Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence
1 appearances
-
Edition 7 (2013) Winner
Attica Locke
アティカ・ロック
Attica Locke
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1974-01-01 （Houston, Texas, United States）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Houston, Texas, United States → Los Angeles, California, United States
Career
- Occupations
- novelist, screenwriter, television producer
- Active Years
- 1999-
- Affiliations
- Writers Guild of America, West, Royal Society of Literature (International Writer), Alpha Kappa Alpha (honorary member)
- Memberships
- Writers Guild of America, West, Royal Society of Literature (International Writer), Alpha Kappa Alpha (honorary member)
- Nominations
- Bluebird, Bluebird - Los Angeles Times Book Award (finalist), Pleasantville - Bailey's Women's Prize for Fiction (longlisted, 2016), The Cutting Season - Hurston/Wright Legacy Award (finalist), Black Water Rising - Orange Prize (shortlisted, 2010), Edgar Award nominee, NAACP Image Award nominee, among others
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern University School of Communication | School of Communication | — | — | 1991–1995 | United States |
Northwestern University School of Communication
School of Communication
Period:
1991–1995
Year of Graduation:
1995
Country:
United States
Graduated in 1995. Fellow at Sundance Institute Feature Filmmakers Lab in 1999.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence | The Cutting Season | — | Baton Rouge Area Foundation | 受賞 |
| 2016 | Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction | Pleasantville | — | University of Alabama School of Law / ABA Journal | 受賞 |
| 2018 | Edgar Award (Best Novel) | Bluebird, Bluebird | — | Mystery Writers of America | 受賞 |
| 2018 | Anthony Award (Best Novel) | Bluebird, Bluebird | — | Bouchercon | 受賞 |
| 2018 | CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger | Bluebird, Bluebird | — | Crime Writers' Association | 受賞 |
| 2020 | Staunch Book Prize | Heaven, My Home | — | Staunch Book Prize organizers | 受賞 |
Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence
2013
Work:
The Cutting Season
Organization:
Baton Rouge Area Foundation
Result:
受賞
Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction
2016
Work:
Pleasantville
Organization:
University of Alabama School of Law / ABA Journal
Result:
受賞
Edgar Award (Best Novel)
2018
Work:
Bluebird, Bluebird
Organization:
Mystery Writers of America
Result:
受賞
Anthony Award (Best Novel)
2018
Work:
Bluebird, Bluebird
Organization:
Bouchercon
Result:
受賞
CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger
2018
Work:
Bluebird, Bluebird
Organization:
Crime Writers' Association
Result:
受賞
Staunch Book Prize
2020
Work:
Heaven, My Home
Organization:
Staunch Book Prize organizers
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Anthony Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 33 (2018) Winner
CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger
1 appearances
-
Edition 17 (2018) Winner
Staunch Book Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 3 (2020) Winner
Works
Major Works
Black Water Rising
2009 Fiction / CrimeA debut novel set in Houston that intertwines corporate and political corruption with a personal story of redemption; notable for courtroom elements and vivid local detail.
racejusticecorruptioncommunity
The Cutting Season
2012 Fiction / MysteryA mystery set around a Southern plantation-turned-business, intersecting past violence with contemporary legal issues; focuses on community history and relationships.
history and memoryraceland and ownership
Pleasantville
2015 Fiction / Legal fictionA legal-fiction novel with dramatic courtroom elements that explores justice, community, and family complexities, centered on legal and ethical questions.
law and ethicscommunityjustice
Bluebird, Bluebird
2017 Mystery / CrimeFollows investigations into killings in small-town East Texas, set against racial tensions and local strife; blends procedural elements with personal conflict.
racial tensionsmall-town dynamicsviolence and justice
Heaven, My Home
2019 Mystery / CrimeA follow-up in tone to Bluebird, Bluebird that probes family, forgiveness, and questions of law and justice in a weighty crime novel.
forgivenessfamilylegal system
Guide Me Home
2024 Fiction / MysteryPublished in 2024. Details are limited, but presented as a novel focusing on community and individual struggles.
communitypersonal redemption
Bibliography
- Black Water Rising (2009)
- The Cutting Season (2012)
- Pleasantville (2015)
- Bluebird, Bluebird (2017)
- Heaven, My Home (2019)
- Guide Me Home (2024)
Adaptations
- From Scratch (Netflix, 2022) - Locke served as executive producer and showrunner for the adaptation (original memoir by her sister Tembi Locke).
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- socially conscious crime fictiontaut, tension-driven prosecombines procedural/legal detail with community portraiture
- Recurring Motifs
- race and justiceSouthern (Texas) communityfamily and forgiveness
Legacy
Recognized as a contemporary American writer of socially conscious crime fiction who illuminates issues of race, justice, and community. She has expanded into TV and film writing/production and was named an RSL International Writer in 2023.
Academic Societies
- Royal Society of Literature (International Writer)
In Popular Culture
- Served as showrunner/executive producer on Netflix limited series 'From Scratch' (2022)
Quotes
-
"When Trump was elected, overnight my book changed. I didn't alter a word."
Source: The Guardian (interview, 2017) (2017)
Trivia
- Named after the 1971 Attica Prison rebellion.
- Her sister is actress Tembi Locke.
- Works both as a novelist and as a writer/producer for television and film.