D. Watkins

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Dwight "D." Watkins (born February 10, 1980) is a former drug dealer, author and professor at the University of Baltimore.[1]

Life[change | change source]

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[change | change source]

Watkins holds a Masters in Education from Johns Hopkins University, and an MFA in creative writing from University of Baltimore.[4]

Career[change | change source]

The Beastside: Living (and Dying) While Black in America[change | change source]

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[change | change source]

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[change | change source]

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[change | change source]

As of December 2022, Watkins is an editor at large for the online magazine, Salon.[19][20]

References[change | change source]

  1. ↑ Watkins, D (2015). The Beastside: Living (and Dying) While Black in America. New York, NY: Hot Books. ISBN 978-1510703353.
  2. ↑ CNN, Story by John Blake, CNN Video by Meridith Edwards and Effie Nidam (23 November 2015). "He escaped 'the beast' of Baltimore". CNN. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Parham, Jason (13 May 2016). "'The Cook Up: A Crack Rock Memoir,' by D. Watkins". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
  4. ↑ "Dwight Watkins, former drug dealer, forges a new identity: D. Watkins, author". 10 September 2014.
  5. ↑ "Skyhorse, Salon Join Forces on "Hot Books" - PubCrawl". Archived from the original on 2017-08-12. Retrieved 2019-06-30.
  6. ↑ "Review of The Beast Side".
  7. ↑ Whitehead, Karsonya Wise. "D. Watkins graphically maps two Baltimores in 'Beast Side'".
  8. ↑ magazine, Baltimore (24 December 2015). "Best Books of 2015". Baltimore magazine.
  9. ↑ magazine, Baltimore (3 September 2015). "Book Reviews: September 2015". Baltimore magazine.
  10. ↑ "Editors' Choice". The New York Times. 20 May 2016.
  11. ↑ Hindin, Zach (4 September 2016). "Who Reads a 'Crack Rock Memoir'?". The Atlantic.
  12. ↑ Watkins, D (2016). The cook up : a crack rock memoir. New York: Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 978-1455588633.
  13. ↑ "THE COOK UP by D. Watkins - Kirkus Reviews".
  14. ↑ magazine, Baltimore (20 December 2016). "My Favorite Books of 2016". Baltimore magazine.
  15. ↑ magazine, Baltimore (11 May 2016). "Book Reviews: May 2016". Baltimore magazine.
  16. ↑ "WE SPEAK FOR OURSELVES by D. Watkins - Kirkus Reviews" – via www.kirkusreviews.com.
  17. ↑ "We Speak for Ourselves: A Word from Forgotten Black America by D Watkins".
  18. ↑ McCauley, Mary Carole. "Celebrate Black History Month by curling up with these books by Baltimore-area writers". baltimoresun.com. Archived from the original on 2019-06-03. Retrieved 2019-06-30.
  19. ↑ "Stories written by D. Watkins".
  20. ↑ "Bestselling Author D. Watkins Talks Trump, Satire and the Future of Salon". Archived from the original on 2019-06-30. Retrieved 2019-06-30.

Other  websites[change | change source]

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