This novel also came to be by the support and humor of wonderful friends, and their unspoken agreement of mercy to forget the years of rough writing that preceded this one. I am so thankful for the friendships of those who believed in my writing even when I didn’t. So many thanks to Mary Walters, Njoki Gitahi, Caleb Way, Karin Soukup, Loren Blackman, Darryl Gerlak, Holly Jones, and Alycia Davis.
The teams at the Hillman Grad Network and Sight Unseen Pictures challenge and excite me every day. So many thanks go to Lena Waithe, for her warmth as a teacher, quickness as a writer, and her incredible ability to shine while holding the door open for others. To Rachel Jacobs, for her ability to see outside of a story, her generous and undying patience, and all the times she answered texts and emails when she shouldn’t have. And to Rishi Rajani for his attention to detail, his commitment to the spirit of this novel, and for the most genuine use of exclamation points I have ever encountered.
Christina DiGiacomo has read everything I have ever written and jumped up and down with me when a full-time job became available. I’m quite pleased that we decided to be best friends back in 2001.
And then, lastly, there’s Nathan Rosenberg. Nate, it is an absolute privilege to call you my family. Maybe the best thing I’ve ever done was click Send.
About the Author
Kiley Reid earned her MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop, where she was awarded the Truman Capote Fellowship and taught undergraduate creative writing workshops with a focus on race and class. Her short stories have been featured in Ploughshares, December, New South, and Lumina. Reid lives in Philadelphia.