Submission rejected on 2 July 2025 by Thilsebatti (talk). The subject does not meet Wikipedia's criteria for inclusion. Rejected by Thilsebatti 11 months ago. Last edited by ~2025-43507-78 5 months ago. Ask for advice

Submission declined on 28 June 2025 by Theroadislong (talk). This draft's references do not show that the person meets Wikipedia's criteria for inclusion for people. The draft requires multiple published secondary sources that: provide significant coverage: discuss the person in detail, not brief mentions or interviews lacking independent analysis; are reliable: from reputable outlets with editorial oversight; are independent: not connected to the person, such as interviews, press releases, the subject's own website, or sponsored content. Please add references that meet all three of these criteria. If none exist, the subject is not yet suitable for Wikipedia. Declined by Theroadislong 11 months ago.

Submission declined on 28 June 2025 by Qcne (talk). This draft is not written from a neutral point of view. Wikipedia articles must be written neutrally in a formal, impersonal, and dispassionate way. They should not read like a blog post, advertisement, or fan page. Rewrite the draft to remove: promotional language: see Words to watch; personal commentary: opinions or direct addresses to the reader; informal language. Instead, only summarize in your own words a range of independent, reliable, published sources that discuss the subject. Declined by Qcne 11 months ago.

Submission declined on 22 June 2025 by Rambley (talk). This draft is not adequately supported by reliable sources. Wikipedia's verifiability policy requires that all content be supported by reliable sources. Reliable sources include: reputable newspapers, magazines, academic journals, and books from respected publishers. Unacceptable sources include: personal blogs, social media, predatory publishers, most tabloids, and websites where anyone can contribute. Replace any unreliable sources with high-quality sources. If you cannot find a reliable source for the material, it should be removed. Declined by Rambley 11 months ago.

Submission declined on 10 June 2025 by MCE89 (talk). This draft is not adequately supported by reliable sources. Wikipedia's verifiability policy requires that all content be supported by reliable sources. Reliable sources include: reputable newspapers, magazines, academic journals, and books from respected publishers. Unacceptable sources include: personal blogs, social media, predatory publishers, most tabloids, and websites where anyone can contribute. Replace any unreliable sources with high-quality sources. If you cannot find a reliable source for the material, it should be removed. This draft's references do not show that the subject meets Wikipedia's criteria for inclusion for academics. The draft requires either: evidence that the subject meets any of the specific criteria for academics; or multiple published secondary sources that: provide significant coverage: discuss the subject in detail, not just brief mentions or routine announcements; are reliable: from reputable outlets with editorial oversight; are independent: not connected to the subject, such as interviews, press releases, the subject's own website, or sponsored content. Please add references that meet these criteria. If none exist, the subject is not yet suitable for Wikipedia. Declined by MCE89 11 months ago.

Submission declined on 8 May 2025 by Greenman (talk). This draft is not adequately supported by reliable sources. Wikipedia's verifiability policy requires that all content be supported by reliable sources. Reliable sources include: reputable newspapers, magazines, academic journals, and books from respected publishers. Unacceptable sources include: personal blogs, social media, predatory publishers, most tabloids, and websites where anyone can contribute. Replace any unreliable sources with high-quality sources. If you cannot find a reliable source for the material, it should be removed. This draft is not written from a neutral point of view. Wikipedia articles must be written neutrally in a formal, impersonal, and dispassionate way. They should not read like a blog post, advertisement, or fan page. Rewrite the draft to remove: promotional language: see Words to watch; personal commentary: opinions or direct addresses to the reader; informal language. Instead, only summarize in your own words a range of independent, reliable, published sources that discuss the subject. Declined by Greenman 12 months ago.

• Comment: This needs re-writing to remove all the promotion. qcne (talk) 17:10, 28 June 2025 (UTC)

• Comment: WP: CITEOVERKILL Why do you have so many citations after her name? Astra Travasso (talk) 14:28, 24 June 2025 (UTC)

• Comment: There's just too many claims about the subject that aren't backed up by sources. Either cite the claims or remove them. A random PDF of all her achievements is also not a reliable source. Rambley (talk) 13:50, 22 June 2025 (UTC)

• Comment: See WP:BLP. Statements, starting with the date of birth, need to be sourced or removed. Greenman (talk) 19:40, 8 May 2025 (UTC)

Heather Augustyn..^[1][2][3] is an American author, journalist, and academic known for her extensive research and publications on ska and Jamaican music history. She currently holds the position of Assistant Professor of Practice in Writing at Purdue University Northwest, where she teaches courses in composition, creative writing, and cultural studies. Augustyn’s scholarship focuses on the cultural and historical significance of ska, reggae, and related musical genres of the African diaspora.

Born Heather Ransford in 1972,^[4] Augustyn was raised in Northwest Indiana. She received a Bachelor of Arts in English and Philosophy from Bradley University and later earned a Master of Arts in Writing from DePaul University.

Prior to her academic appointment, Augustyn worked as a correspondent for The Times of Northwest Indiana for 12 years. Her bylines have appeared in prominent publications such as SPIN Magazine, Wax Poetics, DownBeat, The Village Voice, In These Times, The Humanist, Lake Magazine, and Shore Magazine.^{[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]} Her journalistic work often explores music, culture, and social issues.

At Purdue University Northwest, Augustyn integrates creative nonfiction with ethnomusicological approaches, particularly emphasizing Caribbean music traditions. Her academic contributions include peer-reviewed publications in journals such as Jamaica Journal ^[13] and Caribbean Quarterly ^[14], as well as conference presentations at institutions including the University of the West Indies, Ton Duc Thang University (Vietnam), and the University of Cambridge.

Augustyn’s first book, Ska: An Oral History (2010)^[15][16], was nominated for the Association for Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC) Award for Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research ^[17]. She has been a featured presenter at international conferences such as the Global Reggae Conference ^[18][19] (Kingston, Jamaica), the International Conference on Innovations in the Social Sciences and Humanities (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) ^[20] , and the British Forum for Ethnomusicology (Cambridge, UK) ^[21][22]

In 2020, Augustyn donated her extensive archive of ska-related interviews, recordings, and ephemera to Indiana University Bloomington’s Archives of African American Music and Culture (AAAMC). The Heather Augustyn Collection, covering materials from 1944 to 2018, documents the history of ska, rocksteady, and reggae music and serves as a valuable resource for scholars of Caribbean music.

Augustyn is the author of several books that chronicle the evolution of Jamaican music, with particular attention to underrepresented voices in the genre:

• Ska: An Oral History, McFarland, 2010.^[15][16]
• Ska: The Rhythm of Liberation, Rowman & Littlefield, 2013.^[23]
• Don Drummond: The Genius and Tragedy of the World's Greatest Trombonist, McFarland, 2013.^[24][25]
• Songbirds: Pioneering Women in Jamaican Music, Half Pint Press, 2014.^{[26] [27]}
• Alpha Boys School: Cradle of Jamaican Music, Half Pint Press, 2017.^{[28] [29]}
• Operation Jump Up: Jamaica's Campaign for a National Sound, Half Pint Press, 2018.^[30]
• Rude Girls: Women in 2 Tone and One Step Beyond, Sally Brown Publishing, 2023.^[2][31]

Her publications contribute significantly to the historiography of ska and Jamaican music, with a recurring focus on gender, diaspora, and cultural identity.

The Heather Augustyn Collection at the AAAMC ^[32] , Indiana University, contains a wide range of primary materials related to ska, reggae, and rocksteady, including oral histories, photographs, audio recordings, and printed ephemera. The collection enhances public and scholarly access to resources documenting the global spread and cultural context of Jamaican music traditions.

In 2015, Augustyn delivered a TEDx talk,^[33] advocating for the importance of preserving oral histories. She emphasized the accessibility of storytelling through digital tools and encouraged communities to record personal narratives for posterity. In 2025 Augustyn spoke at the Grammy Museum as a featured panelists on 'Ska Her Way' Grammy Museum

• "Pick It Up!: Ska in the '90s" (2019).^[34] – Documentary writer

• "The Man Who Wrote the Music Down: Jamaican legend Carlos Malcolm sets the record straight"^[35] Spin Magazine January 21, 2025.
• "The Selecter Headlines 10th Annual Supernova Ska Fest: Virgina's annual celebration of the Jamaican sound has grown from a backyard party to an institution"^[36] Spin Magazine October 29, 2024.
• "Something Wicked This Way Comes: Pussy Riot: Denounced by Putin as witches, these punk warriors' warnings position them more as seers"^[37] Spin Magazine November 29, 2023.
• "World Ska's Stupendous Supernova: A Rude Dispatch From Virginia: The biggest ska festival on the planet is a multicultural fusion reaction of positivity"^[38] Spin Magazine October 10, 2023.
• "Kurt Vonnegut's Last Interview: The late, great author on family, freethinkers and the entertainment in Indiana"^[39] In These Times May 9, 2007.
• "Did Rap Really Come From Jamaica?"^[40] Spin Magazine August 9, 2023.
• "Prolific Indie Darling Repeats Himself Splendidly"^[41] The Village Voice.
• "Jazz on the Upbeat"^[42] DownBeat Magazine February 2019, p. 66.

• Augusty, Heather at Purdue University Northwest
• Augsutyn, Heather at WoldCat
• Google Scholar report
• Video interview on Jamaican Music History - The Roundtable Perspective 406 w/Guest Heather Augustyn
• Video interview on Women in Jamaican Music - The Roundtable Perspective 412 w/Guest Heather Augustyn
• History of LA Ska One On One Sessions Ep 56 - Heather Augustyn (author) & Joanna Wallace (filmmaker)