Prof. Jewell Parham
Assistant Professor
Department of Languages, Literature and Philosophy
Professor Jewell Parham describes herself as a wordsmith of sorts. An English instructor in the Department of Languages, Literature & Philosophy at Tennessee State University, Parham has numerous opportunities to practice her craft in the rotation of classes she teaches—Black Arts & Literature, Black Short Story & Novel, Children’s Literature, and Freshman Composition. In her meager spare time, she writes for publication. She participated in writing an instructional guide to the Norton Anthology of African American Literature. She is a contributor to the reference books Notable American Black Men, volumes I and II. She has contributed several publications in the Encyclopedia of African American Culture, one of which includes the entry for First Lady Michele Obama. And her most recent professional writing appears in Black Women of the Harlem Renaissance Era. Though Parham does not call herself a poet, she writes occasional verse, edits poetry, and demonstrates poetry writing with her classes. She also uses her wordsmith skills with the children’s summer camp sponsored by the LL&P Department and the Week of the Young Child, both TSU programs.