Shay Youngblood was an award-winning novelist and playwright who explored her upbringing as a Black woman in America.
- Died: June 11, 2024 (Who else died on June 11?)
- Details of death: Died in Peachtree City, Georgia of ovarian cancer at the age of 64.
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Shay Youngblood’s legacy
Born in Columbus, Georgia and orphaned as a small child after her mother died, Shay Youngblood was raised by relatives across several households. Surrounded by the “Big Mamas,” as she called them, Youngblood was exposed to stories about their struggles, the bias they faced as Black women, and more. As she pursued higher education at Clark Atlanta University, she decided to tell their stories.
Youngblood’s work won acclaim for its openness and honesty, notably “The Big Mama Stories,” a collection of short, near-autobiographical work that explores the lives of women like those who raised Youngblood. Her “Soul Kiss” and “Black Girl in Paris” also won accolades, with the latter in development as a feature film. Other works include the “Luna Unleashed” comic series, “Black Power Barbie,” and more.
The author also wrote for the stage, becoming an award-winning playwright for works such as “Talking Bones” and “Square Blues,” the latter of which explores the lives of several activists. “Shakin’ the Mess Outta Misery” has also been performed on dozens of stages. For her work as a playwright, Youngblood has won a Pushcart Prize for “Born With Religion,” multiple NAACP Theater awards, the Lorraine Hansberry Playwriting Award, a New York Foundation for the Arts Sustained Achievement Award, and many others.
Notable quote
“These women were from a generation that believed children were to be seen and not heard, so I listened and observed. Those stories I heard became the foundation of my early work. I wanted to give those men and women a voice, to tell stories they and people of their generation, class and limited education could not.”— Interview with Matchabook, 2020
Tributes to Shay Youngblood
Full obituary: The Atlanta Journal Constitution
