4th Annual Broadleaf Writers Speakers

 

Angie Thomas is the author of the New York Times bestselling novel, The Hate You Give, and recipient of the 2018 William C. Morris Award and the 2018 Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. She was nominated for the Michael L. Printz Award and the Coretta Scott King Award and is the inaugural winner of the Walter Dean Myers Grant, awarded by We Need Diverse Books. Born, raised, and still residing in Jackson, Mississippi—and a former teen rapper—she holds a BFA in Creative Writing from Belhaven University and an unofficial degree in hip hop. Her second novel, On the Come Up, debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestsellers list in February 2019.

Becky Albertalli is an author of contemporary young adult fiction, including Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (now a major motion picture: Love, Simon), The Upside of UnrequitedLeah On the Offbeat, and What If it’s Us (co-authored with Adam Silvera). She lives with her family in Atlanta, and you can visit her online at www.beckyalbertalli.com.

 

 

Xhenet Aliu’s novel, Brass, was published by Random House in January 2018 and was long-listed for the 2018 Center for Fiction First Book Prize. Her debut fiction collection, Domesticated Wild Things, won the Prairie Schooner Book Prize in Fiction. Aliu’s writing has appeared in Glimmer TrainThe New York TimesThe Boston GlobeHobart, American Short FictionLenny LetterLitHubBuzzfeed, and elsewhere, and she has received multiple scholarships from the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, a grant from the Elizabeth George Foundation, and a fellowship from the Djerassi Resident Artists Program, among other awards, including a special mention in the Pushcart Prize anthology.

A native of Waterbury, Connecticut, whose brass industry attracted large waves of Eastern European immigrants before the demise of the factories in the 1970s and ’80s, she now lives in Athens, Georgia, and works as an academic librarian and writing instructor.

Emily Carpenter is the critically acclaimed, bestselling author of suspense novels, Burying the Honeysuckle Girls, The Weight of Lies, and Every Single Secret. After graduating from Auburn with a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication, she moved to New York City. She’s worked as an actor, producer, screenwriter, and behind-the-scenes soap opera assistant for the CBS shows, As the World Turns and Guiding Light. Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, she now lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her family. You can visit Emily at emilycarpenterauthor.com and on Facebook and Twitter.

Roger Johns is a former corporate lawyer and retired college professor, and the author of the Wallace Hartman Mysteries from St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books: Dark River Rising (2017) and River of Secrets (2018). He is the 2018 Georgia Author of the Year (Detective ▪ Mystery Category), a 2018 Killer Nashville Readers’ Choice Award nominee, and a finalist for the 2018 Silver Falchion Award for best police procedural. His articles and interviews on writing and the writing life have appeared in Career Author, Criminal Element, Killer Nashville Articles, and the Southern Literary Review. Roger belongs to the Atlanta Writers Club, Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and International Thriller Writers. Along with four other crime fiction writers, he co-authors the MurderBooks blog at www.murder-books.com. Visit him at www.rogerjohnsbooks.com and you can find him on Twitter at @rogerjohns10.

Kimberly Jones is hosts of the Atlanta Chapter of the popular Well Read Black Girl book club, as well as the infamous, viral sensation the YA Truth or Dare author panel at the Decatur Book Festival. She has worked in film and television with trailblazing figures such as Tyler Perry, Whitney Houston, and 8Ball & MJG. Currently, in addition to writing YA novels, she is a director of feature films and cutting-edge diverse web series. She also regularly lectures on working and succeeding in the Atlanta film market. She has been featured in Redbook, Publisher’s Weekly, School Library Journal, and was Book Brahmin in an issue of Shelf Awareness. James Patterson and the American Booksellers Association chose her out of over 3,000 booksellers to receive a bonus for her outstanding work as an indie bookseller. Her forthcoming YA novel, I’m Not Dying With You Tonight, co-authored with Gilly Segal, is due out from Sourcebooks Fire August, 6 2019.

Soniah Kamal is an award winning novelist and essayist. Her most recent novel, Unmarriageable: Pride & Prejudice in Pakistan, is a New York Public Library Summer 2019 Pick, a Financial Times Best Book of 2019 so far, a BookBub Best Book of 2019 so far and has received nods from NPR, The Atlanta Journal Constitution, Southern Living, Library Reads, Forbes, People Magazine and more. Her debut novel, An Isolated Incident, was a finalist for the Townsend Award for Fiction and the KLF French Fiction. Soniah’s TEDx talk is about regrets and second chances. Her work has appeared in critically acclaimed anthologies and publications including The New York Times, The Guardian, The Atlantic, Buzzfeed and more. Soniah is the recipient of a Susan B. Irene Award from St. Johns College where she received a B.A. in Philosophy and was Paul Bowles Fiction Fellow at Georgia State University where she earned an MFA in Creative Writing. She grew up in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and England and resides in Atlanta, Georgia. For more information on Soniah, visit her at www.soniahkamal.com.

Collin Kelley is the author of the poetry collection Midnight in a Perfect World, just published by Sibling Rivalry Press. His other poetry collections include Better To Travel (Poetry Atlanta Press), Slow To Burn (Seven Kitchens Press), After the Poison (Finishing Line Press) and Render (Sibling Rivalry Press), chosen by the American Library Association for its 2014 Over the Rainbow Book List. He is also the author of The Venus Trilogy of novels – Conquering VenusRemain In Light and Leaving Paris – also published by Sibling Rivalry Press. Remain In Light was the runner-up for the 2013 Georgia Author of the Year Award in Fiction and a 2012 finalist for the Townsend Prize for Fiction. Kelley is also the author of the short story collection, Kiss Shot (Amazon Kindle Exclusive). A recipient of the Georgia Author of the Year Award, Deep South Festival of Writers Award and Goodreads Poetry Award, Kelley’s poetry, reviews, essays and interviews have appeared in magazines, journals and anthologies around the world.

New York Times best-selling author Denene Millner is an award-winning journalist whose insightful and captivating pieces have secured her foothold in the entertainment, parenting, social media and book publishing industries. The former Parenting magazine columnist has penned 27 books, including Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, co-written with Steve Harvey, Around the Way Girl, a memoir with actress Taraji P. Henson and The Vow, which later became a lifetime movie, With this Ring. Millner also is the editor of Denene Millner Books, an imprint that publishes works featuring African American children. Millner also is the founder and editor of MyBrownBaby.com, a critically acclaimed blog that examines the intersection of parenting and motherhood through the multi-cultural experience. MyBrownBaby has won numerous awards and enjoyed recognition as a Top Mom Blog of 2011 and 2012 by Babble.com, solidifying it as one of the most respected and celebrated niche blogs on the web. Millner has contributed to Essence, Ebony, Women’s Health, Redbook and Family Circle; her extensive broadcast experience includes appearances on many day time talk and radio shows. Millner lives in Atlanta with her husband and two daughters.

Nic Stone is the New York Times bestselling author of Dear Martin and Odd One Out. Born and raised in a suburb of Atlanta, GA, the only thing she loves more than an adventure is a good story about one. After graduating from Spelman College, she worked extensively in teen mentoring and lived in Israel for a few years before returning to the US to write full-time. Growing up with a wide range of cultures, religions, and backgrounds, Stone strives to bring these diverse voices and stories to her work. You can find her goofing off and/or fangirling over her husband and sons on most social media platforms as @getnicced.

Christopher Swann is a graduate of Woodberry Forest School in Virginia. He earned a B.A. in English from Washington and Lee University, an M.A. in English and creative writing from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and a Ph.D. in creative writing from Georgia State University. In 2018, Chris was a Townsend Prize finalist, a finalist for a Georgia Author of the Year award, and longlisted for the Southern Book Prize with his debut novel, Shadow of the Lions. He lives with his wife and two sons in Atlanta, where he is the English department chair at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School.

Amazon bestselling author Julian Winters is a former management trainer who lives in the outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia and has been crafting fiction since he was a child, creating communities around his hand-drawn “paper people.” He began writing LGBTQ character-driven stories as a teen. When he isn’t writing or using his sense of humor to entertain his young nephews, Julian enjoys reading, experimental cooking in the kitchen, and watching the only sports he can keep up with: volleyball and soccer. Running with Lions is his debut novel.