Aurora Harris, M.A.

LEO Lecturer II in English
Aurora Harris
College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters
Language, Culture, and the Arts
Monday and Wednesday 1:30pm -2:30 pm or by appointment

Teaching Areas:

African & African American Studies, English

Biography and Education

I am a LEO Lecturer II in the Literature, Philosophy, and the Arts Department, and, the African and African American Studies Program. I teach Advanced Composition, Advanced Creative Writing, Introduction to Literature, Introduction to African American Literature, and Introduction to Africana Studies. I advise students regarding publication of their poetry and stories; selection of graduate schools, and developing writing portfolios for graduate school admissions. I am an award winning published poet and spoken word artist who performs with a jazz band. I assist with the facilitation of the League of Extraordinary Poets, a student group of poets.

Teaching Interests

Advanced Composition, Advanced Creative Writing, Introduction to Literature, Introduction to African American Literature, and Introduction to Africana Studies

Research Interests

1. Poetry and Cultural Studies: African American and Asian American Culture, African American and Asian American Literature ,Contemporary American Poetry

2. History of Education: Multicultural Education, Gender in Education, International Education

 

Education

M.A. Foundations of Education, Eastern Michigan University

B.A. Sociology, Wayne State University

Selected Publications

Re-Locating The Differently-Abled: A Choreopoem; in Forms of Education, INCA Press. November 2016

Now. Then. Tomorrow. In Memory of Grace Lee Boggs. Invited to write poem for Educational Studies: A journal of the American Educational Studies Association. January 2016

Solitude of Five Black Moons; Second printing by Wayne State University Press, Broadside Press and University of Detroit-Mercy. 2015

How I Lost My Filipino Accent and Castilian Lisp. In Educational Studies: A journal of the American Educational Studies Association. 2006

Jitterbug, Jazz and The Graystone Museum; 1993, Abandon Automobile, Wayne State University Press. 2001

Tilting the Continent: An Anthology of Asian American Literature; New Rivers Press. 2002

Awards and Recognition

Unsung Hero Award-National Lawyers Guild-Michigan Chapter 2015

Howard Zinn Lifetime Achievement Award in Peace Studies- Peace and Justice Studies Association, 2014

Kresge Foundation Community Arts Awards Committee Member: 2012-2014

PEN- Oakland Josephine Miles Award for Excellence in Literature, 2012

Wayne-RESA Special Recognition Award for Special Education Student Advocacy, 2011

Academic Excellence Award Eastern Michigan University, 2008

Wayne Council for Arts, History and Humanities Best Performer, 2003

Nominated for Pushcart Poetry Prize, 2002