Gaffney Native's Poetry Collection Earns Press

ST. MARY'S CITY, MD (04/11/2012)(readMedia)-- Jeffrey Coleman, a Gaffney, South Carolina native and associate professor of English at St. Mary's College of Maryland, appeared on Maryland Morning on February 28 to speak with host Sheilah Kast about Coleman's recently published collection of poetry of the civil rights movement, "Words of Protest, Words of Freedom." The interview included a poem reading by Coleman, who spent 20 years collecting poetry for the volume. Coleman was also a guest on NPR's "The Tavis Smiley Show" on April 6, 2012.

Coleman earned his M.F.A. in creative writing, with an emphasis in poetry, from Arizona State University, and his Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of New Mexico. He is the author of another poetry collection, titled "Spirits Distilled: Poems," and his work has appeared in numerous other publications. Coleman has also given lectures across the country on the history and poetry of the American civil rights movement. He became inspired to compile poetry of the civil rights movement upon realizing during his graduate studies that no such compilation existed.

St. Mary's College of Maryland, designated the Maryland state honors college in 1992, is ranked one of the best public liberal arts schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. More than 2,000 students attend the college, nestled on the St. Mary's River in Southern Maryland.