Kristin Lattany started her writing career when she was fourteen years old with a regular column in the black weekly, the Pittsburgh Courier. She has been an advertising copywriter, a city information officer, and a senior lecturer in English at the University of Pennsylvania. Her adult books include God Bless the Child, The Landlord, and Kinfolks. She is also the author of a Collection of short stories for young people. Guests in the Promised Land, and is the recipient of numerous awards, including The Council on Interracial Books for Children Prize and the Moonstone Black Writing Celebration Lifetime Achievement Award.