Who is author Candice Carty-Williams?

Queenie, if you’ve not been lucky enough to read it yet, details its 25-year-old eponymous character’s struggle to find herself and her place in the ever-changing world around her. From the moment it was published, the novel has been rightly championed for delivering a compelling and relatable central character young black women can identify with.

In April last year, just as what was already one of the most anticipated debut novels of 2019 was released, we were lucky enough to welcome Carty-Williams here at the Southbank Centre as she joined June Sarpong in conversation. And ahead of that appearance, we took a moment to find out just who is this prodigal 31-year-old author?

She grew up in South London

“I was always amazed by the sign that for Lewisham Library that was made entirely of lightbulbs and made the books seem very glamorous.”

Candice Carty-Williams in an interview with Luke Williams for Lewisham Ledger

She came to writing late

She created and launched the first BAME Short Story Prize

“When you’ve grown up not really seeing yourself represented, you don’t view yourself as important.”

Candice Carty-Williams in an interview with Luke Williams for Lewisham Ledger

Her debut novel Queenie was born from the search for a relatable central character

“I thought, I’m going to write something about a young woman who people can see themselves in, and she is going to be Black because I’m Black, and I like to write about what I know.”

Candice Carty-Williams in an interview with Luke Williams for Lewisham Ledger

London is a big influence on her work

Her debut novel was in high demand even before it was published

…and earned much praise before it even hit the shelves

“Queenie is a highly entertaining, often very moving story about one young woman’s life as affected – in fact, almost destroyed – by her love life, with the politics of blackness permeating the pages. It is rare.”

Diana Evans, The Guardian

And once Queenie was published, there was no going back