QUELYN PURDIE
Author, Educator, Clinical Minister
For over 30 years, Quelyn has served youth and families of diverse backgrounds. Best known as an educator, she has taught at major inner-city public schools, provided casework at children's and family agencies, and coached and designed professional development workshops for group leaders at an after-school program.
Her childhood experiences and professional background working with youth and advocating for families have informed her first book, VALIDATION DENIED GRACE BESTOWED: somewhere between the ghetto and God was something called foster care… (iUniverse Inc., 2004). Validation Denied, Grace Bestowed portrays a young teenager who struggles with identity and the stigma of living in foster care. However, through a process of spiritual awakening and realizing self-worth as a young woman, she learns to forgive her past and love herself. Purdie's lived experiences and work with youth also inspired her to write, direct, and executive produce a short film. *The Task is about a young, defiant teenager who is mandated to be escorted to a Harlem group home by her inexperienced social worker.
A MOVEMENT OF GRACE: My Soundtrack of Liberation and the Role of Music Today offers new insight and perspectives into Purdie’s original piece. Written during the COVID-19 pandemic, A Movement of Grace explores the intersection of music and healing by highlighting the impact of music on Purdie’s life from back in the day as a teenager, college freshman, and young adult, through today’s post-pandemic challenges.
Purdie received a B.A. in Communication Studies and a minor in Theatre from SUNY at Oswego. In 2017, she earned a Master of Arts in Pastoral Care and Counseling from New York Theological Seminary, where she learned how to integrate spirituality and clinical approaches to help people in need. Her capstone project, Song of the Human Heart: Integrating Music in Clinical Pastoral Counseling, proves the efficacy of music in clinical settings and life in general. The paper appears near the end of A MOVEMENT OF GRACE: My Soundtrack of Liberation and the Role of Music Today.
Quelyn is a certified mental health first responder pursuing credentialing in preventative substance use counseling. She is also writing her third book, ALIVE! How I Give Myself A Chance Every Day, which will complete her memoir trilogy.
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