Biography

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Walter Mosley is the author of 27 critically acclaimed books and his work has been translated into 21 languages. His popular mysteries featuring Easy Rawlins began with Devil in a Blue Dress in 1990. Others in the series include A Red Death, White Butterfly, Black Betty, A Little Yellow Dog (both of which were New York Times bestsellers), Bad Boy Brawley Brown, Six Easy Pieces, Little Scarlet and Cinnamon Kiss, another New York Times bestseller, and Blonde Faith. Fearless Jones, Mosley's other mystery series featuring second-hand bookseller Paris Minton and his friend Fearless, was published in May of 2002. It was followed by Fear Itself (July 2003) and, more recently, Fear of the Dark (September 2006).

 

In January 2004, Mosley published The Man in My Basement, a novel of ideas set in contemporary time in a Long Island community. In 2005, he published 47, his first book for young adult readers. An ingenious mix of history, science fiction and adventure, it was nominated by the American Library Association's Young Adult Library Services committee as one of the Best Books for Young Adults in 2006.

 

The independent Black Classic Press located in Baltimore, Maryland published the prequel to the Rawlins' series, Gone Fishin', in January 1997. Mosley decided to give a novel to a small black publishing house, because he felt it was important "to create a model that other writers, black or not, can look at to see that it's possible to publish a book successfully outside mainstream publishing in New York." He teamed up again with Black Classic Press publisher W. Paul Coates in February 2003 to publish What Next: A Memoir Toward World Peace. Part political essay, part handbook for community action, it addresses the role that African Americans can play in creating a better and safer post 9/11 world. His most recent work published by Black Classic Press is Tempest Tales.  His book, The Long Fall, introduced a new character, Leonid McGill, and was named "Best in 2009 Fiction" by The Boston Globe and a "Notable Crime Book of 2009" by The New York Times. His second book in the series, Known to Evil, was released in March 2010. His newest novel, The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, will be released in Fall 2010.

 

Mosley has written six works of literary fiction (RL's Dream, Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned: The Socrates Fortlow Stories, Walking the Dog, Fortunate Son, Killing Johnny Fry: A Sexistentialist Novel and Diablerie), three works of science-fiction (Blue Light, Futureland and The Wave), and three works of socio-political non-fiction (Workin on the Chain Gang, What Next and Life Out of Context). He also is the editor of Black Genius: African-American Solutions to African-American Problems, a collection of essays in which 13 of black America's most eloquent voices share their visions for a self-sufficient, self-determined future. In 2005, Mosley, a self-described comic book "geek," teamed with Marvel Comics to produce an oversized hardcover recreation of the first issue of the groundbreaking 1961 superhero comic book The Fantastic Four. Publishers Weekly called it "an impressive tribute... and a labor of love...." In spring 2007 he published This Year You Write Your Novel, a non-fiction guide outlining a practical step-by-step writing process.

 

Two movies have been made from Mosley's work, including the 1995 TriStar release of Devil in a Blue Dress, produced by Jonathan Demme, directed by Carl Franklin, and starring Denzel Washington and Jennifer Beals. Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned was produced by HBO/NYC and Palomar Pictures film, directed by Michael Apted and starring Laurence Fishburne, Natalie Cole, Cicely Tyson and Bill Cobbs. Mosley is writing the screenplay for a film version of Little Scarlet, which will star Jeffrey Wright and Mos Def. The film will be released in 2010.

 

Mosley's short fiction has been published in a wide array of publications, including The New Yorker, GQ, Esquire, USA Weekend, Los Angeles Times Magazine and Savoy (a year-long serial of a new series called "The Tempest Tales" in homage to Langston Hughes' The Simple Stories). The American Society of Magazine Editors honored, "The Black Woman in the Chinese Hat," a story he published in GQ in 2000. His non-fiction has been published in The New York Times Magazine and The Nation. He was an editor and contributor to the book Black Genius and the guest editor for The Best American Short Stories of 2003.

 

He has won numerous awards, including the Anisfield Wolf Award, an honor given to works that increase the appreciation and understanding of race in America, and the TransAfrica International Literary Prize for all of his work. In 2002 he won a Grammy for his liner notes accompanying Richard Pryor...And It's Deep Too!: The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings (1968-1992) from Warner Archives / Rhino Entertainment. He was a finalist for the NAACP Award in Fiction and won the 1996 Black Caucus of the American Library Association's Literary Award (for RL's Dream). Mosley also was an O Henry Award winner in 1996 (for a Socrates Fortlow story) and is featured in Prize Stories 1996: The O Henry Awards edited by William Abraham. In 2005 he was honored by Robert Redford's Sundance Institute with a "Risktaker Award" for both his creative and activist efforts. Mosley also was given an honorary doctorate by The City College and the 2004 Lifetime Achievement Award by PEN USA. In 2010, he was awarded with a NAACP Image Award in Literary Work for The Long Fall.

 

Mosley created with The City University of New York (CUNY) a new publishing degree program aimed at young urban residents. It is the only such program in the country. A past president of the Mystery Writers of America, Mosley serves on the board of directors of the National Book Awards and presently serves on the boards of the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, The Poetry Society of America and TransAfrica.

 

He is currently working on “Making Democracy,” which is an internet-based initiative that seeks “a future where people are the special interest.” The site will connect voters with political activists and offer advice and aid on how to take action for causes that are important to the public.

 

Born and raised in Los Angeles, he now lives in New York City.