Anthony Grooms

Anthony Grooms identifies himself as a Writer of Conscience, strongly influenced by the likes of John Oliver Killens, with whom he briefly studied. “Mr. Killens impressed upon me the efficacy of writing,” Grooms says. “Writing has the power to change lives, and that is why I commit to stories and poems that reflect on social and psychological struggles.” Grooms writes on a variety of subjects in several genres, from historical fiction to science fiction. However, his most notable work has been about the American Civil Rights Movement in the southern United States. He is a two-time winner of the Lillian Smith Prize, a Hurston-Wright Legacy Award Finalist, a Black Caucus of the American Library Association Honor Award winner, and holds fellowships from Yaddo and Fulbright.