Young people, third places, and sense of community
Littman, D.M. (under review). Practices and settings which promote a psychological sense of community among young people who experience social marginalization: A scoping review. [under review, Children & Youth Services Review]
Gearhart, M.C., & Littman, D.M. (revise & resubmit). Assessing the emotional and behavioral impact of community and extracurricular activities, police contact, and collective efficacy among youth. [revise & resubmit, Journal of Community Practice]
Littman, D.M. (2021). Third places, social capital, and sense of community as mechanisms of adaptive responding for young people who experience social marginalization. The American Journal of Community Psychology, 69(3-4), 436-450. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12531
Littman, D. M. (2020). Third place theory and social work: Considering collapsed places. Journal of Social Work. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468017320949445
Support for young people experiencing homelessness
(*indicates co-authorship with community-based researchers)
Mollica, M.*, Littman, D.M., Marvin, C.*, Erangey, J.*, Lucas, T.*, Bender, K., & Milligan, T. (2023). “Like a weight off my shoulders”: Participating in peer support from the perspectives of young people experiencing homelessness. Journal of Community Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.23032
Erangey, J.*, Marvin, C.*, Littman, D.M., Mollica, M.*, Bender, C., Lucas, T.*, Milligan, T (2021). How do peer support specialists value self-directed growth over traditional change goals among young people experiencing homelessness? The Journal of Community Psychology, 50(4), 1935-1951. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.22649
Erangey, J.*, Marvin, C.*, Littman, D.M., Mollica, M.*, Bender, C., Lucas, T.*, Milligan, T. (2020). How peers initiate relationships with youth experiencing homelessness. Child and Youth Services Review, 119, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105668
Littman, D.M., DeChants, J., Shelton, J., Bender, K., Hsu, H-T., Narendorf, S.C., Barman-Adhikari, A., Ferguson, K.M., Prock, K.A., Santa Maria, D., Petering, R. (2020). The association between place stayed and self-identification as homeless among unstably housed young adults in seven U.S. cities. The Journal of Social Distress and Homelessness, 31(1), 34-44. https://doi.org/10.1080/10530789.2020.1864211
Chassman, S., Littman, D. M., Bender, K., Santa Maria, D., Shelton, J., Ferguson, K., Hsu, H., Narendorf, S., Barman-Adhikari, A., & Petering, R. (2020). Educational attainment among young adults experiencing homelessness in seven cities across the United States. Child and Youth Services Review,119, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105676
Mutual aid amidst the COVID-19 pandemic [and beyond]
Dunbar, A.Z., Boyett, M., Littman, D.M., Bender, K., Melton, C.C., Saavedra, K., & Milligan, T. (under review). A message board from the future: Signals of mutual aid futures from U.S. based organizers during COVID-19. [under review, Futures].
Littman, D.M., Boyett, M., Bender, K., Dunbar, Z., Hostetter, R., Morris, K., Holloway, B., Sarantakos, S. (accepted). How do participants conceptualize mutual aid in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic? A critical phenomenological analysis. The Journal of Community Practice.
Bender, K., Saavedra, K., Milligan, T., Littman, D.M., Dunbar, A. Z., Boyett, M., Holloway, B. (revise & resubmit). How mutual aid participation developed social bonds and sense of collective responsibility in the early months of COVID-19. [under review, American Journal of Community Psychology]
Dunbar, A.Z., Littman, D.M., Boyett, M., Bender, K., Saavedra, K., Melton, Colleen C., Milligan, T., Bogle, C. (accepted). Using foresight practice to imagine the future(s) of mutual aid. Social Work and Society.
Bender, K., Littman, D.M., Dunbar, Z., Boyett, M., Milligan, T., Santarella, M., Becker-Hafnor, T. (2021). Rapid Emergent Media Scan of Digital Mutual Aid Organizing during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Journal of Community Practice, 29(3), 280-298. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705422.2021.1980477
Littman, D.M., Boyett, M., Bender, K., Dunbar, A.Z., Santarella, M., Becker-Hafnor, T., Saavedra, K., Milligan, T. (2021). Values and beliefs underlying mutual aid: An exploration of collective care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal for the Society of Social Work and Research. https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdf/10.1086/716884
Participatory action research (PAR) methodology
(*indicates co-authorship with community-based researchers)
Littman, D.M., Ortega-Williams, A., Beltrán, R., Wagaman, A., Bender, K., Wernick, L. (under review). Navigating, subverting, and replacing conventional academic structures and expectations to co-create with PAR teams: Where to for PAR scholarship? (under review, Journal of Community Practice).
Littman, D.M., Bender, K., Mollica, M.*, Erangey, J.*, Lucas, T.*, Marvin, C.* (2020). Making power explicit: Using power and values mapping on power-diverse participatory action research (PAR) teams. The Journal of Community Psychology, 49(2), 266 282. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.22456
Prison arts programming & Restorative practices
Littman, D.M., Valdovinos, M., Sliva, S.M. (under review) “He went from being a monster to a person:” Using narrative analysis to explore how victim-offender dialogue (VOD) participants transform through the VOD process. [under review: Qualitative Social Work]
Littman, D.M., Sliva, S., Lin, J. (2021). Closer to the problem: Can a virtual prison arts event foster psychological proximity to the issue of incarceration? Contemporary Justice Review, 25(1), 4-23. https://doi.org/10.1080/10282580.2021.1995719
Littman, D.M., and Sliva, S. (2020). “The walls came down:” A multi-site mixed-methods evaluation of a prison arts program. Justice Evaluation Journal, 4(2), 237-259. https://doi.org/10.1080/24751979.2020.1853484
Littman, D.M., and Sliva, S. (2020). Prison arts program outcomes: A scoping review. The Journal of Correctional Education. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27042216?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
Reflexive practice for practitioners
Hammoor, C., & Littman, D.M. (2022). Unrehearsed moments: Interstices of policy, preparation, and reflexivity. Arts Education Policy Review. https://doi.org/10.1080/10632913.2022.2037484
Littman, D. (2018). Reflective practice and psychodynamic understanding. The Advocate’s Forum, pp. 49-58. Reflective Practice and Psychodynamic Understanding | Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice (uchicago.edu).
Social work futures
Nissen, L., Beaudoin, L., Bell, F., Bradley, S., Brooks, L.A., Dunagan, J., Littman, D. M. (in press). Using futures thinking to imagine the evolution of anti-racism practice in social work: Four scenarios that may or may not involve a future of the profession. In L.S. Abrams, S.E. Crewe, A.J. Dettlaff, J.H. Williams (Eds.), Social Work, White Supremacy, and Racial Justice: Reckoning with Our History, Interrogating our Present, Re-Imagining our Future. Oxford University Press.
Media
Articles I authored
Littman, D. (2021). How can “third place” settings support young people who endure social marginalization? Society for Community Research and Action.
Bender, K., Littman, D., & Dunbar, Z. (2021, April 7). In a crisis, mutual aid steps in when governments fall short. The Colorado Sun.
Littman, D. (2020, May 15). As we live our lives in collapsed spaces, we learn empathy and connection. The Colorado Sun.
Articles featuring my work
Jiminez, E. (2023, April 29). Seattle libraries, transit branch into social work to take on mental health, drug use. The Seattle Times.
Bernot, K. (2023, January 25. System check - Grassroots groups provide legal, financial support for workers' unaddressed needs. Good Beer Hunting.
University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work (2022, December 16). Reimagining the Future of Social Work. GSSW News.
University of Denver Graduate School of Social work. (2022, October 28). Mutual aid collective: A GSSW-community partnership is exploring the intersections of social work and mutual aid. GSSW News.
Schiffres, M. (2022, May 4). MAD RVA free store secures location in Richmond food desert. Virginia Public Media.
University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work. (2020, April 21). GSSW Team Studies Mutual Aid During COVID-19. GSSW News.
Schmelzer, E. (2020, November 28). Coloradans are creating mutual aid networks to deal with devastating needs amid COVID-19. The Denver Post.
Helbig, J. (2018, June 7). A pregnant teen tries to decide what to do with “This Boat Called my Body." The Chicago Reader
