Melba Joyce Boyd (born April 2, 1950) is a significant figure in African-American poetry.Samuels, W. D. (2013).
Encyclopedia of African-American Literature
', Infobase, . She has authored 13 books and is a Distinguished University Professor and Chair of the Department of Africana Studies at

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...

Background

Boyd completed bachelor's and master's degrees in English fro
Western Michigan University
. During the 1970s and early 1980s, she taught English at

Cass Technical High School Cass Technical High School (simply referred to as Cass Tech) is a public high school in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, United States.

in Detroit and at

Wayne County Community College Wayne County Community College District (WCCCD) is a public community college district with its headquarters in Detroit, Michigan. It was founded in 1967 and has six campuses: Eastern, Downtown, Downriver, Northwest, Western, and University Squar ...

. She earned a Doctor of Arts in English from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

in 1979. Boyd was a

Fulbright Scholar The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

from 1983 to 1984. She has held academic appointments at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

, the

University of Michigan–Flint The University of Michigan–Flint (UM-Flint, UMF) is a public university in Flint, Michigan. It is one of the two regional universities operating under the policies of the University of Michigan Board of Regents, the other being the University ...

and Wayne State University. Boyd is a former editor at Broadside Press, which was once the best-known American publisher of African-American literature. Some of her work has focused on the life of Dudley Randall, Broadside's founder. She was the recipient of the 2005 Black Caucus of the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members a ...

Book Honor for Nonfiction for her book ''Wrestling with the Muse: Dudley Randall and the Broadside Press''. She has written, produced and directed the documentary film ''The Black Unicorn: Dudley Randall and the Broadside Press''. Eight of her books are collections of poetry and she has won numerous awards for her poetry, one of which was a Michigan Council for the Arts Individual Artist Award. In 1997 Boyd wrote the official poem for the

Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, or The Wright, is located in Detroit, Michigan in the U.S.; inside the city's Midtown Cultural Center is one of the world's oldest independent African American museums. Founded in 1965, ...

, which is inscribed on the Museum wall.Melba J. Boyd - Distinguished Professor & Chair
.

. Retrieved May 6, 2015. Boyd's poetry is often characterized by sharp, fragmented phrasing. Common themes include urban life and the divides created by class and race.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boyd, Melba Living people 1950 births African-American poets 21st-century American poets University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts alumni Wayne State University alumni University of Iowa faculty Ohio State University faculty University of Michigan–Flint people Wayne State University faculty 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers 20th-century American poets American women academics 20th-century African-American women writers 20th-century African-American writers 21st-century African-American women writers 21st-century African-American writers