Evette Dionne

Evette Dionne is an American culture writer. Her young adult debut ''Lifting As We Climb'' (Viking) was longlisted for the 2020 National Book Award for Young People's Literature. Dionne was editor-in-chief of ''Bitch'' from 2018 until 2021.

Early life and education

Dionne was raised in New York. She initially matriculated at University of Maryland Eastern Shore and later transferred to the HBCU Bennett College, where she received her bachelor's degree in 2012. She later received her master’s degree in media management and women, gender, and sexuality studies from Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Career

Dionne is a culture writer whose work centers Black feminism and current events. She has published her writing in ''Teen Vogue'', the ''New York Times'', and ''Harper's Bazaar'' among others. Dionne was previously a senior news editor at The Revelist and ''Clutch Magazine''. She was named editor-in-chief of '' Bitch'' in 2018 and held the position until September 2021. Issue #92 was the final issue of ''Bitch'' she produced during her tenure.

Her commentary has been cited in several outlets on topics such as Toni Morrison, Kobe Bryant's legacy, and gynecological health. She is a contributing writer to the books ''Burn It Down'' (2019) and ''Can We All Be Feminists?: New Writing From Brit Bennett, Nicole Dennis-Benn, and 15 Others On Intersectionality, Identity, and the Way Forward for Feminism (2018).'' Dionne's tweets have been cited by ''AJC'' and NBCNews.com.

In 2021, Dionne was recruited to Netflix to develop editorial strategy and manage a team of staffers for a new initiative, Tudum. Seven months later, she and her team were among the 150 laid off.

Books

Dionne published her first book, ''Fat Girls Deserve Fairy Tales Too: Living Hopefully On the Other Side of Skinny'', in 2019 under Seal Press.

Her first middle grade book, ''Lifting As We Climb: Black Women’s Battle for the Ballot Box'', was published by Viking Books and released on April 21, 2020. Dionne was inspired to write the book in 2016 when she noticed women visiting to the graves of various white female suffragettes like Elizabeth Cady Stanton in the lead-up to the presidential election. She wanted to highlight the contributions of Black women in earning the right to vote. It was written for a middle grade audience. The book received positive critical reception. In a starred review for the ''School Library Journal'', Susan Catlett called it a "must-purchase." ''Kirkus Reviews'' referred to the book as "a lively and critical addition as the United States commemorates the centennial of women’s suffrage."

Dionne's memoir, ''Weightless: Making Space for My Resilient Body and Soul'' was released by Ecco Press in December, 2022.

Works

* ''Fat Girls Deserve Fairy Tales Too'' (2019, Seal Press; )
* ''Lifting As We Climb'' (2020, Viking; )

Awards

For ''Lifting As We Climb:''
*2020 – National Book Award for Young People's Literature, Longlist
*2021 – Orbis Pictus Award, Honor
*2021 – ALA, Coretta Scott King Book Award, Honor
*2021 – National Council for the Social Studies, Carter G. Woodson Book Award, Winner (Secondary Level)

References

External links

Official website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dionne, Evette
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
21st-century African-American women writers
21st-century American women writers
21st-century African-American writers
American women editors
American editors
African-American feminists
American feminists
Writers from New York (state)
Bennett College alumni
Southern Illinois University Carbondale alumni
Carter G. Woodson Book Award winners