D. Watkins
D. Watkins (born Dwight Watkins; February 10, 1980) is a bestselling author, HBO writer and professor at The University of Baltimore. Life. Watkins is a Professor at the University of Baltimore and "New York Times" bestselling author from East Baltimore. At eighteen, after losing his brother, Watkins began to use and sell narcotics. After a handful of "fateful encounters" he used his illicit profits to buy a bar. He married lawyer Caron Brace in August 2019. In 2020 Watkins won City Lit's Dambach Award for literary service. In 2021 Watkins received the MLA William Wilson Maryland Author  Award. Watkins is the writer of Carmelo Anthony’s bestselling memoir Where Tomorrows Aren’t Promised: A memoir of Survival and Hope and staff writer on David Simon's HBO miniseries We Own the City Education. He holds a Masters in Education from Johns Hopkins University, and an MFA in creative writing from University of Baltimore. Career. Section::::"The Beastside: Living (and Dying) While Black in America". Watkins first book, "The Beastside: Living (and Dying) While Black in America" was published in 2015 under David Talbot and Skyhorse Publishing's investigative book imprint, Hot Books. "The Beast Side" tells a tale  of two Baltimores, taking an in-depth look at systemic racism and the failure of the education system, particularly for black men. In 2016, "The Beastside" was a Hurston/Wright Legacy Award nominee. Section::::"The Cook Up: A Crack Rock Memoir". "The Cook Up: A Crack Rock Memoir" published in 2016 by Grand Central Publishing, is a memoir that details the operations of a drug empire following Watkins' brother Bip's death, his acceptance to Georgetown University and the struggle to leave the trade behind. It was named as an editor's pick by "The New York Times" in May 2016 . "Kirkus Reviews" described the book as "A familiar story to fans of The Wire, but Watkins provides a gritty, vivid first-person document of a desperate demographic." In 2017, "The Cook Up" was a Books for a Better Life Award Finalist. Section::::"We Speak For Ourselves". "We Speak For Ourselves" is Watkins' third book, published in April 2019 by Atria is a collection of essays showcasing black voices in east Baltimore. "We Speak For Ourselves" was the 2020 selection for the Enoch Pratt Free Library ""One Book Baltimore"" Section::::"Where Tomorrow's Aren't Promised". "Where Tomorrows Aren't Promised" was published  by Gallery Books in 2021. Watkins teamed up with NBA superstar Carmelo Anthony to document his journey from the gritty streets of Red Hook,Brooklyn and West Baltimore to the NBA. Kirkus writes "Many sports memoirs start with an origin story, but this one is more thought-provoking than one might expect. Kudos to Watkins, who shapes the narrative and rhythm without stepping on Anthony’s voice." Section::::"Salon". Watkins is currently an editor at large for the online magazine, "Salon". References. https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Where-Tomorrows-Arent-Promised/Carmelo-Anthony/9781982160593 https://www.hbo.com/we-own-this-city