Bio

Felicia Pride is an author, speaker and voice of her generation. Her acclaimed book The Message: 100 Life Lessons from Hip-Hop's Greatest Songs (Running Press, 2007) has been hailed as a "Chicken Soup for the Hip-Hop Soul" and has been used as a tool of engagement by various educational venues around the country. Felicia's other books include the young adult anthology Hallway Diaries (Kimani Tru, 2007) and two chapter books for children--Everybody Hates First Girlfriends and Everybody Hates School Politics--based on the award-winning television, Everybody Hates Chris.

In 2004, she founded BackList, an organization dedicated to harnessing the power of words to uplift individuals and their communities. BackList conducts writing, publishing and other creative workshops and seminars for all age groups; curates community events; develops creative initiatives, resources, and content; and consults with writers, artists, publishers, and organizations.
 
Felicia speaks on an array of topics including writing, publishing, hip-hop, media, and literacy. She has been an invited speaker at schools, universities, and venues around the country including George Mason University, New York University, Philander Smith College, Bennett College, and the United Nations Association. She also has been featured by USA Today and NPR's "Talk of the Nation."  

Felicia is currently the book blogger for AOL Black Voices, a website that garners more than 3 million monthly visitors, the managing editor of Mosaic literary magazine, and a contributor to Publishers Weekly. Her writing about hip-hop, books, publishing, and pop culture has appeared in various publications including VIBE, the Baltimore Sun, Popmatters.com, and the Baltimore City Paper.

 She is currently an artist-in-residence for Baltimore City Public Schools and serves on the board for the Literary Freedom Project. She has an M.A. in writing and publishing from Emerson College (Boston, MA) and currently lives in Baltimore, Maryland.