Mel Watkins (American writer)
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Mel Watkins (born March 8, 1940) is an American critic and author. A former staff member at ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', he has written extensively about comedy and African-American literature and has often appeared as a commentator in television documentaries about entertainment history and performers such as Chris Rock and
Richard Pryor Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He reached a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, and is widely regarded as on ...
.


Biography

Watkins joined the ''New York Times'' in 1964 and, in 1966, became the first African-American editor at the ''Times'' Sunday Book Review, where he worked until 1985. He contributed numerous book reviews and articles on literature, sports, and entertainment as well as obituaries of artists and writers ranging from
George Carlin George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was an American comedian, actor, author, and social critic. Regarded as one of the most important and influential stand-up comedians of all time, he was dubbed "the dean of countercu ...
,
Richard Pryor Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He reached a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, and is widely regarded as on ...
and Rodney Dangerfield to Gwendolyn Brooks. He was the Book Page editor for '' Penthouse'' (1977–1978) and ''American Visions'' (1986–1991) magazines. In 1979, he was the recipient of an
Alicia Patterson Alicia Patterson (October 15, 1906 – July 2, 1963) was an American journalist, the founder and editor of ''Newsday''. With Neysa McMein, she created the ''Deathless Deer'' comic strip in 1943. Early life Patterson was the middle daughter of Al ...
journalism fellowship; his research on African-American humor led to publication of the highly acclaimed social history, ''On the Real Side: Laughing, Lying and Signifying–The Underground Tradition of African American Humor That Transformed American Culture'' (1994). (A revised edition, ''On the Real Side: A History of African American Comedy'', was published in 1999.) Watkins first published book was ''Black Review'' (1971); the paperback literary anthology, which he edited, included contributions by
Julius Lester Julius Bernard Lester (January 27, 1939 – January 18, 2018) was an American writer of books for children and adults and an academic who taught for 32 years (1971–2003) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Lester was also a civil right ...
, Cecil Brown,
Nikki Giovanni Yolande Cornelia "Nikki" Giovanni Jr. (born June 7, 1943) is an American poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator. One of the world's most well-known African-American poets,Jane M. Barstow, Yolanda Williams Page (eds)"Nikki Giovanni" ''E ...
, and others. Subsequent books include ''Dancing with Strangers: A Memoir'' (1998), ''The Bob Love Story'' (2000), and ''African American Humor: The Best Black Comedy from Slavery to Today'' (2002). His latest book is ''
Stepin Fetchit Lincoln Theodore Monroe Andrew Perry (May 30, 1902 – November 19, 1985), better known by the stage name Stepin Fetchit, was an American vaudevillian, comedian, and film actor of Jamaican and Bahamian descent, considered to be the first black a ...
: The Life and Times of Lincoln Perry'' (2005), a biography of the pioneer African-American motion picture actor. Watkins, who was born in
Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...
, and grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, now lives in New York City, where he continues to write, lecture, and appear for speaking engagements. A graduate of Colgate University (1962) who is listed among its List of Colgate University people, Distinguished Alumni, he has been the National Endowment for the Humanities, NEH Professor of Humanities in the English department at the university since 200


Bibliography

* ''Black Review No. 1'' (1971), Editor * ''To Be a Black Woman: Portraits in Fact and Fiction'' (1971), Editor * ''Black Review No. 2'' (1972), Editor * ''Race and Suburbia (Issues and Perspectives: A New York Times Resource Library)'' (1973) * ''Howard University Press Library of Contemporary Literature''—Introductions to first six volumes (1984) * ''On the Real Side'' (1994) * ''Inside the Minstrel Mask: Readings in Nineteenth Century Blackface'' * ''Minstrelsy'' (1996)—Foreword * ''Dancing With Strangers'' (1998) * ''The Bob Love Story'' (2000), With Bob Love * ''African American Humor'' (2002) * ''Who Killed Tiffany Jones?'' (2002) * ''Stepin Fetchit: The Life and Times of Lincoln Perry'' (2006)


References

* ''Dancing with Strangers'' (1998) Simon & Schuster * The Alicia Patterson Foundation * Google Search * ''The New York Times'' archives (1965-1995) * Colgate University * ''Contemporary Authors Online'' (2007) * ''A & E Biography'' of Richard Pryor * Amazon.com (Books)
Maynard Institute Biography
*Mel Watkins, English Faculty, Colgate Universit

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watkins, Mel 1940 births Living people African-American writers Writers from Youngstown, Ohio Writers from Memphis, Tennessee Colgate University alumni American literary critics American male non-fiction writers 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people