Keith Gilyard
Encyclopedia
Raymond Keith Gilyard is a prominent writer and American
professor
of English
who teaches and researches in the fields of rhetoric
, composition
, literacy
studies, sociolinguistics
, and African American literature
. Interested in the complex interplay among race, ethnicity, language, writing, and politics, Gilyard's work investigates the differences between authentic student voice and the dominant discourse of the academy. His primary interest lies in identifying intersections of African American English and composition practices. Advocating African American English as a legitimate discourse, Gilyard is a prominent voice in the movement to recognize ethnic and cultural discourses other than Standard English as valid. As a literary scholar, his interests have been in the interplay between African American literature and rhetorical criticism and in bio-critical work.
Gilyard received his Bachelor of Science degree from City University
, his Masters of Fine Arts from Columbia University
, and his doctorate (EdD) at New York University
, this last degree under the mentorship of Gordon M. Pradl. His first college teaching appointment was at LaGuardia Community College in 1980. In 1981, Gilyard became a faculty member at CUNY, Medgar Evers College, where in 1986 he helped to launch the National Black Writers Conference series. He continued at CUNY as a teacher and writing program administrator until 1994, when he took a position as professor of writing and English and director of the writing program at Syracuse University. Since 1999, he has been a professor of English at Penn State University.
Throughout his career, Gilyard has been actively involved in the National Council of Teachers of English
(NCTE), including serving on the editorial board and the executive committee and will serve as NCTE president in 2011-2012 during its centennial. He has also worked significantly with the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC), the world's largest professional organization for researching and teaching composition, for which he served as Chair in 2000.
Also notable among Gilyard's professional accomplishments are his receipt of the American Book Award (1992) for his monograph Voices of the Self: A Study of Language Competence, his distinction as Distinguished Professor at Penn State (2005), the Penn State Class of 1933 Medal of Distinction in the humanities (2005), and an Arts nf Humanities Medal (2006). In 2005, Gilyard was inducted into the International Literary Hall of Fame for Writers of African Descent.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of English
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
who teaches and researches in the fields of rhetoric
Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...
, composition
Composition studies
Composition Studies is the professional field of writing research and instruction, focusing especially on writing at the college level in the United States...
, literacy
Literacy
Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...
studies, sociolinguistics
Sociolinguistics
Sociolinguistics is the descriptive study of the effect of any and all aspects of society, including cultural norms, expectations, and context, on the way language is used, and the effects of language use on society...
, and African American literature
African American literature
African-American literature is the body of literature produced in the United States by writers of African descent. The genre traces its origins to the works of such late 18th century writers as Phillis Wheatley and Olaudah Equiano, reaching early high points with slave narratives and the Harlem...
. Interested in the complex interplay among race, ethnicity, language, writing, and politics, Gilyard's work investigates the differences between authentic student voice and the dominant discourse of the academy. His primary interest lies in identifying intersections of African American English and composition practices. Advocating African American English as a legitimate discourse, Gilyard is a prominent voice in the movement to recognize ethnic and cultural discourses other than Standard English as valid. As a literary scholar, his interests have been in the interplay between African American literature and rhetorical criticism and in bio-critical work.
Gilyard received his Bachelor of Science degree from City University
City University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
, his Masters of Fine Arts from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, and his doctorate (EdD) at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, this last degree under the mentorship of Gordon M. Pradl. His first college teaching appointment was at LaGuardia Community College in 1980. In 1981, Gilyard became a faculty member at CUNY, Medgar Evers College, where in 1986 he helped to launch the National Black Writers Conference series. He continued at CUNY as a teacher and writing program administrator until 1994, when he took a position as professor of writing and English and director of the writing program at Syracuse University. Since 1999, he has been a professor of English at Penn State University.
Throughout his career, Gilyard has been actively involved in the National Council of Teachers of English
National Council of Teachers of English
The National Council of Teachers of English is an American professional organization dedicated to "improving the teaching and learning of English and the language arts at all levels of education...
(NCTE), including serving on the editorial board and the executive committee and will serve as NCTE president in 2011-2012 during its centennial. He has also worked significantly with the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC), the world's largest professional organization for researching and teaching composition, for which he served as Chair in 2000.
Also notable among Gilyard's professional accomplishments are his receipt of the American Book Award (1992) for his monograph Voices of the Self: A Study of Language Competence, his distinction as Distinguished Professor at Penn State (2005), the Penn State Class of 1933 Medal of Distinction in the humanities (2005), and an Arts nf Humanities Medal (2006). In 2005, Gilyard was inducted into the International Literary Hall of Fame for Writers of African Descent.
Publications
Gilyard's publications are substantial, including scholarly monographs and articles, autobiographical studies, a biography, textbooks, and creative works. His major publications include the following:Scholarly Monographs
- True to the Language Game: African American Discourse, Cultural Politics, and Pedagogy (Routledge, 2011);
- Composition and Cornel West: Notes Toward a Deep Democracy (Southern Illinois University Press, 2008);
- John Oliver Killens: A Life of Black Literary Activism (University of Georgia Press, 2010);
- Liberation Memories: The Rhetoric and Poetics of John Oliver Killens (Wayne State University Press, 2003);
- Let's Flip the Script: An African American Discourse on Language, Literature, and Learning (Wayne State University Press, 1996);
- Voices of the Self: A Study of Language Competence (Wayne State University Press, 1991)
Poetry
- How I Figure: Poems (Whirlwind Press, 2003);
- Poemographies (Whirlwind Press, 2001);
- American 40 (Eclipse III, 1993)
Textbooks and Edited Collections
- Conversations in Cultural Rhetoric and Composition Studies, ed. with Victor Taylor (The Davies Group, Publishers, 2009);
- Rhetorical Choices: A Reader for Writers, 2nd ed., ed. with Deborah Holdstein and Chuck Schuster (Longman, 2007. [1st ed. 2004]);
- African American Literature, ed. with Anissa Wardi (Longman, 2004);
- Rhetoric and Ethnicity, ed. with Vorris Nunley (Heinemann, 2004);
- Race, Rhetoric, and Composition, ed. (Heinemann, 1999);
- Spirit & Flame: An Anthology of Contemporary African American Poetry, ed. (Syracuse University Press, 1997);
- The Odyssey Reader, ed. with Nance Hahn and Faith Plvan (Kendall/Hunt, 1997);
- Reflections on a Gift of Watermelon Pickle . . . and Other Modern Verse, 2nd ed., ed. with Stephen Dunning, Edward Lueders, Naomi Shihab Nye, and Demetrice A. Worley (Scott Foresman 1995)