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Writer

Reading and writing have always been as natural to me as breathing. I do not remember a time in my life when there wasn't a book nearby or a story unfolding in my imagination.

I began writing stories before I could even form complete sentences, and from an early age my bookshelf was filled with the works of remarkable Black authors who looked like me, spoke to me, and expanded my understanding of what was possible. Writers such as Eloise Greenfield, Virginia Hamilton, Walter Dean Myers, and Mildred D. Taylor, alongside literary giants like James Baldwin, Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, and Octavia Butler, ignited a fire in my imagination that has never gone out. Their words affirmed my cultural and historical identity, nurtured my creativity, and revealed the transformative power of storytelling.

For much of my life, I expressed that passion through education, creating learning experiences that centered Black history, culture, literacy, and critical inquiry. Yet writing has always been present; quietly accompanying me, calling me toward something deeper. Today, I am embracing that calling with renewed purpose and commitment.

My writing lives at the intersection of Black cultural memory, spirituality, creativity, love, and liberation. Whether I am crafting scholarly essays, children's literature, or fiction, I am drawn to stories that help us remember who we are, reconnect with what matters most, and imagine new possibilities for ourselves and our communities. I am particularly interested in the ways storytelling can heal, inspire, affirm identity, and awaken a deeper sense of purpose.

I am currently engaged in several publishing projects that reflect these commitments. One is a forthcoming reflective praxis essay that explores my journey as an English Language Arts educator teaching through the legacies of African American pedagogical excellence. Rooted in mindfulness, artistic inquiry, and ancestral connection, the essay examines how ritual, creativity, and historical consciousness can cultivate liberatory educational spaces. I am also developing an illustrated book centered on hope, love, and purpose; an invitation for readers to reconnect with their spiritual memory and recognize their unique role in the unfolding story of humanity. Alongside these projects, I am writing the first book in a planned novel series, a dream I have carried with me since childhood.

What once existed only in my imagination is now taking shape on the page. Through storytelling, reflection, and creative expression, I seek to create work that nourishes the spirit, honors the wisdom of our ancestors, celebrates the beauty and complexity of Black life, and invites readers to envision a more compassionate, conscious, and connected world.

Writing is not simply something I do. It is one of the ways I make meaning, cultivate hope, and contribute to the ongoing work of imagining and creating a better future.
 

Publications

Bridges, D.  (2010). Loving the Skin I’m In. In D. Daniels & C. Sandy (Eds.), Souls of My Young Sisters: Young Women Break  Their Silence with Personal Stories That Will Change Your Life. New York: Kensington Publishing Corp. 
 
Thomas, D. & Kinloch, V. (2018). Language, Literacy, and Education. In M. Robinson & V. Young (Eds.), The Routledge Reader of African American Rhetoric: The Longue Duree of Black Voices. New York: Routledge.  
 
Thomas, D. (2020). One Love, One Heart. In V. Kinloch, T. Burkhard, & C. Penn (Eds.), Race, Justice, and Activism in Literacy Instruction.  New York: Teachers College Press. 

Thomas, D. (2022).    In. D. Carter, Be Great: Five Principles to Improve School Culture from the Inside Out. 

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