REDEFINING CLASSICS

Carolivia Herron is an African American Jewish author, educator, and scholar based in Washington, DC. She is a Lecturer and Creative Writer in the English Department at Howard University, where she teaches courses such as Humanities and Blacks in Antiquity. Dr. Herron is also an emeritus Distinguished Visiting Scholar of Project Humanities at Arizona State University.

Specializing in epic poetry across Africa, Europe, and the Americas, Carolivia received her Ph.D. in Comparative Literature and Literary Theory from the University of Pennsylvania. She has held faculty positions at Harvard University, Mount Holyoke College, California State University, Chico, and the College of William and Mary.

Her first novel, Thereafter Johnnie (Random House, 1991), is being reissued as a classic by McNally Editions. She is also the author of several children’s books, including Kindergarten Blues and Grilled Cheese, both forthcoming from Picnic Heist Publications. Her earlier works include Peacesong DC, Nappy Hair, The Selected Works of Angelina Weld Grimké, and Always An Olivia, among others.

In addition to her writing, Dr. Herron has penned librettos for multiple operas, including Let Freedom Sing: The Story of Marian Anderson (music by Bruce Adolphe), The Journey of Phillis Wheatley (music by Nkeiru Okoye), and An Ocean Can Dry Into Silence (music by Ellen Harrison).

Dr. Herron holds an MA in Creative Writing, an MA in English Literature from Villanova University, and a BA from Eastern University. She is an active member of her synagogue, Tifereth Israel, where she serves as the liaison for Social Action programs in Africa. She also leads North Washington Neighbors Inc., an organization dedicated to racial equality in housing and education.

As the host of Epic City on WOWD-LP Takoma Radio, Dr. Herron also explores her passion for cultural storytelling. Currently, she is completing a commissioned play, Pharsalia: or, For Crying Out Loud, which dramatizes the stories of her enslaved African American, Wampanoag, and Jewish ancestors at the Pharsalia Plantation in 1852 Virginia.