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Devon Powers
Devon Powers 2007 (cropped).jpg
Powers at the 2007 Pop Conference, Experience Music Project, Seattle, Washington
Born 1977/1978 (age 47–48)
Nationality American
Alma mater New York University (2008)
Occupation Music journalist, professor
Notable work
Blowing Up the Brand
Writing the Record
On Trend
Spouse(s)
David Bennion
(m. 2007)
Scientific career
Institutions Drexel University (2008–2016)
Temple University (2016–2022)
University of Michigan (2022–)

Devon Powers is an American professor, author, and former music journalist. She teaches about communication and media. She is known for her books that explore how culture and trends work.

About Devon Powers

Devon Powers was born in 1977 or 1978. Her father, Lee R. Powers, is an engineer. Her mother, Mandy Powers, is a nurse. In 2007, she married a lawyer named David Bennion. Devon Powers is African American.

She went to Oberlin College and earned a degree in English and women's studies in 1999. Later, in 2008, she received her Ph.D. from New York University. Her Ph.D. was in media studies.

From 2001 to 2004, she wrote articles about music for PopMatters. As of 2023, she is a professor at the University of Michigan. She teaches about communication and media.

Her work focuses on how people buy things and how trends spread. She also studies how ideas and products become popular. She has written two books and helped edit another.

Her Books

Devon Powers has written two important books. She also helped to edit a third book. These books explore different parts of culture and how things become popular.

Writing the Record

In 2013, Devon Powers published her book Writing the Record: The Village Voice and the Birth of Rock Criticism. This book looks at how music critics wrote about pop culture. It covers the 1950s through the 1970s.

She focused on two writers, Richard Goldstein and Robert Christgau. They both wrote for a famous New York newspaper called Village Voice. Powers believes these music writers were like public thinkers. They helped people understand music and culture.

Powers was interested in this topic because she used to be a music journalist herself. She explored many of her ideas about music writing in a column for PopMatters.

On Trend

In 2019, Devon Powers released her book On Trend: The Business of Forecasting the Future. This book studies the business of predicting future trends. It looks at how companies try to guess what will be popular next.

To write the book, Powers visited companies that predict trends. She also talked to many people in the industry. The book shows how this trend-spotting business works.

On Trend was chosen as an "Outstanding Academic Title" in 2020. This means it was recognized as a very good book for learning.

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