Bio

Frederick Joseph is a three-time New York Times and USA Today bestselling author from Yonkers, New York, whose work spans poetry, nonfiction, children’s literature, and young adult fiction. He is the author of the acclaimed YA novel This Thing of Ours, which received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly, was nominated for The Georgia Peach Book Award, was named one of the Best Young Adult Books of 2025 by Kirkus, the Chicago Public Library, and BookPage, and was selected for the 2026 Texas Library Association Tayshas Reading List.

His body of work includes the poetry collection We Alive, Beloved; the bestselling nonfiction titles The Black Friend and Patriarchy Blues; the collaborative volume Better Than We Found It; and the children’s books Black Panther: Wakanda Forever—The Courage to Dream and Planting Hope. Across genres, Joseph’s writing is known for its emotional precision, cultural urgency, and commitment to reimagining how we understand identity, justice, and belonging.

Joseph’s books have earned widespread recognition, including being named an Amazon Editors’ Pick, a selection of the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, a Best Children’s Book of the Year by Bank Street College, and an Editors’ Choice by Booklist. His work has also been recognized by the International Literacy Association and the National Council for the Social Studies, and has been nominated for the In the Margins Award and longlisted for the Green Earth Book Award, among other honors.

In addition to his books, Joseph’s essays and cultural criticism have appeared in The Boston Globe, Essence, HuffPost, Adweek, and Cosmopolitan. He is also the recipient of both the Letter Review Poetry Prize and Essay Prize, and publishes ongoing work on politics and culture via his Substack.

Joseph’s literary career is deeply intertwined with his advocacy and philanthropic work. He has been recognized on the Forbes 30 Under 30, honored with the Comic-Con Humanitarian of the Year Award, and named to The Root 100 list of Most Influential African Americans. His honors also include the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Vanguard Award and the Allyship Award at Lincoln Center’s Black Girl Magic Ball. A sought-after speaker, he has appeared at the UN HeForShe Summit and has partnered with Fortune 500 companies and national leaders to advance conversations around equity, culture, and social impact.

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