Nic Stone

Stone was born and raised in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia.{{cite web|url=http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/authors/nic-stone/|title=Nic Stone Books, Author Biography, and Reading Level {{!}} Scholastic|website=www.scholastic.com|access-date=April 6, 2019}} She has a degree in Psychology from Spelman College. She is African-American{{Cite news|url=https://www.bustle.com/p/author-nic-stones-letter-to-martin-luther-king-jr-is-a-reminder-to-remember-the-disobedience-7908202|title=This Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Remember He Was Disobedient|last=Stone|first=Nic|work=Bustle|access-date=November 11, 2018|language=en}} and is openly bisexual.{{Cite news|url=https://www.ajc.com/entertainment/books--literature/nic-stone-keeps-real/jfOwQD7VXRNf8T96hO1hlJ/|title=Nic Stone keeps it real|work=ajc|access-date=November 11, 2018}} After college, she worked in teen mentoring. She moved to Israel for a few years.{{cite web|url=https://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/meet-nic-stone-debut-author-of-bestselling-novel-dear-martin|title=Bestselling Novel 'Dear Martin' Addresses Racial Profiling & Killings of Unarmed Black Teens|date=October 23, 2017|website=WritersDigest.com|language=en-US|access-date=April 8, 2019}}

During a trip to Israel in 2008, Stone discovered that she wanted to become a writer when encountering a family with a story that fascinated her.{{cite web|url=https://businessjournaldaily.com/dear-martin-author-shares-her-story-students/|title='Dear Martin' Author Shares Her Story With Students|first=George|last=Nelson|date=February 20, 2019|website=Business Journal Daily|language=en-US|access-date=May 29, 2019}} Stone wrote her first novel for young adults in 2017, inspired by American young adult novelist Veronica Roth's Divergent series because it was the first series featuring Black characters that she encountered that live until the end. That same book later landed her a literary agent.

Her debut novel Dear Martin, about a high school senior in a predominantly white school who starts writing letters to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. after he has a dangerous encounter with racist police officers, was sold as a proposal in a two-book deal{{Cite news|url=https://www.bustle.com/p/why-dear-martin-author-nic-stone-sees-her-books-very-existence-as-a-sign-of-progress-for-america-7598175|title=How This Author Is Challenging The YA Status Quo With Her #BlackLivesMatter Novel|last=Foley|first=Maddy|work=Bustle|access-date=November 11, 2018|language=en}} and published in 2017 by Crown Books for Young Readers. Stone has stated she began writing her debut novel Dear Martin after the death of Jordan Davis, a 17-year-old black high school student who was fatally shot by a white man in a hate crime in 2012.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/11/what-would-martin-do/543300/|title=The Teen Protagonist Writing Letters to Dr. King|last=Green|first=Adrienne|date=November 1, 2017|work=The Atlantic|access-date=November 11, 2018|language=en-US}} The book debuted on the New York Times bestseller list at #4.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/2017/11/05/young-adult-hardcover/?action=click&contentCollection=Books&referrer=https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/2017/10/29/young-adult-hardcover/®ion=Header&module=ArrowNav&version=Right&pgtype=Reference&mtrref=www.nytimes.com&gwh=FE0608950D2C47A3541A32022D8D295C&gwt=pay|title=Young Adult Hardcover Books - Best Sellers - November 5, 2017 - The New York Times|work=The New York Times |access-date=November 11, 2018|language=en}} It was also chosen as a finalist for the William C. Morris award in 2017{{Cite news|url=http://www.ala.org/yalsa/morris-award|title=Morris Award|date=February 27, 2012|work=Young Adult Library Services Association|access-date=November 11, 2018|language=en}} and received a starred review from Booklist.{{cite web|url=https://www.google.de/search?q=booklist+dear+martin&oq=booklist+dear+martin&aqs=chrome.0.69i59.2487j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8|title=booklist dear martin - Google Search|website=www.google.de|language=en|access-date=November 11, 2018}} It has been published and translated in Germany, Brazil, Indonesia, The Netherlands, UK, Turkey, and Romania.{{cite web|url=http://www.thedeborahharrisagency.com/book-page/209/dear-martin-|title=DEAR MARTIN - The Deborah Harris Agency|website=www.thedeborahharrisagency.com|language=en|access-date=November 11, 2018}} Two years after it was first published, Dear Martin again hit the New York Times bestseller list, at #1 for Young Adult Paperbacks in February 2020.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/young-adult-paperback-monthly/|title=Young Adult Paperback Books - Best Sellers - The New York Times|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 15, 2020|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}

A sequel, Dear Justyce, about an incarcerated teen who is on trial for murder charges, was published in October 2020. Stone says she was not planning on writing a sequel but was encouraged by her publisher, and decided to write a book about a "black boy that everybody is afraid of."

A sequel, Dear Manny, was published in March 2025.{{Cite web |title=Dear Manny by Nic Stone: 9780593308011 {{!}} PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books |url=https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/656265/dear-manny-by-nic-stone/ |access-date=2024-12-04 |website=PenguinRandomhouse.com |language=en-US}}

Her Middle Grade debut, Clean Getaway, illustrated by Dawud Anyabwile, was published by Crown in January 2020.{{Cite book|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/nic-stone/clean-getaway/|title=CLEAN GETAWAY {{!}} Kirkus Reviews|language=en}} It tells the story of 11-year-old Scoob, who goes on a roadtrip with his grandmother.{{cite web|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-authors/article/78160-crown-picks-up-nic-stone-s-debut-middle-grades.html|title= Crown Picks Up Nic Stone's Debut Middle Grade Novels|website=www.publishersweekly.com|access-date=February 20, 2020}} It received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly{{cite web|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-984892-97-3|title=Children's Book Review: Clean Getaway by Nic Stone, illus. by Dawud Anyabwile. Crown, $16.99 (240p) ISBN 978-1-984892-97-3|website=PublishersWeekly.com|language=en|access-date=February 20, 2020}} and Booklist,{{Cite book|url=http://www.booklistonline.com/Clean-Getaway-Nic-Stone/pid=9725486|title=Clean Getaway, by Nic Stone}} and debuted on the Children's Middle Grade Hardcover New York Times bestseller list, at #5.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/2020/01/26/childrens-middle-grade-hardcover/|title=Children's Middle Grade Hardcover Books - Best Sellers - Jan. 26, 2020 - The New York Times|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 20, 2020|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}} Stone says the inspiration for the novel was a Twitter headline about a shoplifting grandma in Atlanta who turned out to be an international jewel thief.

Her second young adult novel, Odd One Out, is about three queer teenagers of color in a love triangle and explores themes of gender, sexual fluidity and identity.{{Cite news|url=http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/writers-perspective/off-the-page-author-interview-series/writing-tips-insights-from-author-nic-stone|title=Writing Tips & Insights from Author Nic Stone {{!}} WritersDigest.com|date=June 2, 2018|work=WritersDigest.com|access-date=November 11, 2018|language=en-US}} It was published in 2018 by Crown Books for Young Readers.{{Cite news|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-101-93953-6|title=Children's Book Review: Odd One Out by Nic Stone. Crown, $17.99 (320p) ISBN 978-1-101-93953-6|work=PublishersWeekly.com|access-date=November 11, 2018|language=en}}{{Cite book|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/nic-stone/odd-one-out-stone/|title=ODD ONE OUT by Nic Stone {{!}} Kirkus Reviews|language=en-us}} It also received a starred review from Booklist.{{Cite book|url=http://www.booklistonline.com/Odd-One-Out-Nic-Stone/pid=9624819|title=Odd One Out, by Nic Stone }} In 2019, her third novel, Jackpot, was published by Crown. The story follows high school senior and gas station cashier, Rico, after she sells a customer a jackpot-winning lottery ticket. Stone originally wrote the novel in 2015.{{cite web|url=https://www.writermag.com/writing-inspiration/author-interviews/nic-stone/|title=Nic Stone: How I Write|website=The Writer|date=January 23, 2019 |language=en-US|access-date=May 29, 2019}}

In September 2019, it was announced that Stone would write a novel focused on Shuri, from Marvel's Black Panther.{{cite web|url=https://ew.com/books/2019/09/04/black-panther-shuri-novel-nic-stone/|title=Exclusive: An original 'Black Panther' novel centered on Shuri will publish next year|website=EW.com|language=en|access-date=February 1, 2020}} It was published by Scholastic in 2020. Two more books were published in the Shuri series; Shuri: The Vanished in 2021 and Shuri: Symbiosis in 2022. {{Cite web |title=Symbiosis (Shuri: A Black Panther Novel #3) {{!}} Scholastic Education |url=https://shop.scholastic.com/teachers-ecommerce/teacher/books/symbiosis-shuri-a-black-panther-novel-3-9781338766554.html |access-date=2024-12-04 |website=shop.scholastic.com |language=en}}

Stone wrote a young adult novel Blackout, released in June 2021, which she co-authored with Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon.{{cite news |last1=Reich |first1=Hannah |title=Writing Black Lives Matter: Maxine Beneba Clarke and Angie Thomas on their latest books for children and young people |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-10/angie-thomas-maxine-beneba-clarke-black-lives-matter/13136838 |access-date=April 2, 2021 |publisher=ABC News |date=March 9, 2021}} A companion novel [https://www.harpercollins.com/products/whiteout-dhonielle-claytontiffany-d-jacksonnic-stoneangie-thomasashley-woodfolknicola-yoon?variant=41015023075362 Whiteout] was published in 2023.

Aside from young adult fiction and middle grade, Stone also writes essays, and her short fiction has appeared in multiple anthologies.

Stone co-authored a young adult companion to Ibram X. Kendi's New York Times best-selling book, How to Be an Antiracist, titled How to Be a (Young) Antiracist which was published in 2023. {{Cite web |date=2023-02-07 |title=How to Be a (YOUNG) Antiracist |url=https://www.ibramxkendi.com/how-to-be-a-young-antiracist |access-date=2024-12-04 |website=Ibram X. Kendi |language=en-US}}

Beginning in February 2022, Stone hosted a six-episode podcast series with Marvel and Sirius XM podcast.{{Cite web |title=Tune Into the First Episode of 'The History of Marvel Comics: Black Panther' Podcast |url=https://www.marvel.com/articles/podcasts/listen-to-first-episode-of-the-history-of-marvel-comics-black-panther-podcast |access-date=2024-05-26 |website=www.marvel.com}}{{Cite web |date=2022-02-14 |title=Marvel's New Podcast Takes Fans Through the History of Black Panther |url=https://www.theroot.com/marvel-s-new-podcast-takes-fans-through-the-history-of-1848535467 |access-date=2024-05-26 |website=The Root |language=en}} The podcast series was titled, The History of Marvel Comics: Black Panther.

Stone was the keynote speaker at the AASL National Conference in 2023.{{Cite web |title=Nic Stone to Keynote AASL National Conference General Session {{!}} ALA |url=https://www.ala.org/news/2012/04/nic-stone-keynote-aasl-national-conference-general-session |access-date=2024-06-28 |website=www.ala.org |language=en}}

Young Adult fiction

• [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24974996-dear-martin Dear Martin] (Crown Books for Young Readers, 2017)
• [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39848512-odd-one-out Odd One Out] (Crown Books for Young Readers, 2018){{Cite web |title=Read an excerpt from 'Dear Martin' author Nic Stone's LGBTQ-themed 'Odd One Out' |url=https://ew.com/books/2018/04/20/nic-stone-odd-one-out-excerpt/ |access-date=2024-06-28 |website=EW.com |language=en}}
• [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43744298-jackpot Jackpot] (Crown Books for Young Readers, 2019)
• [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54385530-shuri Shuri: A Black Panther Novel] (Scholastic, 2020)
• [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52664757-the-vanished Shuri: The Vanished] (Scholastic, 2021)
• [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37829267-dear-justyce Dear Justyce] (Crown Books for Young Readers, 2022){{Cite web |date=2020-10-02 |title=Nic Stone Is Writing for Young People Who Don't Normally See Themselves in Fiction |url=https://www.shondaland.com/inspire/books/a34240010/nic-stone-dear-justyce/ |access-date=2024-06-28 |website=Shondaland |language=en-US}}
• [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55977979-symbiosis-shuri Shuri: Symbiosis] (Scholastic, 2022)
• [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61356487-chaos-theory Chaos Theory] (Crown Books for Young Readers, 2023)
• [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/215805832-dear-manny Dear Manny] (Crown Books for Young Readers, 2025)

Middle Grade fiction

• [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49917829-clean-getaway Clean Getaway] (Crown Books for Young Readers, 2020)
• [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56906939-fast-pitch Fast Pitch] (Crown Books for Young Readers, 2021)

Cowritten Books

• [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55926761-blackout Blackout] (Quill Tree Books, 2021)
• [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60579828-whiteout Whiteout] (Quill Tree Books, 2022)

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Category:Living people

Category:American women writers of young adult literature

Category:American writers of young adult literature

Category:21st-century American women writers

Category:21st-century American novelists

Category:American LGBTQ writers

Category:Spelman College alumni

Category:American women novelists

Category:1985 births

Category:African-American novelists

Category:Queer novelists