Irvin Weathersby Jr.
Irvin Weathersby Jr.
Lecturer
English Department
718.281.5520, iweathersby@qcc.cuny.edu
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Education
MFA, Creative Writing, The New School University;
MA, Teaching, Morgan State University;
BA, English, Morehouse College
Teaching Philosophy
My approach to teaching is student-centered wherein students drive discussion. The texts I incorporate are global in scope and vary from contemporary to classical periods. I aim to provide students with tools that will allow them to take control of their educational goals.
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Activities & Interests
I am originally from New Orleans, LA, where I gained a deep appreciation for jazz music and creole cuisine. Before becoming a professor, I worked as a high school teacher in Baltimore and NYC. I also served as the Education Coordinator at a rentry program in the South Bronx and Harlem where I developed curriculum and constructed education plans for formerly incarcerated men and women. I’m most passionate about writing and reading literature centered on marginalized communities.
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Publications
My writing focuses mostly on race and the Black experience, and my personal essays have appeared in Esquire, The Atlantic, The Root, EBONY, Killens Review, Notable Black American Men Book II, and elsewhere.
Essay
“The First Time, Since the Last Time,” Brevity Podcast, Episode #10, 28:44, Sep 4, 2018. https://brevity.wordpress.com/2018/09/04/brevity-podcast-episode-10-one-minute-memoir/
“The Book of Kendrick,” Esquire, Apr 20, 2017. https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/music/a54629/kendrick-lamar-damn-album-review/
“How to Write Your Grandmother’s Obituary,” Killens Review of Arts & Letters, Sep 20, 2015. https://irvinweathersby.com/how-to-write-your-grandmothers-obituary/
“Baltimore’s Day Off,” The Atlantic, Apr 28, 2015. https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/04/baltimores-day-off/391733/
“The Education of Hip Hop,” The Atlantic, Mar 19, 201. https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/03/the-education-of-hip-hop/388223/
“A Second Chance: Education’s Role in Reversing Mass Incarceration,” The Atlantic, Feb 26, 2015
“The Case for Teaching Dead White Authors, Even During Black History Month,” The Atlantic, Feb 12, 2015
“Why is This White Woman in a Morehouse Shirt?” The Root, Jun 6, 2014. https://www.theroot.com/why-is-this-white-woman-in-a-morehouse-shirt-1790875937
“When Gentrification Brings Racism to the ‘Hood,” EBONY, May 12, 2014.
Biography
“John T. Biggers,” Notable Black American Men Book II, Oct 30, 2006. https://www.encyclopedia.com/african-american-focus/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/biggers-john-t
“John Edward Bruce,” Notable Black American Men Book II, Oct 30, 2006. https://www.encyclopedia.com/african-american-focus/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/bruce-john-edward
“Robert Lloyd Smith,” Notable Black American Men Book II, Oct 30, 2006. https://irvinweathersby.com/robert-lloyd-smith-1861-1942/
Interview
“Pulitzer Prize Winner Kendrick Lamar Goes Deep Into Religious Symbolism with ‘Damn’,” The Frame, Apr 21, 2017
