James Billups

James Billups grew up in Monroeville, Alabama during the turbulent "Jim Crow" era. He was the youngest child in a family of six. Because his family was quite poor, he was forced to work at an early age in menial jobs while attending Union High School. After completing high school, he became obsessed with attending college. He felt that Washington Jr. College in Pensacola, Fla. was his only option at that time. He later transferred to Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) where he received his BS degree in social science in 1964.

After graduation, he moved to New York and completed graduate school at New York University with two MA degrees in education (1968 & 1975 respectively). Moreover, he worked as a teacher/teacher-trainer in NYU's IDS Program before and after completing his graduate studies. From 1976 to 1980, he taught (as an adjunct) a psychology course at Borough of Manhattan Community College in the Department of Ethnic Studies.

In 1986, he began teaching adult education in the New York City School System. He relocated to Washington, DC in 1990 and continued teaching adult education in the DC School System until 2006. He is presently retired and living in Washington, DC. 'Skegee Bound, a coming-of-age fictional tale based on his early life in Alabama, is his first novel.