D. Watkins
Dwight "D." Watkins (born February 10, 1980) is a former drug dealer, author and professor at the University of Baltimore.[1]
Life
Watkins was born in Baltimore City. His mother was a teenager. His father was in prison.[2] At eighteen, after losing his brother, Watkins began to use and sell narcotics. After some of "fateful encounters" he used his profits to buy a bar.[3]
Education
Watkins holds a Masters in Education from Johns Hopkins University, and an MFA in creative writing from University of Baltimore.[4]
Career
The Beastside: Living (and Dying) While Black in America
Watkins first book, The Beastside: Living (and Dying) While Black in America was published in 2015 under David Talbot and Skyhorse Publishing's investigative book imprint, Hot Books.[5] The Beast Side is about two Baltimores, taking an in-depth look at systemic racism and the failure of the education system, particularly for black men.[6][7][8][9]
The Cook Up: A Crack Rock Memoir
The Cook Up: A Crack Rock Memoir published in 2016 by Grand Central Publishing, is a memoir. It is about the operations of a drug empire after Watkins' brother Bip's death, his acceptance to Georgetown University and the struggle to leave the trade behind. It was an editor's pick of The New York Times in May 2016.[10][11][3][12] Kirkus Reviews described the book as "A familiar story to fans of The Wire, but Watkins provides a gritty, vivid first-person document of a desperate demographic."[13][14][15]
We Speak For Ourselves
We Speak For Ourselves is Watkins' third book. It was published in April 2019 by Atria. It is a collection of essays showcasing black voices in east Baltimore.[16][17][18]
Salon
As of December 2022[update], Watkins is an editor at large for the online magazine, Salon.[19][20]
D. Watkins Media
Watkins speaking at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore in 2022
Watkins doing a live reading in Baltimore in October 2019
References
- ↑ Watkins, D. The Beastside: Living (and Dying) While Black in America (2015). New York, NY: Hot Books. ISBN 978-1510703353.
- ↑ CNN, Story by John Blake, CNN Video by Meridith Edwards and Effie Nidam. He escaped 'the beast' of Baltimore. CNN (23 November 2015).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Parham, Jason (13 May 2016). "'The Cook Up: A Crack Rock Memoir,' by D. Watkins". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/15/books/review/the-cook-up-a-crack-rock-memoir-by-d-watkins.html.
- ↑ Dwight Watkins, former drug dealer, forges a new identity: D. Watkins, author (10 September 2014).
- ↑ Skyhorse, Salon Join Forces on "Hot Books" - PubCrawl. Retrieved 2019-06-30.
- ↑ Review of The Beast Side.
- ↑ Whitehead, Karsonya Wise. D. Watkins graphically maps two Baltimores in 'Beast Side'.
- ↑ magazine, Baltimore. Best Books of 2015. Baltimore magazine (24 December 2015).
- ↑ magazine, Baltimore. Book Reviews: September 2015. Baltimore magazine (3 September 2015).
- ↑ "Editors' Choice". The New York Times. 20 May 2016. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/22/books/review/editors-choice.html.
- ↑ Hindin, Zach. Who Reads a 'Crack Rock Memoir'?. The Atlantic (4 September 2016).
- ↑ Watkins, D. The cook up : a crack rock memoir (2016). New York: Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 978-1455588633.
- ↑ THE COOK UP by D. Watkins - Kirkus Reviews.
- ↑ magazine, Baltimore. My Favorite Books of 2016. Baltimore magazine (20 December 2016).
- ↑ magazine, Baltimore. Book Reviews: May 2016. Baltimore magazine (11 May 2016).
- ↑ WE SPEAK FOR OURSELVES by D. Watkins - Kirkus Reviews.
- ↑ We Speak for Ourselves: A Word from Forgotten Black America by D Watkins.
- ↑ McCauley, Mary Carole. Celebrate Black History Month by curling up with these books by Baltimore-area writers. baltimoresun.com. Retrieved 2019-06-30.
- ↑ Stories written by D. Watkins.
- ↑ Bestselling Author D. Watkins Talks Trump, Satire and the Future of Salon. Retrieved 2019-06-30.