LaShonda K. Barnett facts for kids

LaShonda Katrice Barnett (born May 27, 1974) is an American writer, playwright, and former radio host. She is known for her short stories and plays. She has also edited books about African-American music.

Her first novel, Jam on the Vine, came out in 2015. It won a Stonewall Book Award in 2016 from the American Library Association. The book tells the story of an African American journalist named Ivoe Williams.

Barnett's short stories have appeared in many collections of writings (called anthologies) and in literary magazines. Some of these include The Chicago Tribune ("Printer's Row"), Callaloo, and Guernica Magazine.

About LaShonda Katrice Barnett

LaShonda Katrice Barnett was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1974. She grew up in Park Forest, Illinois, with her four siblings.

She went to the University of Missouri and earned a degree in English. She also studied German and Russian. Later, she earned a master's degree in Women's History from Sarah Lawrence College. She then received her Ph.D. in American Studies from the College of William & Mary. Since 1994, Barnett has been a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, which is a social group for women. Today, she lives in Chicago.

Barnett has been a visiting writer at several places, including the Noepe Center for Literary Arts and the Fine Arts Work Center. These places give writers time and space to work on their projects. In 2015, she was nominated twice for the Pushcart Prize, an award for short stories, poems, and essays.

She has taught history and literature at many universities. These include Columbia University, Sarah Lawrence College, Brown University, Northwestern University, and Syracuse University. Her classes focused on the history and literature of people of African descent, and on Women's Studies. She also hosted her own jazz music show called Mapping Jazz on WBAI radio in New York City.

In 2007, Barnett wrote a book called I Got Thunder: Black Women Songwriters On Their Craft. This book came from her interviews with women musicians about how they create their music. She also wrote Off The Record: Conversations With African American & Brazilian Women Musicians in 2015.

LaShonda Katrice Barnett has received grants for her writing. These include money from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. She has also won awards from the New York Money for Women/Barbara Deming Memorial Fund and the College Language Association.

Her Written Works

LaShonda Katrice Barnett has written and edited several books and many short stories.

Books

• LaShonda K. Barnett, (editor) I Got Thunder: Black Women Songwriters on Their Craft, Thunder's Mouth Press, 2007.
• Off the Record: Conversations with African American and Brazilian Women Musicians, Scarecrow Press, Incorporated, 2012.
• Callaloo and Other Lesbian Love Tales, New Victoria Publishers, 1999.

Short Stories

• "Callaloo" (2007)
• "Dear, dear Shay" (2012)
• "Road to Wingo" (2013)
• "Courage, Meine Freundin" (2013)
• "Hen's Teeth" (2013)
• "533" (2013)
• "Broken Shoes For Walking (Wings That Never Fit)" (2014)
• "Ezekiel Saw the Wheel" (2014)
• "Graf" (2014)
• "Waltz Me Once Again" (2015)
• "You're the Sweetest One" (2017)

See also

• American literature
• African American literature