Susan L. Taylor (born January 23, 1946) is an American editor, writer, and journalist. She served as editor-in-chief of ''

Essence Essence () has various meanings and uses for different thinkers and in different contexts. It is used in philosophy and theology as a designation for the property (philosophy), property or set of properties or attributes that make an entity the ...

'' from 1981 through 2000. In 1994, ''

American Libraries ''American Libraries'' is the flagship magazine of the American Library Association (ALA). About ''American Libraries'' was first published in 1970 as a continuation of the long-running ''ALA Bulletin,'' which had served as the Association’ ...

'' referred to Taylor as "the most influential black woman in journalism today".

Early life

Taylor was born in the

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

neighborhood of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

to a

Trinidadian Trinidadians and Tobagonians, colloquially known as Trinis or Trinbagonians, are the people who are identified with the country of Trinidad and Tobago. The population of Trinidad is notably diverse, with approximately 35% Indo-Trinidadian, 34% ...

mother and a father from St. Kitts. She grew up in

East Harlem East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem, or , is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City, north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, Fifth Avenue to the west, and the East and Harlem Rivers to the eas ...

, where her father owned a clothing store. She was raised Catholic and went to a

Catholic school Catholic schools are Parochial school, parochial pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest parochial schools, religious, no ...

. As a teenager, she moved with her family to the New York borough of

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

''Essence''

Taylor started her career at ''Essence'', a magazine for

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

women, in 1970, the year the magazine was founded. Her first position at the magazine was freelance fashion and beauty editor. At the time, she was a divorced single mother without a college degree. By 1981, Taylor had risen to become editor-in-chief, a position she held until 2000. During the 1980s, she attended night school and earned a B.A. from

Fordham University Fordham University is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in New York City, United States. Established in 1841, it is named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx in which its origina ...

. In addition to her editing responsibilities, Taylor had success building the ''Essence''

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...

. She was executive producer and host of ''Essence, the Television Program'', a syndicated interview program broadcast on more than 50 stations for four years during the 1980s. In the 1990s, she began Essence Books. Taylor's monthly inspirational column, "In the Spirit", became a popular feature of the magazine. She published three volumes of selected columns. In 2000, Taylor was promoted to publications director. She left the magazine in 2008. Several news outlets have published stories regarding trans model Tracey Norman, in which it is said that Taylor played a direct role in her exile from the industry after her transness was discovered. Taylor has vociferously denied these accusations, and has said that she had always suspected Norman was trans.

Awards

In 1986, Taylor received a Candace Award from the National Coalition of 100 Black Women. In 1987, she received the Matrix Award from New York Women in Communications. The Magazine Publishers of America gave Taylor its Henry Johnson Fisher Award, considered one of the industry's highest honors, in 1998. She was the first African-American woman to receive the award. In 2002, Taylor was inducted into the

American Society of Magazine Editors The American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) is an industry trade group for magazine journalists and editors of magazines published in the United States. ASME includes the editorial leaders of most major consumer magazine in print and digital ...

' Hall of Fame for her work at ''Essence''. Exceptional Women in Publishing presented Taylor its fifth annual Exceptional Woman in Publishing award in 2003. In 2006, the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...

gave Taylor its President's Award. Taylor is an honorary member of

Delta Sigma Theta Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. () is a List of African-American fraternities, historically African American Fraternities and sororities, sorority. The organization was founded by college-educated women dedicated to public service with an emp ...

sorority; she was inducted on July 13, 2013.

Personal life

In 1989, Taylor married writer Khephra Burns at their home in upstate New York. Taylor's daughter, Shana, owns a beauty supply business and is married to

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

inductee

Bernard King Bernard King (born December 4, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player at the small forward position in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 14 seasons with the New Jersey Nets, Utah Jazz, Golden State Warrior ...

Published works

* ''In the Spirit: The Inspirational Writings of Susan L. Taylor'', 1993. * ''Lessons in Living'', 1995. * ''Confirmation: The Spiritual Wisdom That Has Shaped Our Lives'', 1997. Co-authored with Khephra Burns. * ''All About Love: Favorite Selections from "In the Spirit" on Living Fearlessly'', 2008.

References

External links

*
Interview with Susan L. Taylor
on

KUT Kūt (), officially Al-Kut, also spelled Kutulamare, Kut al-Imara, or Kut Al Amara is a city in eastern Iraq, on the left bank of the Tigris River, about south east of Baghdad, and the capital of the Wasit Governorate. the estimated populatio ...

's ''In Black America'' radio series, October 1, 1989, at the

American Archive of Public Broadcasting The American Archive of Public Broadcasting (AAPB) is a collaboration between the Library of Congress and WGBH Educational Foundation, founded through the efforts of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). The AAPB is a national effort to di ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Susan L. 1946 births American people of Saint Kitts and Nevis descent American people of Trinidad and Tobago descent African-American journalists African-American non-fiction writers American non-fiction writers American magazine editors American women magazine editors American self-help writers American spiritual writers Fordham University alumni Living people People from Harlem Writers from Manhattan 21st-century African-American writers 20th-century African-American writers African-American Catholics