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Brandi Matthews-James

Brandi Matthews-James is a second year MA student in the Women's and Gender Studies program. Her research interests include Caribbean literature, African-Cuban tales and folkore and the representation of women in these folkloric tales. Brandi is currently writing her master's report on Lydia Cabrera's Afro-Cuban Tales, the Yoruba religious sphere and women's representation in both.

Also within academia, Brandi is a strong advocate of improving diversity at the University of Texas and creating spaces for women of color on campus. With four of her friends last semester, she had the opportunity to help establish the organization and blog space "Inscribe Me Hollerin.' " She and her fellow colleagues wanted to create a group where women of color on the UT campus could come together and have a space for any creative artistic endeavor of their choosing. Brandi is also a part of another campus organization called the Arts Collective for Diversity. Brandi is graduating at the end of this semester in May 2008.