Tina McElroy Ansa is a novelist, publisher, filmmaker, teacher and journalist.
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Tina McElroy Ansa
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Tina McElroy Ansa is a novelist, publisher, filmmaker, teacher and journalist. But above all, she is a storyteller. She calls herself “part of a long and honored writing tradition, one of those little Southern girls who always knew she wanted to be a writer.” She grew up in Middle Georgia in the 1950s hearing her grandfather’s stories on the porch of her family home and strangers’ stories downtown in her father’s juke joint. These tales inspired “Mulberry, Georgia,” the mythical world of her four novels, Baby of the Family, Ugly Ways, The Hand I Fan With and You Know Better.
In March 2007, Ansa launched an independent publishing company, DownSouth Press, with a focus on African American literature, both fiction and nonfiction, established and emerging literary voices. Her fifth novel, Taking After Mudear, a sequel to her best-selling Ugly Ways, was the lead title on DownSouth Press’s first list in 2008.
Ansa’s first novel, Baby of the Family, was named a Notable Book of the Year by The New York Times, and made the African American Bestseller List for Paperback Fiction. Baby of the Family was chosen by the Georgia Center for the Book as one of the “Top 25 Books Every Georgian Should Read.” The book was also awarded The American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults in 1990, and won the 1989 Georgia Authors Series Award. She and her filmmaker husband, Joneé Ansa, an American Film Institute Fellow, are currently adapting Baby of the Family for the screen in a feature film starring Alfre Woodard, Loretta Devine, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Vanessa Williams, Todd Bridges, Pam Grier, and Tonea Stewart.
Ansa’s second novel, Ugly Ways, was named Best Fiction by The African American Blackboard List in 1994, and also earned Ansa an NAACP Image Award nomination. In 2005, the novel was included in the “Top 25 Books Every Georgian Should Read” by the Georgia Center for the Book. Award-winning actress Alfre Woodard has entered into a partnership with Ansa to bring Ugly Ways to the screen.
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Topics
Topics
Reaching the Hip-Hop Generation through Fiction
Making the Transition from Journalism to Fiction
How I Got Started Writing
Current Trends in Contemporary Fiction
Mining One’s “Gold” (Life, History, Religion, Skill)
Videos
Videos
The Moth Presents Tina McElroy Ansa: Juicy Lessons from 'The Place'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IABsYMwgZh0
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