Jorrell Watkins
Jorrell Watkins
Center for Disabilities and Development
University of Iowa, IA
Jorrell Watkins is a MFA Poetry candidate at the University of Iowa, Writer's Workshop. Prior to pursuing his masters, he worked as an educator, artist, and community organizer. His training as an educator is rooted in ten years of collaboration and service with the Richmond Peace Education Center (RPEC) where he was trained to design, and facilitate workshops on: empathetic listening, teamwork, nonviolence, youth leadership, and trauma healing. This experience led to his work within local/regional jails, as a reentry case manager, where he provided: basic needs, mental health, and transition services for returning citizens. As an artist, he performed in poetry slams, wrote, and directed for the stage. During his fellowship, he wants to develop culturally informed and responsive pedagogy for people with disabilities, especially those living in marginalized communities, and in incarceration.