Kalisha Buckhanon

Novelist
Author and Screenwriter

Chicago, Illinois

Member Since:
November 2022

Last online:
> 2 weeks ago

Invites sent:
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About Kalisha

Kalisha is the author of five critically acclaimed novels with honors from the American Library Association, National Book Foundation, New York Public Library and more. Her 2019 bestselling mystery/thriller SPEAKING OF SUMMER was praised in Entertainment Weekly, TIME, O Magazine, Essence, Cosmopolitan and many more. Her classic debut novel UPSTATE, a favorite in high schools nationwide, had Chadwick Boseman co-narrate its award-winning audiobook .From 2014-2018, Kallsha appeared as an on-camera expert for true crime television shows on the BET network, Investigation Discovery Channel and TV One.

Kalisha's feature adaptation of UPSTATE is a Finalist for the 2023 WeScreenplay Diverse Voices Lab and a Quarterfinalist in the 2023 Script Lab's Free Screenplay competition. Her novel SPEAKING OF SUMMER placed in the top 50 of the 2021 Launchpad Prose Competition. She has her B.A. and M.A. in English from the University of Chicago with an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from The New School in New York City.

Praise for SPEAKING OF SUMMER:
"A riveting read from a young woman who has become a major American storyteller." —Sapphire, author of PUSH adapted to the Academy Award-winning film "Precious"

“This mysterious novel is well worth the wait.” —O: The Oprah Magazine

“Buckhanon unravels a powerful story that examines violence, race and grief.” —TIME Magazine

“An absolutely riveting thriller.” —Cosmopolitan

“This book packs a punch, so buckle in.” —Shondaland

Praise for UPSTATE:
“Heartbreaking and true. I’d read it again just for the power of the language.” –Dorothy Allison, author of BASTARD OUT OF CAROLINA adapted to the film of the same name

“A realistic love story set against a backdrop as gritty as it is memorable.” –People Magazine

“Captures the tenacity and faithfulness of young love.” –Entertainment Weekly

“A poetry uniquely its own.” –ELLE

“The street smart language crackles.” –Marie Claire

Gender:
Female

Ethnicity:
African American

Certifications

Photos

Loglines

Speaking of Summer Budget: $5M - $10M | Thriller When an ambitious but overwhelmed woman discovers her twin sister has vanished off the roof of their Harlem brownstone on a dead winter night, her frantic search for answers leads her back to their harrowing Midwest past and into a new life.
UPSTATE Budget: $5M - $10M | Drama When imprisonment for his father's death rips a smart Harlem teen from his ambitious first love, 10 years of their letters document a generation of Black America impacted by racial injustice and abandoned communities.

Credits

For My Man on TV One (2015 - 2018)
Television by Sirens Media (Crime) On-Air Commentator "For My Man" tells stories of women who have been arrested -- part of the growing female population in the criminal justice system -- for crimes that they committed in the name of love.
Criminals at Work on BET networks (2016)
Television by Sirens Media On-Air Commentator Every one-hour episode tells two suspenseful stories where unsuspecting everyday working people witness their own workplace transformed into a place of mayhem.
Deadly Affairs on Investigation Discovery Channel (2014)
Television by Sirens Media On-Air Commentator From love triangles that implode to office romances exposed, stories of passionate love affairs turned crimes of passion aren't just happening on daytime television. They happen in real life and, sometimes, are even stranger than fiction.

Awards

Quarterfinalist, The Script Lab Free Screenplay Competition: UPSTATE feature screenplay
(2023)
Top 5%, Coverfly-Feature-Drama Category: UPSTATE feature screenplay
(2023)
Finalist, WeScreenplay Diverse Voices Lab: UPSTATE feature
(2023)
Top 50, Launch Pad Prose Competition: SPEAKING OF SUMMER novel
(2021)
Top 23%, Coverfly-Manuscript-Drama Category: SPEAKING OF SUMMER novel
(2021)
Finalist, Hurston-Wright Foundation Legacy Award in Fiction: SPEAKING OF SUMMER novel
(2020)
Honoree, National Book Foundation "Literature for Justice" Initiative: UPSTATE novel
(2018)
Winner, Friends of American Writers Award in Literature: CONCEPTION novel
(2008)
Winner, Audie Award in Literary Fiction: UPSTATE audiobook
(2006)
Winner, American Library Association ALEX Award: UPSTATE novel
(2006)
Finalist, Hurston-Wright Foundation Legacy Award in Debut Fiction: UPSTATE novel
(2006)
Winner, Terry McMillan Young Author Award: UPSTATE novel
(2006)
Winner, Zora Neale Hurston-Bessie Head Fiction Award at the Chicago Black Writers Conference
(2006)
Winner, Illinois Arts Council Artist Fellowship
(2001)