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Kacen Callender

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Kacen Callender
Callender reads for the National Book Foundation in 2020
Callender reads for the National Book Foundation in 2020
BornSeptember 19, 1989
St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
OccupationWriter
LanguageEnglish
NationalityAmerican
Alma materSarah Lawrence College (BA)
The New School (MFA)
Years active2018–present
Notable works
Notable awards
Website
kacencallender.com

Kacen Callender (born September 19, 1989) is a Saint Thomian author of children's fiction and fantasy, best known for their Stonewall Book Award and Lambda Literary Award—winning middle grade debut Hurricane Child (2018).[1] Their fantasy novel, Queen of the Conquered, is the 2020 winner of the World Fantasy Award,[2] and King and the Dragonflies won the 2020 National Book Award for Young People's Literature and the 2021 Lambda Literary Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature.[3][4]

Personal life

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Callender was born in 1989 and raised in Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.[5] Callender has a bachelor's degree from Sarah Lawrence College in Japanese and Creative Writing and a MFA from The New School's Writing for Children program.[6]

Prior to becoming an author, Callender was an editor at Little, Brown Book Group.[7] In 2018, in reaction to Hurricane Irma, Callender launched the online auction #USVIPubFund, under which they and other book publishing professionals raised $104,000 to support the U.S. Virgin Islands.[8][9][10]

Callender is Black, queer, trans, and uses they/them and he/him pronouns.[11][12] Callender debuted their new name when announcing their next young adult novel Felix Ever After in May 2019.[13]

Critical reception

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Their debut novel, Hurricane Child, about a twelve-year-old born during a hurricane who believes herself to be cursed, was published by Scholastic in 2018 and received the Stonewall Book Award in 2019.[1]

Both Hurricane Child and Callender's young adult debut, This Is Kind of an Epic Love Story, were nominated for a 2019 Lambda Literary Award for Children's / Young Adult Literature.[14] Hurricane Child went on to win the award.[15]

Their second young adult novel, Felix Ever After, is about a transgender teen who catfishes a classmate for revenge and ends up falling for him.[13] Felix Ever After was published with Balzer + Bray in 2020 and sold together with This Is Kind of an Epic Love Story in November 2017.[13][16]

King and the Dragonflies, Callender's second middle-grade novel that explores race and sexuality, was published in 2020.[17] It received a starred review from School Library Journal,[18] Horn Book,[19] and Publishers Weekly.[20]

Their adult debut, Queen of the Conquered, was published by Orbit in 2019. It is set in a Caribbean-inspired fantasy world and tells the story of a biracial black woman who fights to retain power in a society that loathes the idea of her.[21] It received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews[22] and School Library Journal.

King and the Dragonflies was named the winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature at the 33rd Lambda Literary Awards in 2021.[23]

Awards

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Year Work Award Category Result Ref.
2019 Hurricane Child Stonewall Book Award Children's and Young Adult Won [24]
Lambda Literary Award Children's and Young Adult Literature Won [15][25]
This Is Kind of an Epic Love Story Shortlisted [26]
2020 King and the Dragonflies National Book Award Young People's Literature Won [3]
Queen of the Conquered World Fantasy Award Novel Won [27][2]
2021 Felix Ever After Stonewall Book Award Children's and Young Adult Won [24]
King and the Dragonflies Coretta Scott King Award — Honor [28]
Lambda Literary Award Children's and Young Adult Literature Won [29]
Walter Dean Myers Award — Honor [30][31]

Bibliography

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Middle Grade

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  • —— (2018). Hurricane Child (hardcover ed.). Scholastic. pp. 1–214. ISBN 978-1338129304.
  • —— (2020). King and the Dragonflies (hardcover ed.). Scholastic Press. pp. 1–272. ISBN 978-1338129335.
  • —— (2022). Moonflower (hardcover ed.). Scholastic Inc. pp. 1–272. ISBN 978-1338636598.

Young Adult

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Adult Fantasy

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Islands of Blood and Storm Series

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  1. —— (2019). Queen of the Conquered (hardcover ed.). Orbit. pp. 1–400. ISBN 978-0316454933.
  2. —— (2020). King of the Rising (paperback ed.). Orbit. pp. 1–384. ISBN 978-0316454940.

Audio Novella

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References

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  1. ^ a b HCHO (2019-01-28). ""Julián is a Mermaid" and "Hurricane Child" win 2019 Stonewall Children's and Young Adult Literature Award". News and Press Center. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
  2. ^ a b "World Fantasy Awards 2020". World Fantasy Awards. Archived from the original on April 2, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "National Book Awards 2020". National Book Foundation. Retrieved 2020-11-19.
  4. ^ "2021 Winners". Lambda Literary. Retrieved 2021-06-02.
  5. ^ "In Brief: January 17, 2019". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
  6. ^ "Callender Kheryn". Brooklyn Book Festival. Retrieved 2019-04-08.[permanent dead link‍]
  7. ^ Adler, Dahlia (2018-07-12). "Better Know an Author: Kheryn Callender". LGBTQ Reads. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
  8. ^ "PubforPR Auction Exceeds Fundraising Goal for Hurricane Relief". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
  9. ^ Staff, Source (2018-03-17). "St. Thomas Native Raises $104,000 Online for Hurricane Relief". St. Croix Source. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
  10. ^ Staff, LORI ABBOTTS Daily News (17 March 2018). "V.I. author Kheryn Callender raises more than $100K for hurricane relief". The Virgin Islands Daily News. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
  11. ^ Rish, Jocelyn. "Kheryn Callender, author of THIS IS KIND OF AN EPIC LOVE STORY, on writing a novel that's fun". Adventures in YA Publishing. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
  12. ^ "Episode 54! The PW Publishing Industry Salary Survey, 2018: Conversation with Kheryn Callender, PART 1". KIDLIT WOMEN*. 14 January 2019. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
  13. ^ a b c "Rights Report: Week of May 20, 2019". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 2019-05-28.
  14. ^ "Announcing the 2019 Lambda Literary Awards Nominations". them. 7 March 2019. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
  15. ^ a b "Congratulations to the Winners of the 2019 Lambda Literary Awards!". Book Marks. June 4, 2019. Retrieved 2019-06-05.
  16. ^ "Rights Report: Week of November 13, 2017". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 2019-05-28.
  17. ^ Nicole (June 17, 2019). "Kacen Callender's 'King and the Dragonflies' Announced". Nerds and beyond.
  18. ^ Kacen, Callender. "King and the Dragonflies". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2020-02-23.
  19. ^ Bracy, Pauletta Brown. "Review of King and the Dragonflies". The Horn Book. Retrieved 2020-02-23.
  20. ^ "King and the Dragonflies". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 2020-02-23.
  21. ^ "YA Author Kacen Callender on Transgender Characters and Writing for Teens". Philadelphia Magazine. 2019-11-03. Retrieved 2020-02-23.
  22. ^ QUEEN OF THE CONQUERED | Kirkus Reviews.
  23. ^ Jane Henderson, "Lambda Literary Awards announce winners". St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 1, 2021.
  24. ^ a b admin (2009-09-09). "Stonewall Book Awards List". Round Tables. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
  25. ^ "31st Annual Lambda Literary Award Winners Announced". Lambda Literary. 2019-06-04. Retrieved 2022-01-20.
  26. ^ Glyer, Mike (2019-03-07). "2019 Lambda Literary Awards Nominees". File 770. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
  27. ^ "sfadb : Kacen Callender Awards". www.sfadb.com. Retrieved 2022-08-11.
  28. ^ "Coretta Scott King Book Awards - All Recipients, 1970-Present". Round Tables. 2012-04-05. Retrieved 2022-01-20.
  29. ^ Gentes, Brian (2021-06-02). "2021 Lambda Literary Award Winners Announced". Lambda Literary. Retrieved 2022-01-20.
  30. ^ Schaub, Michael (2021-01-22). "Winners of the Walter Dean Myers Awards Announced". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2022-01-20.
  31. ^ Nutt, Gina (2021-03-15). "Walter Dean Myers Awards". Shelf Awareness. Retrieved 2022-01-20.
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