2024 Adult Authors
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Amy Jo Burns is the author of the memoir Cinderland and the novel Shiner, which was a Barnes & Noble Discover Pick and an NPR Best Book of the year. Her latest novel, Mercury, is a Barnes & Noble Book Club Pick, a Book of the Month Pick, a People Magazine Book of the Week, and an Editor’s Choice selection in The New York Times. Amy Jo’s books and writing have been featured in Elle, Good Housekeeping, Harper's Bazaar, The Paris Review Daily, and the anthology Not That Bad.
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Lorene Cary is the author of the memoirs Ladysitting and Black Ice, three novels, and a book for young readers. Her one-act opera, Ladysitting, premiered January 2024 at Arden Theatre, Philadelphia, based on her memoir. Non-fiction also includes a collection of stories for young readers, Free! Great Escapes from Slavery on the Underground Railroad. Novels include The Price of a Child, chosen as the first One Book One Philadelphia and One Book One Norristown; a girlfriend novel Pride; and the critically acclaimed If Sons, Then Heirs. She teaches fiction and non-fiction at the University of Pennsylvania, and created #VotethatJawn for her students to write online and post to social media to encourage Philly youth to register and vote, and to amplify youth voice. She lives in Philadelphia.
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Keith O'Brien is the New York Times bestselling author of Charlie Hustle and other books, including Fly Girls and Paradise Falls. He has written for the the Washington Post, the New York Times, and The Atlantic, and his stories have appeared on National Public Radio.
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Adelle Waldman is the author of the novels, Help Wanted (W.W. Norton, March 2024), and The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P., which was published by Henry Holt in 2013 and was named one of that year’s best books by The New Yorker, The Economist, The New Republic, NPR, Slate, Bookforum, The Guardian and others. She lives in the Hudson Valley with her husband and daughter.
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Eric Weiner is an award-winning journalist, bestselling author, and speaker. His books include The Geography of Bliss, The Geography of Genius, Man Seeks God and The Socrates Express. His latest book is Ben & Me (Avid Reader Press, June 2024). His books have been translated into more than twenty languages. Eric is a former foreign correspondent for NPR, and reporter for The New York Times. He is a regular contributor to The Washington Post, BBC Travel, and AFAR, among other publications. He lives in the Washington, D.C. area.
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Phillip B. Williams is an award-winning poet. His debut novel, Ours, is an epic about the spiritual costs of a freedom that demands fierce protection. Set over the course of four decades and steeped in a rich tradition of American literature informed by Black surrealism, mythology, and spirituality, Ours is a stunning exploration of the possibilities and limitations of love and freedom, and is the 2024 Collingswood Town Book.