Dhonielle Clayton author page

Dhonielle Clayton biography

Dhonielle Clayton is an American author known for her contributions to children’s and young adult literature. She is a graduate of Wake Forest University and holds an MFA in Writing for Children from The New School. Clayton is a former librarian and has worked as a middle school librarian in Harlem.

She is the author of the The Belles series, which includes The Belles (2018) and its sequel The Everlasting Rose (2019). The series explores themes of beauty and identity in a fantastical setting. Clayton has also co-authored the Tiny Pretty Things series with Sona Charaipotra, which includes Tiny Pretty Things (2015) and Shiny Broken Pieces (2016). This series was adapted into a Netflix series in 2020.

In addition to her novels, Clayton has contributed to several anthologies, including Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America (2019), which she also edited. She is a co-founder of Cake Literary, a creative development company focused on diverse books for children and young adults.

Clayton’s work has been recognised with nominations for several awards, including the Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book. Her commitment to diversity in literature is evident through her involvement with We Need Diverse Books, where she serves as the Chief Operating Officer.

Her latest work includes the middle-grade fantasy novel The Marvellers (2022), which is the first book in a new series. Clayton continues to be an influential voice in the realm of young adult and children’s literature.