D. Watkins: The Wire: The Complete Visual History (With Nathan Corbett)

The Ivy is pleased to welcome D. Watkins, whose essays anchor The Wire: The Complete Visual History, for a conversation with Nathan Corbett, actor behind the character Donut in the TV show! We’re excited to hear from the beloved writer and actor as they speak about the making of the book and the show, and the relationship between Baltimore and the television world. Watkins is also a writer for the HBO series “We Own This City,” in which Corbett stars.

The book explores the creation and legacy of creator David Simon’s landmark series through exclusive interviews with Simon and his cast and crew, including Idris Elba, Wendell Pierce, Sonja Sohn, Andre Royo, Jamie Hector, George Pelecanos, Ed Burns, and many more. The book also features commentary and essays from notable writers including New York Times bestselling author D. Watkins (The Beast Side: Living and Dying While Black in America). Illustrated with striking visuals from the show, including concept art and candid behind-the-scenes images, The Wire: The Complete Visual History, is the essential companion to a stone-cold television classic.

D. Watkins is the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of The Beast Side, The Cook Up, Where Tomorrows Aren’t Promised, and We Speak for Ourselves—which was Enoch Pratt Free Library’s 2020 One Book Baltimore selection. His newest book, Black Boy Smile, was released in May.

Watkins is Editor-at-Large for Salon. He is a writer on the HBO mini-series We Own This City and hosts the show’s companion podcast. Additionally, he was featured in the HBO documentary, The Slow Hustle. His work has been published in the New York Times, Esquire, New York Times Magazine, The Guardian, Rolling Stone, and other publications.

Watkins is a college lecturer at the University of Baltimore, where he earned an MFA in Creative Writing. He also holds a Master of Education degree from Johns Hopkins University.

Some of Watkins’ awards include the Johns Hopkins Distinguished Alumnus Award, the BMe Genius Grant for Dynamic Black Leaders, the City Lit Dambach Award for Service to the Literary Arts, the Maryland Library Association’s William Wilson Maryland Author Award, and Ford’s Men of Courage Award for Black Male Storytellers. He was also a finalist for a 2016 Hurston Wright Legacy Award, and The Cook Up was a 2017 Books for a Better Life finalist.

He lives in Baltimore, MD with his wife and daughter.

Nathan Corbett was born in Baltimore, Maryland and began his career in entertainment at the age of three, modeling for Macy’s. He later landed his first acting role in “Cold Case” and went on to secure a principal role in the Oscar-nominated independent film “Half Nelson.” Nathan gained popularity for his recurring role in the hit TV series “The Wire,” where he portrayed the lovable car thief Donut. More recently, he has starred in George Pelecanos’ “DC Noir” and HBO’s “WE OWN THIS CITY.”