The Black Creatives Revisions Workshop is an extended opportunity for writers who have completed a full draft of a Middle Grade, Young Adult, or Adult novel.
Revisions Workshop Faculty
Faculty Bios
About Nicole Dennis-Benn:
Nicole Dennis-Benn is the author of the acclaimed novel, Patsy, (Norton/Liveright, June 2019), which Time Magazine called “stunning,” and the debut novel, Here Comes the Sun (Norton/Liveright, July 2016).
She is s a Lambda Literary Award winner and a recipient of the New York Foundation for the Arts Artist Grant. Time Out Magazine has described Dennis-Benn as an immigrant putting her stamp on New York City and Vice named her among immigrant authors "who are making American Literature great again."
Dennis-Benn is a Kowald Visiting Faculty in City College's MFA Program and Lecturer in the Creative Writing Program at Princeton University. She has previously taught in the writing programs at the University of Pennsylvania and NYU; and has been awarded fellowships from MacDowell Colony, Hedgebrook, Lambda, Barbara Deming Memorial Fund, Hurston/Wright, and Sewanee Writers' Conference. Dennis-Benn was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica.
She is a graduate of St. Andrew High School for Girls and Cornell University; and holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and an MFA in Creative Writing from Sarah Lawrence College. She lives with her wife in Brooklyn, New York.
Photo Credit: Jason Berger
About Dr. Jewell Parker Rhodes:
Dr. Jewell Parker Rhodes is an award-winning and New York Times bestselling author and educator for both youth and adults. She is the author of six books for children including the New York Times bestseller Ghost Boys and Black, Brother, Black, Brother, both named Amazon’s Best Children’s Books of the Year.
Her other books include Towers Falling, and the Louisiana Girls Trilogy: Ninth Ward, Sugar, and Bayou Magic. Jewell is the author of six adult novels: Voodoo Dreams, Magic City, Douglass’ Women, Season, Moon, and Hurricane, as well as the memoir Porch Stories: A Grandmother’s Guide to Happiness, and two writing guides, Free Within Ourselves: Fiction Lessons for Black Authors and The African American Guide to Writing and Publishing Non-Fiction. Jewell has won the American Book Award, the Black Caucus of the American Library Award for Literary Excellence, and the Jane Addams Peace Association Book Award.
Jewell is the Founding Artistic Director of the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing and Narrative Studies Professor and Virginia G. Piper Endowed Chair at Arizona State University. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she currently lives in Seattle.
Photo Credit: Jay Watson
About Nic Stone:
Nic Stone was born and raised in a suburb of Atlanta, GA, and 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 adorable little family on most social media platforms.
Photo Credit: Nic Stone
About Karen Strong:
Karen Strong is the author of the critically acclaimed middle grade novel Just South of Home, which was selected for several Best of Year lists including Kirkus Reviews Best Books, CCBC Choices, and Bank Street Best Books. Her short fiction appears in From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back and A Phoenix First Must Burn. Born and raised in the rural South, she is a graduate of the University of Georgia and an advocate of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). An avid lover of strong coffee, yellow flowers, and night skies, Karen lives in Atlanta. Visit her at karen-strong.com.
Photo Credit: Stephanie Ifendu
About Jason Mott:
Jason Mott is the author of three novels, including the New York Times Bestseller, The Returned, which was the basis for the ABC television series, Resurrection. He has a MFA and a BFA, both from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and his work has been published in various journals. He was also an NAACP Image Award nominee. His fourth novel, Hell Of A Book, will be released August 10, 2021.
Revisions Workshop Writing Coaches
Writing Coach Bios
About Dee Hudson:
Dee has been described as many things, but everything she does goes to back her love for reading. A forever student, she can always be found looking for a new project. Whether it be learning ASL, researching the lives of those in Tudor England, or tackling her ever-growing TBR list, Dee always finds a way to incorporate her hobbies into her biggest passion, reading and editing. While you can mainly find her reading Romance, she also loves Nonfiction, MG, and all things YA.
About D. Ann Williams:
D. Ann Williams (she/her) is a Black American editor and diversity consultant. She started editing at UCLA as the editor-in-chief of two academic journals. For the past ten years, she has edited business and academic writing before expanding into fiction editing with Tessera Editorial. She provides a variety of services (from developmental editing to sensitivity reading), and her clients have included Big 5 publishers, indie publishers, and many authors. She loves to read and edit romance, kidlit (picture books, MG, and YA), thrillers, and science fiction/fantasy.
