Barbara Neely

Black Authors Post, Day 3.

Today’s author is mystery writer and activist Barbara Neely.

Neely was born in 1941 in Pittsburgh, PA. She was the oldest of three children born to Ann and Bernard Neely who lived in a rural Pennsylvania Dutch community in Lebanon, Pennsylvania.

As a child, she was the only one in her class of Pennsylvania Dutch to speak English fluently. She was also the only student of African American descent in her elementary and high schools.

She graduated in 1961 from a business school in Jamestown, NY. Without acquiring an undergraduate degree, she earned a master’s in Urban and Regional planning from the University of Pittsburgh in 1971.

After she earned her degree, she became involved in local activism in Pittsburgh. She worked for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, and created a community-based housing program for female felons in Pittsburgh. It was the state’s first community-based correctional center for women.

Neely moved to North Carolina and began writing for the journal Southern Exposure, and as well as producing various shows for the African News Service. She continued her work with activism, becoming director of a YWCA USA branch, the Family Services Coordinator for Action for Boston Community Development Head Start, executive director of Women for Economic Justice, cofounder of Women of Color for Reproductive Freedom, and host of “Commonwealth Journal” on Boston Radio.

In 1981, Essence published Neely’s first short story, “Passing the Word”. Her first novel, Blanche on the Lam, was published in 1992. This was the first in a series of mystery novels, following the sleuthing of Blanche White. Blanche was a departure from typical fictional detectives; she was depicted as a heavy-set, dark-skinned Black woman who works as a maid. Neely started Blanche on the Lam as a short story, but was told by her editor to develop it into a longer work. Through her work on the Blanche White series, Neely explored themes of violence against women, racism, and class boundaries, all with a humorous bent.

For Blanche on the Lam, Neely earned an Agatha Award, an Anthony Award, a Macavity Award, and an award from the Black Women’s Reading Club. In December 2019, she was named Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America.

Neely died on March 2, 2020, at the age of 78.

Some of my favorite Barbara Neely books:

Blanche on the Lam - https://smile.amazon.com/Blanche-Lam-White…/dp/1941298389/

Blanche Cleans Up - https://smile.amazon.com/Blanche-Cleans-Up…/dp/1941298435/

A note: These Amazon links point to Amazon Smile, Amazon’s affiliate charity program. If you have not set up Amazon Smile, I encourage you to point it to an organization like Voices For Racial Justice, an organization committed to building power through collective cultural and healing strategies for racial justice across Minnesota using organizing, leadership training, community policy and research.

Some links to learn more about Barbara Neely:

New York Times obituary - https://www.nytimes.com/…/11/books/barbara-neely-dead.html