Ashley Woodfolk is an American writer. She is the author of the young adult books The Beauty That Remains (2018) and When You Were Everything (2020).[1][2]

Ashley Woodfolk
Woodfolk is holding a microphone and appears to be midsentence, gazing off-camera. She has brown skin, locs, and is wearing glasses and a black neck scarf over a red dress.
Woodfolk in 2018
BornUnited States
OccupationWriter
LanguageEnglish
Alma materRutgers University
Notable worksThe Beauty That Remains (2018)
Children1
Website
www.ashleywoodfolk.com

Career

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Working full-time in marketing for a children's book publisher, Woodfolk wrote her first published book, The Beauty That Remains, on the weekends and in the evenings.[3] The book centers on three teenagers who "find courage and comfort in the aftermath of a tragic loss."[3] It was released on March 6, 2018, and published by Penguin Random House.[4][5] She used her own issues with anxiety and experiencing using music as a therapeutic tool to inform the events of the book.[3] The book received positive critical reception. In a starred review, School Library Journal wrote, "In her debut, Woodfolk has written a lovely and introspective coming-of-age novel that fully captures the way friendship, music, family, and romance dovetail to create a young person's identity."[6]

Woodfolk's second YA book, When You Were Everything, was released on March 10, 2020, by Delacorte.[7] It focuses on the dissolution of a friendship.[8] When You Were Everything received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. In a review by Kirkus, it was described: "...Woodfolk's novel seamlessly interweaves alternating timelines while making Shakespeare relevant to teens. The author skillfully voices the pain of unexpectedly losing a close friend and explores the choice to remain open despite the risk of future heartache."[2]

She released the first installment in the Flyy Girls series on September 1, 2020, called Lux: The New Girl.[9]

Alongside Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, and Nicola Yoon, Woodfolk authored Blackout. The book, set to release in June 2021, follows six interlinked stories about Black teen love during a power outage in New York City.[10]

Personal life

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Woodfolk is married. She has one son (b. 2019).[3] She received her bachelor's degree from Rutgers University.[11]

Works

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  • The Beauty That Remains, 2018, United States, Penguin Random House ISBN 978-1-5247-1587-8, 6 March 2018
  • When You Were Everything, 2020, United States, Delacorte ISBN 978-1-5247-1591-5, 10 March 2020
  • Lux: The New Girl, 2020, United States, Penguin ISBN 9780593096024, 1 September 2020

References

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  1. ^ The Beauty That Remains. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  2. ^ a b When You Were Everything. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d "Debut Author Interview: Ashley Woodfolk and 'The Beauty That Remains'". Writer's Digest. 2018-03-23. Retrieved 2020-03-16.
  4. ^ Woodfolk, Ashley (12 March 2019). The beauty that remains. New York. ISBN 978-1-5247-1590-8. OCLC 1049827469.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  5. ^ "Children's Book Review: The Beauty That Remains by Ashley Woodfolk. Delacorte, $17.99 (336p) ISBN 978-1-5247-1587-8". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2020-03-16.
  6. ^ SLJ. "The Beauty That Remains by Ashley Woodfolk | SLJ Review". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2020-03-16.
  7. ^ "When You Were Everything". www.publishersweekly.com. Archived from the original on 2020-07-26. Retrieved 2020-03-16.
  8. ^ "The Writer's Practice: Ashley Woodfolk". Spine. 7 February 2018. Retrieved 2020-03-16.
  9. ^ Rebolini, Arianna (2020-08-30). "Here Are Some Great Virtual Book Events Happening Aug. 31–Sept. 6". BuzzFeed News. Archived from the original on 2020-08-31. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
  10. ^ Reich, Hannah (March 9, 2021). "Writing Black Lives Matter: Maxine Beneba Clarke and Angie Thomas on their latest books for children and young people". ABC News. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  11. ^ "Wells College Visiting Writers Series welcomes Fall 2019 lineup". 870 AM 97.7FM News Talk WHCU. Archived from the original on 2019-09-01. Retrieved 2020-03-16.
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