Adam Bradley is not your typical English literature professor. In fact, he’s not really your typical college professor at all. I mean, how many collegiate-level teachers can say that they have numerous renowned books on best-seller lists, and have collaborated with star artists, such as Common, to produce some of literature’s best non-fiction work? That’s right, not many have this claim to fame. But Utah-born Bradley has made more than just a name for himself around the CU campus; he has garnered national accolades for his writing, as well as the attention of students who flock to take his classes.
Adam Bradley was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, and was homeschooled by his grandparents until high school. After he graduated, Bradley attended Lewis & Clark College in Oregon, where he began writing and editing. Later, Bradley went on to earn his Ph.D. in English from Harvard University after studying with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Cornel West.
Since being in school, Bradley has authored and edited several books, including Book of Rhymes: The Poetics of Hip Hop, The Anthology of Rap, and most recently, One Day It’ll All Make Sense, a memoir of the rapper Common, with whom Bradley collaborated with to write. Currently, Bradley is working on various different projects, including a book that explores the poetics of popular song. What sets Adam Bradley apart is the intense passion and creative energy he channels into both his work and his teaching. According to his personal bio, “What unites Adam’s work is his belief that the most powerful cultural expressions are equally the product of tradition and innovation.” Bradley has the unique and invaluable ability to see the beauty in things that others often overlook, such as the intricacies of language in everything from epic poems to free style raps.
Having taken one of Adam Bradley’s English classes last semester, I have found him to be a compelling and engaging professor, who infuses his lectures with such knowledge and expertise it’s impossible not to be inspired. I feel lucky to say that Adam Bradley is a professor at my school, and if you ever have the chance to meet him, whether in class or out, I highly encourage you to- you won’t forget it!
Source and photo credit: http://adamfbradley.com/index.php.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at CU Boulder chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.