West, Sandra L. 1947–

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West, Sandra L. 1947–

(Sandra West Whiteurs)

PERSONAL: Born January 16, 1947, in Newark, NJ; daughter of Willie Andrew (a grinder for an automotive manufacturer and labor union activist) and Ruby Ester Marie (a food service supervisor; maiden name, Jackson) West; married Carl Whiteurs, 1967 (marriage ended, 1971); children: Ghana-Imani Jane Whiteurs Hylton. Ethnicity: "African American." Education: Rutgers University, B.A., 1988; Goucher College, M.F.A., 2000. Religion: African Methodist Episcopal. Hobbies and other interests: Photography.

ADDRESSES: Home—157-10 Riverside Dr. W., Apt. 7U, New York, NY 10032. Office—Department of English, Rutgers University, 177 Bradley Hall, Dr. King Blvd. and Warren St., Newark, NJ 07102. Agent—Celeste Bateman and Associates, 68 Shephard Ave., Newark, NJ 07112. E-mail—lavonne_07112@ yahoo.com; slwest@andromeda.rutgers.edu.

CAREER: Writer, business owner, editor, and educator. City of Newark, Newark, NJ, journalist, 1975–79; Savannah State University, Savannah, GA, staff public relations writer, 1996; Virginia Union University, Richmond, adjunct member of humanities faculty, 2000–03; Rutgers University, Newark, lecturer in African-American literature, composition, and communication skills, 2003–. Adjunct faculty at Seton Hall University, 1990, and Virginia Commonwealth University, 2000–02. Polished Papers (proofreading and editing service), owner and proofreader, 2002–; Harlem Renaissance 101, owner and touring lecturer, 2004–. Newark Writers Collective, founding member, 1987–95; Telfair Museum of Art, docent, 1991–92; Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Foundation, official documentary photographer, 1997–2001; Black History Museum of Virginia, docent, 2003; Friends of the Newark Public Library, member, 2004.

MEMBER: Harlem Writers Guild, Frances E.W. Harper Literary Society (founder, 1987).

WRITINGS:

(With Aberjhani) Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance, Facts on File (New York, NY), 2003.

Contributor to books, including Black Drama Database, Alexander Street Press, 2002; work represented in anthologies, including Say That the River Turns, Third World Press, 1987. Contributor to periodicals, including American Visions, Essence, Savannah Literary Journal, Emerge, African Voices, Journal of Black Poetry, and Style Weekly. Founder and editor, Testimony: Journal of African American Poetry, 1987; assistant editor, Savannah Tribune, 1993–96.

WORK IN PROGRESS: The Falling Creek Stories: Race, Migration, and Black Family Life, a collection of essays; a research project, "Ink Spots: African-American Writers Have Their Say."

SIDELIGHTS: Sandra L. West told CA: "Writing is my art. In order to uplift my race, and myself, I write from the vantage of African-American victory. I teach my classes this same way. I am an early morning writer who is inspired by the work of Paula Giddings (When and Where I Enter) and Gloria Wade-Gayles (Rooted against the Wind), two major-league players who are concerned about and write about African-American history and the power of African-American women, and who have left an admirable legacy in doing so. I hope to follow in their footsteps and to leave a few footprints of my own."