Morgan James Peters, aka, Mwalim
Assistant Professor
M.F.A. Goddard College
M.S. Boston University
B.A. Boston University

Specializations: Drama, Creative Writing, Filmmaking, Oral Traditions

Contact Info:
Office Location: Group I, Room 303
Office Phone: (508) 999-8304
E-mail address: mpeters@umassd.edu

Bio: Considered by critics and peers alike to be one of the true modern masters of the oral tradition, Mwalim is a multifaceted, Black Wampanoag performing artist, writer, filmmaker and educator. Once asked what he considers to be his main art form, his answer is "communication." When asked what his most challenging project to date has been, he responds, "Balancing being a single parent and working arts educator."

Born in Bronx New York and raised in Bronx, New York and Mashpee, Massachusetts, Mwalim (aka Morgan James Peters, I) grew up immersed in the oral traditions of his Bajan (Barbados) and Wampanoag cultural heritage. He is a keeper of both the New World Griot and Ahanaeenun (Wampanoag 'Medicine Clown') traditions. While the Black Indian experience remains a taboo for many eastern people, it is a reality that Mwalim embraces in his daily life, as well as explores and celebrates through much of his artistic work. Mwalim first emerged to public attention in the mid 1990's in the east-coasts growing spoken-word and storytelling scene, appearing in coffeehouses, lounges and various poetry venues. In 1998, as a means of generating an income in these venues, Talking Drum Press published A Mixed Medicine Bag, a collection of his original Black Wampanoag folk-tales. The book quickly became a sought after piece of literature by multicultural studies and native literature courses and enthusiasts worldwide.

In theatre, he has distinguished himself as a playwright, director, actor and teacher. Receiving his formal training from New African Company in Boston, Mwalim's work has and continues to be presented throughout the United States and Canada. His plays and performance pieces have been presented at the highly prestigious National Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He has also been commissioned to write plays for the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts depicting personalities and events in African American history.

His research in oral and performance traditions of African American, Afro-Caribbean, and Northeastern Native American people has resulted in the publication of such papers as "Return of the Laughter Keepers: Exploring The Medicine Clown Tradition of the Wampanoag" ( New Horizons, UNC Chapel Hill, 2004); "Prince Hall & The Roots of Black Nationalism (Phylaxis, 2006); as well as the essays "We Heard It In The Fields: Native American Roots of the Blues" and "Brer Rabbit's Grandchildren" for the InDIVisible touring Black Indian exhibit of the Smithsonian's Museum of the American Indian (2008). He is the author of one book, A Mixed Medicine Bag: Original Black Wampanoag Folklore (Talking Drum Press, 2007) and a contributor to numerous edited volumes of poetry, short fiction and essays.His monthly column "A Modern Wampanoag's Tale" appears in the Weekly Compass, which is circulated throughout Southeastern Massachusetts.

An award-winning filmmaker, Mwalim received his MS in Film from Boston University. Much of his work has been producing experimental shorts for museum and gallery installations, combining music and spoken-word with visual images, as well as his freelance work as an editor for various production companies throughout the country. He was recently named "Filmmaker-In-Residence" by WGBH, Boston's PBS television station. He will be the residency programs first narrative filmmaker, where he will be producing a film adaptation of "Look At My Shorts," a collection of Mwalim's short plays exploring contemporary Black Indian experiences in Massachusetts. "Look At My Shorts" earned him the 2003 "Outstanding New Playwright" award from the New York Theatre Forum.

His award-winning one-man show "A Party at the Crossroads" is subtitled the tales and adventures of a Black Indian growing up in a Jewish neighborhood, has been presented at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum in Connecticut and as a part of the Indian Summer series at the American Indian Community House in New York City. His performance piece, based on memories of Mashpee of the past, "Backwoods People" has been presented at Native American Arts festivals theater festivals and powwows throughout the USA and Canada. Mwalim is the co-founder and Artistic Director of Oversoul Theatre Collective, a professional Black and Native American arts and education organization formed in 1994. He recently completed his MFA in Creative Writing at Goddard College.

Active in audio production and sound design, Mwalim composed and produced the album "Sketches of a Neighborhood" by The Bass Mint Bros (Liberation/ Midnight Groove Records, 2008) as well as production and remix projects for various labels and artists in the United States and Europe. In 2000 he released a solo CD-Single "Thief in the Night" (Midnight Groove/OTC Records) which became an underground hit, followed by a limited edition E.P. called "Jazzy-Soul Club Grooves" in 2001, which became a favorite among dance music DJs in the USA, Canada, the U.K., Germany, and France. His album "Bronx Jazz" is due for release in late 2009.

Mwalim is a recipient of the MLK, Jr. Cultural Arts Fellowship, New England Broadcasting Association Fellowship, NAACP Media Artists Grant, Longwood Cyber Arts Fellowship, and a three-time recipient of the Ira Aldridge Fellowship. He has served as an Artist-In-Residence at Cape Cod Community College (1997 - 1999); The Frederick Douglass Unity House at U Mass Dartmouth (1998-1999); Harlem Theatre Company (1999 - 2001); and The Point CDC Theatre (2001 - 2003). He is a member of the Lincoln Center Theatre Director's Lab, and a playwright-in-residence with New African Company in Boston, New England's oldest, continuous professional Black Theater company.