Dolen Perkins-Valdez is the New York Times bestselling author of three novels: Wench, Balm, and Take My Hand. Her short fiction has appeared in The Kenyon Review, StoryQuarterly, StorySouth, and elsewhere. She is the current Chair of the Board of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation. On behalf of the foundation, she has visited nearly every public high school in the District of Columbia to talk about the importance of reading and writing. She is currently Associate Professor in the Literature Department at American University and lives in Washington, DC with her family.