Turiya Autry, Adjunct Teacher for PSU and Author/Producer of Roots, Reality & Rhyme.
Teacher, artist, performer and author: these are just some of the titles Turiya has held while raising her two children Elijah and EKela who are now 23 and 21 years old. She is currently in her 10th year of teaching at PSU as faculty after a four and a half year “break” during which she published her first full-length book of poetry titled Roots, Reality & Rhyme and wrote, produced and starred in her first ever one-woman show of the same title. In an effort to illuminate the issues of domestic violence, assault, addiction, and single parenthood beyond the statistics, Turiya dug deep and put private aspects of her life on stage to help illustrate the loss they cause by sharing how those things directly impacted her childhood and young adulthood.
As a woman of color and an instructor in Black Studies and Women/Gender/Sexuality Studies, Turiya takes pride in knowing that she has been there for students who needed to see themselves represented in leadership roles and that she has opened up spaces that have allowed individuals to explore their creative voices. But, what she is most proud of are the incredible grownups that she has raised and that she has stayed true to following her passion.
Words of Wisdom: "Parenting is a demanding job that you learn as you go, it's not about being perfect but being loving, understanding and supportive."
