ABOUT ALICIA D.
What's there to know about Alicia D?
Well, she likes chunky guacamole, shiny things, dancing, good stories, and great jokes. Of course, there are a few other tidbits you may want to know...
Alicia is an award-winning author of books that offer understanding, empathy, hope, and inspiration. The New York Times praised Genesis Begins Again as a "stunning debut novel . . . reminiscent of Toni Morrison's "The Bluest Eye," and it received the Newbery Honor, Coretta Scott King-John Steptoe Award for New Talent, Kirkus Prize Finalist, and William C. Morris Prize Finalist Awards. It also appeared on numerous ‘best-of’ lists, choice awards, and Battle of the Books.
Alicia's picture books, Jump at the Sun: The True Life Tale of Unstoppable Storycatcher Zora Neale Hurston and Shirley Chisholm Dared: The Story of the First Black Woman in Congress, have been greeted with starred reviews, with the later winning the Jane Addams Children's Book Award. Alicia's latest work, The Talk, earned both a Coretta Scott King Honor and Golden Kite Honor Awards.
Did we say drama? Why yes, Alicia graduated from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York. She's performed in commercials, off-off Broadway, a stint of sketch and stand-up comedy, and the Children's Theatre of Charlotte. She also wrote a play, I Sing My Sister's Song, which was read at the prestigious Columbia University.
Alicia is a highly acclaimed storyteller of folktales and a writer and star of one-woman shows such as A Time to Remember, where she reenacts historical figures and events. She was also commissioned by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library to present The Mourner’s Bench: The Story of Margaret Garner. These roles prepared Alicia to record the audiobook for Genesis Begins Again, which was an Audie Awards Finalist.
As a keynote speaker, Alicia loves to speak on themes such as the power of storytelling, finding your purpose, on becoming a writer, and mining your life for stories.
Her love for education stems from conducting school residencies as a Master Teaching Artist of arts-integration. She infuses her passion for drama, movement, and storytelling to inspire students to write.
And like other great storytellers, she made the leap into writing--and well, her story continues. Alicia loves laughing, traveling, and Wonder Woman.
Alicia D. Williams has been featured in media outlets such as NPR, QC Nerve, The Charlotte Observer, and Smithsonian Folklife Magazine.
Short Bio:
Alicia D. Williams is the award-winning author of Genesis Begins Again, which received the Newbery and Kirkus Prize honors, a William C. Morris finalist, and won the Coretta Scott King--John Steptoe Award for New Talent. Alicia D also debuted a picture book biography, Jump at the Sun: The True Life Tale of Unstoppable Storycatcher Zora Neale Hurston and followed up with Shirley Chisholm Dared: The Story of the First Black Woman in Congress. The Talk, her latest picture book, won both Coretta Scott King and Golden Kite Honors.
Alicia shares a passion for writing which stems from conducting artist residencies in schools as a Master Teaching Artist of arts-integration. Alicia D infuses her love for drama, movement, comedy, and storytelling to inspire students to write their own narratives. She resides in Charlotte, NC.