Kalisha Buckhanon facts for kids

Kalisha Buckhanon (born April 1, 1977) is an American author. She writes often about books, race, and the experiences of Black women. She studied at the University of Chicago and New School University. In 2006, she won an Alex Award.

Early Life and Inspiration

Kalisha Buckhanon was born in Kankakee, Illinois. She started writing when she was young. In high school, she was Class President. She also worked as a community activist. Her parents taught her to be involved in her community.

She found a book called The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison at her local library. This book helped her feel strong enough to write from the perspective of a Black woman.

Buckhanon went to the University of Chicago. There, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. She also received a Master of Arts in English. Later, she earned a Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A) in Creative Writing from New School University.

Writing Career

Buckhanon's first short story was "Card Parties." It was published in 2003 in the Michigan Quarterly Review.

Her first novel, Upstate, came out in 2005. It was published by St. Martin's Press. When Upstate was released, Essence magazine named Buckhanon one of their "Three Writers to Watch."

About Upstate

Upstate tells the story of a young couple from New York. The American Library Association gave the novel an award. Other famous authors praised the book. Novelist Sapphire called it "wild and beautiful." Writer Dorothy Allison said it was "heartbreaking and true." Author Terry McMillian described the book as "honest." She said Buckhanon "captured real emotion."

Upstate became very popular with young people and teachers. It was nominated for the Hurston-Wright Legacy Award. The audiobook version of Upstate also won an Audie Award for Literary Fiction.

Conception and Other Works

In 2008, her second novel, Conception, was published. It was also released by St. Martin's Press. School Library Journal suggested that librarians should recommend this book. They said it was great for readers who liked The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison.

A literary group in Chicago, Friends of American Writers, honored Conception. They gave it the 2009 Adult Literary Fiction Prize.

Awards and Recognition

Kalisha Buckhanon has received several awards for her writing:

• Illinois Arts Council Artist Fellowship in Prose (2001)
• Hurston/Wright Legacy Award in Debut Fiction - finalist (2006)
• American Library Association ALEX Award (2006)
• Audio Publishers Association Audie Award in Literary Fiction (2006)
• Terry McMillan Young Author Award at the National Book Club Conference (2006)
• Friends of American Writers Adult Literary Fiction Award (2009)