Fresno City College English Professor Dr. Apryl Lewis had a book launch on Oct. 17, 2023, in the Old Administration Building for her book “Black Feminism and Traumatic Legacies in Contemporary African American Literature.”

Lewis received her Ph.D. in English from Texas Tech University in 2021.

When Lewis started writing her dissertation in 2019, a requirement to complete her degree, she wanted to write about African-American Literature, the impacts of trauma, and slavery.

She didn’t know that her dissertation would turn into a book when she began writing. She went on to publish her book “Black Feminism and Traumatic Legacies in Contemporary African-American Literature” in February of 2023 published by Lexington Books.

“There wasn’t a book like mine out there in the world,” Lewis said.

Psychology major at FCC Hayden Simpson didn’t know what to expect from Lewis’s book

“I was impacted by the book in a positive way and it inspired me to listen to her story,” Simpson said.

The book covered Trauma Studies, Black feminist studies, and the Crooked Room,Lewis went through a lot, including being shunned for her race during her time in college.

The Crooked Room represents an uneven playing field where the contributions of women of color may be overlooked or not fully acknowledged.

Joseph Voght, English professor at FCC stated “hearing about a professor’s experience from both perspectives and experiencing lack of diversity and how to deal with that was content.”

The book launch had faculty, family members, and students to show their support for Lewis’ story.

Lewis’s book can be found at https://Rowman.com/Lexington.