Amber McBride believes in magic, Hoodoo, ghosts and all the things she can't see. The universe is, after all, 95% dark energy and dark matter; it would be strange to trust the 5% of reality.

 

Amber is the author of seven books: Me (Moth), We Are All So Good At Smiling, Poemhood: Our Black Revival, Gone Wolf, Thick with Trouble, Onyx & Beyond & (forthcoming) The Leaving Room. She is also a National Book Award Finalist, a Coretta Scott King Award Winner and Morris Award Finalist. Her books have collectively received more than twenty starred reviews. 

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Amber attended James Madison University for undergrad and attended graduate school at Emerson College in Boston, MA where she earned her Master's in Fine Arts with a concentration in poetry. 

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After grad school Amber worked as the media assistant at the Furious Flower Poetry Center for two years. At Furious Flower she had the privilege of meeting and working with some of her idols which included Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, Dr. Joanne Gabbin and countless others. 

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Searching for more diversity in the students she taught, Amber started teaching at Northern Virginia Community College then at the University of Virginia.

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Amber's students call her Ms. Mermaid, because of her obsession with mermaids/medusa/mama wata.

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Amber is also an avid reader-averaging around I00 books a year. She also enjoys searching for new music, cooking, traveling, practicing hoodoo, herbalism and hanging out with her close friends and family in her spare time.

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Amber would also like to remind you that she values and appreciates you. You can follow her on instagram: @ambsmcbride and TikTok: @ambsmcbride, where she is rather active.