A native of Atlanta, Leona Beasley studied interior design at the University of Georgia and education at Oakland’s Mills College before earning her MFA in creative writing from the New School University in New York City. She went on to various creative endeavors, including work as an educational consultant for “Sesame Street” and Nickelodeon, before returning to fiction. Published in 2017, her debut novel Something Better Than Home centers on Onnie Armstrong, a young black woman who comes of age and comes out in the 1970s South — with help from a summer visit with her uncle in San Francisco. Closing out Malaprop’s Pride Month events, Beasley will read from her book, a 2018 Lambda Literary Award nominee for lesbian fiction, on Wednesday, June 27, at 6 p.m. Free to attend. malaprops.com. Author photo courtesy of Beasley
Smart Bets: Leona Beasley
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