Breaking Barriers: An Interview with Deborah Burris-Kitchen, author of Exposed

Deborah J. Burris-Kitchen, Ph.D., is a Professor of Criminology and Department Chair at Tennessee State University in Nashville. She is the author of Female Gang Participation (Edwin Mellen Press, 1997). In addition, she co-authored an article on racism in higher education in the College Student Journal (2000). Her publications include a book titled Short Rage: An Autobiographical Look at Heightism in America (2002). She has a book chapter (July 2010) titled Pathways to Prison: Implications for the Health and Mental Health in the Handbook of African American Health Psychology: Evidence-based Treatment and Prevention Practices (edited by Robert Hampton & Ray Crowell), From Slavery to Prisons: A Historical Delineation of the Criminalization of African Americans (2010), a journal article titled Short Rage Revisited (2018), Deviance and Control (Kendall and Hunt 2020), and a second edition of Deviance and Control was released by Kendall and Hunt in 2021.

Dr. Burris-Kitchen has served as the research committee chair and Vice President of the National Organization of Short-Statured Adults (NOSSA). She is a member of Phi Kappa Phi. She has served as President of the Association of Humanist Sociology (AHS) and was a member of AHS for many years. She has also been a member of the American Society of Criminology and the American Sociological Association.

Dr. Burris-Kitchen is an activist who fights against violence, racism, exploitation, greed, and capitalism.

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Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

Four years of enduring the oppressive government and narcissism of Donald Trump; his lack of respect for people, politics, and our democracy.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

I am a Professor of Sociology and Department Chair of Criminal Justice at Tennessee State University.

What was the most rewarding/meaningful part of publishing your book?

The finished copy in print.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

Exposure of a Caste.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?

Empathy, love, and respect for others regardless of national origin, skin color, gender, social class, or sexual preference.

What new writing projects are you currently working on? Or, other projects that are not writing?

I am working on another book of poetry.

How was working with Atmosphere Press? What would you tell other writers who want to publish? I loved working with Atmosphere Press. They were very professional and it was a great experience.

You can buy the book here.
Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press