Joanne V. Gabbin, Ph.D.
Executive Director

Joanne V. Gabbin is a professor of English at James Madison University where she is Executive Director of the Furious Flower Poetry Center. She is author of Sterling A. Brown: Building the Black Aesthetic Tradition, editor of Furious Flower: A Revolution in African American Poetry and The Furious Flowering of African American Poetry, and executive producer of the Furious Flower video and DVD series. A dedicated teacher and scholar, she has received numerous awards for excellence in teaching and scholarship. Among them are the College Language Association Creative Scholarship Award for her book Sterling A. Brown (1986), the James Madison University Faculty Women's Caucus and Women's Resource Network for Scholarship (1988), and the Outstanding Faculty Award, Virginia State Council of Higher Education. Recently, Dr. Gabbin was the recipient of two faculty awards: the Provost's Award for Distinguished Service and the JMU Alumni Distinguished Faculty Award.  In October 2005, Dr. Gabbin was inducted into the International Literary Hall of Fame for Writers of African Descent. She is also founder and organizer of the Wintergreen Women Writers' Collective, owner of the 150 Franklin Street Gallery in Harrisonburg, and author of the children's book I Bet She Called Me Sugar Plum.

For more information on Dr. Gabbin, please visit her faculty homepage at www.jmu.edu/english/faculty_gabbin.html

Kalela Williams
Assistant Director

A native of Georgia, Kalela Williams received her B.A. in English from the University of Mary Washington, and her M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Goddard College. She loves writing and reading in whatever spare time she has.

Jill S. Wade
Administrative/Programming Assistant

A graduate of James Madison University, Jill brings experience from her work in both the museum and education fields.  Her background includes historical interpretation, volunteer coordination, library work, and 9 years in a public school system.  She enjoys spending time with her family and their two dogs.

.

Kayla Runion
Student Assistant

Kayla studies literature and creative writing.  She has poetry published in Falling for the Story, a collection of writings submitted to the Northern Virginia Fall for the Book Festival in 2009.  She was also a finalist in the Lex Allen Literary Festival of 2011 at Hollins University.  Kayla contributes to the JMU and Harrisonburg community through her work at the Furious Flower Poetry Center, where she helps plan poetry readings, community service programs, and other events.  She also hosts a radio show through WXJM.