Connie Briscoe facts for kids

Connie Briscoe (born December 31, 1952) is an American author. She writes exciting stories, often about love and history. Her first book, Sisters and Lovers, came out in 1994. It was very popular, selling almost 500,000 copies in its first two years.

Connie Briscoe is known as one of the great writers who became famous in the early 1990s. This was a time when many people became very interested in African-American fiction.

Early Life and School

Connie Briscoe was born in Washington, D.C., on December 31, 1952. She grew up in the Silver Spring, Maryland, area.

Connie was born with a hearing problem. By the time she was thirty, she became profoundly deaf. This means she could not hear much at all. However, she became very good at reading lips to understand people.

She went to Hampton University and earned her first degree in 1974. Later, she studied at American University. She received a master's degree there in 1978.

Her Writing Career

Connie Briscoe worked in different jobs before becoming a full-time writer. From 1976 to 1980, she was a research analyst. Then, she worked as an editor for a research center from 1981 to 1990.

From 1990 to 1994, she was the managing editor for a magazine called American Annals of the Deaf. This magazine is published by Gallaudet University Press. While working there, Connie learned American Sign Language. She also learned a lot about deaf culture.

Connie wrote her first novel, Sisters and Lovers, while working at Gallaudet. This book tells the story of three young Black sisters and their dating experiences. The book was a big success! Because of this, she decided to become a writer all the time.

Her second book, Big Girls Don't Cry, was published in 1996. This story is about a young Black woman who starts working in business. This happens during the 1960s and 1970s. In 1996, a writer for Newsweek magazine said Connie Briscoe was part of a new type of writing. This new style focused on happy stories about Black women today.

In 2022, USA Today newspaper included her in an article. The article was called 100 Black novelists and fiction writers you should read.

Connie Briscoe's Books

• Sisters and Lovers, 1994
• Big Girls Don't Cry, 1996
• A Long Way from Home, 1999
• P. G. County, 2002
• Can't get enough, 2005
• You Only Get Better: Celebrating Life Every Step of the Way, 2007
• Jewels: 50 Phenomenal Black Women Over 50, 2007
• Sisters and Husbands, 2009
• Money Can't Buy Love, 2011
• You Never Know, 2023
• Stepping Out: The Unapologetic Style of African Americans over Fifty, 2023
• Chloe, 2025

Awards and Recognition

In 2000, Gallaudet University gave Connie Briscoe an award. It was called the Amos Kendall Award. This award honors a deaf person for their great work in a field not related to deafness.

Her third book, A Long Way From Home, was nominated for the NAACP Image Awards. This award celebrates the achievements of people of color in arts and entertainment.