exhibit of the African-American Experience"…
“Outsiders and Others: Revisiting Richard Wright’s Underground Man.” Connection…
“Sonny’s Blues.” Encyclopedia of the Black Arts Movement. Ed. Verner D. Mitchel…
"The Early Novels of Toni Morrison" in Encyclopedia of the Black Arts Movement …
Contributor, "Exploring the LIST Paradigm: Reading and Teaching Beloved" (Grey …
"Third World Girl as Superhero in Junot Diaz's The Brief Wonderous Life of Osca…
"Teaching Ernest Gaines's A Lesson Before Dying" in Academic Exchange Quarterly…
Contributor, "Teaching Song of Solomon: Exploring the LIST Paradigm" (National …
"Muhammad Ali", "Martin Luther King, Jr.", and "Malcolm X" in Dictionary of Lit…
Cliffs Notes "Ralph Ellison's The Invisible Man" (IDG Books Worldwide, Inc., 20…
Cliffs Notes "Harriet Jacob's Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" (IDG Books…
Cliffs Notes "Ernest Gaines's A Lesson Before Dying" (Cliffs Notes, Inc., 1999)
Cliff Notes "Tony Morrison's Song of Solomon" (Cliffs Notes, Inc., 1999)
Contributor, "A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines: Rationales for Teachin…
"Woman or Feminist?: Black Women and the Women's Movement" in The Urban Spectru…
"The Mystery of History: A Literary Perspective" in The Urban Spectrum (Denver,…
"'Change the Joke...': On English and Ebonics" in The Urban Spectrum (Denver, C…
"Criminal Injustice: The Case of Mumia Abu-Jamal" in The African American Voice…
"Conquering Coping Fatigue" in Psych Discourse (Apr. 1995)
Published Works Book Jackets
Culturally Responsive Reading by Durthy Washington
Organizations
The Toni Morrison Society - PILLAR Institute for Lifelong Learning - Pikes Peak Library District Adult Reading Program (Facilitator) - Friends of the Pikes Peak Library - Educating Children of Color Conference - African American Youth Leadership Conference
Speaker Availability
Yes
Speaker Topics
Culturally Responsive Reading - Culturally Responsive Teaching - African American Literature - Approaches to Teaching Literature - Writing Memoir and Autobiography