Gretchen Gerzina
American historian (born 1950)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina (born 1950) is an American author and academic who has written mostly historically-grounded biographical studies. She has written about Black British history.[1][2] Her academic posts have included being the Kathe Tappe Vernon Professor of Biography at Dartmouth College, working as a professor at Vassar College, being a professor and a director of Africana Studies at Barnard College, and as of April 2019 being the Dean of the University of Massachusetts Amherst Commonwealth Honors College.[3] Gerzina was the host of WAMC's nationally-syndicated radio program The Book Show for fourteen years, where she interviewed authors.[4]
Gretchen Gerzina | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1950 (age 75–76) Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S. |
| Other name | Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina |
| Occupations | Historian, author, academic |
| Notable work | Black England: Life Before Emancipation |
| Spouse | Anthony Gerzina |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | gretchengerzina |
In the UK, she presented a 10-part documentary for BBC Radio 4 called Britain's Black Past,[5] which she subsequently adapted into a book.[6][7]
Personal life
She was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and moved to Springfield, Massachusetts, just before she was five years old.[4] She is married to Anthony Gerzina and they have two sons.[4]
Selected publications
- 1989: Carrington: A Life
- 1995: Black England: Life Before Emancipation. (Also known as Black London: Life Before Emancipation)[8][9][10]
- 2004: Frances Hodgson Burnett: The unexpected life of the author of The Secret Garden[11][12]
- 2008: Mr. and Mrs. Prince: How an Extraordinary 18th-Century Family Moved out of Slavery and into Legend