Attica Locke (born 1974 in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

) is an American fiction author and writer/producer for television and film.

Career

A 1995 graduate of Northwestern University School of Communication, Locke was a fellow at the Sundance Institute's Feature Filmmakers Lab in 1999, studying screenwriting and directing. She has written scripts for

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...

, Warner Bros., Disney,

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, and

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. She was a writer and producer on the

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drama '' Empire''."About"
Attica Locke website. Most recently, she was a writer and producer on Netflix's '' When They See Us'' and the Hulu adaptation of '' Little Fires Everywhere''. In 2021, it was announced that Locke would serve as executive producer and showrunner for the Netflix Limited Series ''From Scratch,'' an adaptation of her sister

Tembi Locke Tembekile "Tembi" Locke is an American actress who has appeared in television shows and film. She is best known as Dr. Grace Monroe on Syfy's series ''Eureka'' and as Dr. Diana Davis in ''Sliders''. Locke is also the author of the bestselling mem ...

's 2019 memoir entitled '' From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily and Finding Home''. It premiered on Netflix in October 2022.

Personal life

Locke was born in

, to parents who were active in the civil rights movement at the turn of the 1970s. They named her after the 1971 Attica Prison rebellion in upstate New York. She now lives in Los Angeles, California, with her husband and daughter. Actress

is her older sister. She is a member of the Writers Guild of America, West.

Bibliography

* ''Black Water Rising'' (2009), HarperCollins * ''The Cutting Season'' (2012), Dennis Lehane / HarperCollins * ''Pleasantville ''(2015), HarperCollins * '' Bluebird, Bluebird'' (2017), Mulholland Books * ''Heaven, My Home'' (2019), Mulholland Books. This book was mentioned in the '' New York Times'' article "''The Best Crime Novels of the Year''".

Awards

*2013:

Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence The Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence is an annual national literary award designed to recognize rising African-American fiction writers. First awarded in 2007, the prize is underwritten by donors of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation in ...

– ''The Cutting Season'', (award sponsored by the

Baton Rouge Area Foundation Baton Rouge Area Foundation ("''The Foundation''") is a community foundation dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in Louisiana's capital region, and is registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) tax-deductible nonprofit organization. Over the ...

; established in 2007 to honor Ernest Gaines' legacy) *2016
Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction
2016 – ''Pleasantville'' – the award is sponsored by the University of Alabama School of Law and the '' American Bar Association Journal''. *2018: Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel of the Year – ''Bluebird, Bluebird'' *2018:

Anthony Award The Anthony Awards are literary awards for mystery writers presented at the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention since 1986. The awards are named for Anthony Boucher (1911–1968), one of the founders of the Mystery Writers of America. Among the m ...

for Best Novel – ''Bluebird, Bluebird'' *2018: CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award – ''Bluebird, Bluebird'' *2020: Staunch Book Prize – ''Heaven, My Home''

Nominations

For ''Bluebird, Bluebird'': *2018 ''Los Angeles Times'' Book Award finalist For ''Pleasantville'': *Longlisted for the 2016

Bailey's Women's Prize for Fiction The Women's Prize for Fiction (previously with sponsor names Orange Prize for Fiction (1996–2006 and 2009–12), Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction (2007–08) and Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction (2014–2017)) is one of the United Kingdom's m ...

For ''The Cutting Season'': * Finalist for the Hurston-Wright Legacy Award * Honor Book by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association * Long-listed for the

Chautauqua Prize The Chautauqua Prize is an annual American literary award established by the Chautauqua Institution The Chautauqua Institution ( ) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit education center and summer resort for adults and youth located on in Chautauqua, New Y ...

For ''Black Water Rising'': * Short-listed for the 2010 Orange Prize * Nominated for a 2010

Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...

* Nominated for a 2010

NAACP Image Award The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...

* 2009 Los Angeles Times Book Award finalist * Nominated for a 2009 Strand Magazine Critics Award * Finalist for the Hurston-Wright Legacy Award * Indie Next Pick 2009 & 2010Indiebound.org
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References

External links

Attica Locke's website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Locke, Attica 1974 births 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American writers 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American screenwriters 21st-century American women writers African-American novelists African-American screenwriters African-American women writers American television writers American women novelists American women screenwriters American women television writers Anthony Award winners Edgar Award winners Living people Northwestern University alumni Novelists from Texas Screenwriters from Texas Writers from Houston