Opal Palmer Adisa
Encyclopedia
Opal Palmer Adisa is a Jamaica
-born writer, artist and teacher. Since 1993, Opal Palmer Adisa has taught literature and served as Chair of the Ethnic Studies/Cultural Diversity Program at the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland
. Dr. Adisa has two masters degrees from San Francisco State University, and a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley. She has previously taught undergraduate and graduate courses at California College of the Arts, Stanford University, University of Berkley, and San Francisco State University. In November, 2009 she became a member of the teaching staff at the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI), St. Croix Campus. She has joined the UVI faculty as a part-time instructor, and has also been appointed the new editor of The Caribbean Writer, UVI’s famous anthology of Caribbean literature.
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
-born writer, artist and teacher. Since 1993, Opal Palmer Adisa has taught literature and served as Chair of the Ethnic Studies/Cultural Diversity Program at the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
. Dr. Adisa has two masters degrees from San Francisco State University, and a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley. She has previously taught undergraduate and graduate courses at California College of the Arts, Stanford University, University of Berkley, and San Francisco State University. In November, 2009 she became a member of the teaching staff at the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI), St. Croix Campus. She has joined the UVI faculty as a part-time instructor, and has also been appointed the new editor of The Caribbean Writer, UVI’s famous anthology of Caribbean literature.
Artists Residencies
- Writer-in-Residence, Binational Fulbright Institute; Cairo, Egypt, December–February 2007
- Sacatar Institute, Itaparica, Brazil, December - March 2006
- Writer-in-Residence, Wadastick Artists & Scholars; Laurel Hill, NC., March 2001
- Writer-in-Residence, Tryon Center for the Visual Arts; Charlotte, N.C., September– Dec. 2000
- Writer-in-Residence, Headlands Center for the Arts; Sausaulito, CA, February–December 1996.
Awards
- Council for a performance of “Daughters of Yam,” with Devorah Major
- Pushcart Prize for the short story, "Duppy Get Her", 1987
- PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary AwardPEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary AwardAccording to its website, PEN Oakland was founded in 1989 by Ishmael Reed, who came up with the idea, and co-founders Floyd Salas, Reginald Lockett and Claire Ortalda, in order to “promote works of excellence by writers of all cultural and racial backgrounds and to educate both the public and the...
for Tamarind and Mango Women, 1992 - Writer in Residence for Wadastick Artists & Scholars at Laurel Hill, North Carolina
- Writer in Residence for the McColl “Tryon” Center for the Visual Arts in Charlotte, NC
- Distinguished Writer for the Middle Atlantic Writers Association
- Creative Work Fund Grant for “West Oakland Senior Citizen Oral History Project,” San Francisco, CA
- Nominated International Woman of the Year International Biography Center, England
- Canute A. Brodhurst Prize for "The Brethren," in The Caribbean Writer, University of the Virgin Islands, St Croix
- Writer-in-Residence, Headlands Center for the Arts, Sausaulito, California
- Daily News Prize for best poems in The Caribbean Writer, University of the Virgin Islands, St Croix
- Master Folk Artist for Storytelling, California Arts Council
- Distinguished Bay Area Woman Writer Award/California Legislative Assembly Certificate of presented by the National Women's Political Caucus
- Master Folk Artist for Storytelling, California Arts Council
- Creative Work Fund Grant for “West Oakland Senior Citizen Oral History Project,” San Francisco, California
- Creative Artist Fellowship Award for Storytelling, Cultural Funding Program, City of Oakland
Works
- Pina, The Many-Eyed Fruit (children’s book) 1985
- Bake-Face and Other Guava Stories (short story collection), Kelsey St. Press, 1986 ISBN 0932716202
- Traveling Women (short story collection with Devorah Major), Jukebox Press, 1989 ISBN 0932693016
- Fierce Love (poetry/jazz recording with Devorah Major),1992.
- Tamarind and Mango Women (poetry collection) 1992 ISBN 0920813712
- It Begins With Tears (fiction novel) Heinemann, 1997
- Leaf-of-Life (poetry collection) Jukebox Press, 2000
- The Tongue Is a Drum (poetry/jazz CD with Devorah Major), 2002
- Caribbean Passion (poetry collection) Peepal Tree Press, 2004
- Eros Muse (poetry and essays), Africa World Press, March 2006 ISBN 1592213979
- I Name Me Name (poetry collection), Peepal Tree Press, Sept-Oct 2006
- Until Judgment Comes (short story collection), March 2007