By Ashley Denany
Seretha Williams, professor in Augusta State’s Department of English and Foreign Languages, says she always wanted to be a writer but never thought teaching would be in her future.
“Teaching was never in my plans; it was something that just happened,” says Williams. “My goal was to start a cultural center with a bookstore.”
Williams’ interest in writing led her to attend Northwestern University where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in journalism. In 1992, she enrolled in the University of Georgia and earned both master’s and doctoral degrees in comparative literature. She also received a graduate certificate in women’s studies from UGA.
Her research on African and Diaspora literatures, women’s literature, and feminist theory has earned her much recognition including the receipt of a Fulbright-Hayes Group Project Abroad Fellowship. It also has helped her incorporate diversity into the curriculum. She says she enjoys exposing her students to the writings of authors from South America, Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and other cultures that they may not know. Two years ago, she introduced her students to a novel by South African writer Zakes Mda. Later in that semester, Mda visited ASU, and her students were able to meet with him.
Williams joined ASU as an English professor in 1998, and in 2007, she became interim director for the Women’s Studies program. In this role, she advises students, coordinates the program’s curriculum, and helps with the planning of ASU’s annual Take Back the Night events.
She has published numerous articles and is active in several professional organizations including UGA’s Graduate and Professional Scholars and S.P.A.C.E., Richmond County’s parent support for the Georgia Association for Gifted Children. She enjoys reading and among her favorite books are Maud Martha and Invisible Man. Williams also enjoys creative writing as well as writing fiction and poetry. When she is not working, the mother of three enjoys cooking Italian and East African cuisines and watching basketball.
Name: Seretha Williams
Position: Associate Professor of English
Time at ASU: 12 years
Family: Son, Jadon, 7; and Daughters, Damaris, 9, and Zanaiah, 7
Little Known Fact: “I speak Swahili.”
Aug 31, 2010
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