Congratulations to incoming MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults student Darius Phelps for receiving the 2023 NCTE Early Career Educator of Color Award.
This award is for practicing pre-K to university-level literacy educators of color who are in the first five years of a paid teaching career and who aspire to build a career in literacy education. Phelps is an adjunct instructor at Hunter College, Teachers College, and an assistant manager at Brooklyn Poets. An educator, poet, spoken-word artist, and activist, Phelps writes poems about grief, liberation, emancipation, and reflection through the lens of a teacher of color and experiencing Black boy joy. His poems have appeared in the New York English Record, NCTE English Journal, Pearl Press Magazine, ëëN Magazine, and many more. Recently, he was featured on WCBS and highlighted the importance of Black male educators in the classroom.
