Caroline Randall Williams

Born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, Caroline Randall Williams is a Harvard graduate and an award-winning poet, young adult novelist, and cookbook author. She is also recognized as an activist, public intellectual, performance artist, and scholar. Her early education includes St. Paul’s School, from which she graduated in 2006, and Harvard University, where she completed her studies in 2010. Following her graduation, she dedicated two years to teaching through the Teach for America program. She furthered her academic pursuits by earning an MFA in creative writing from the University of Mississippi in 2015. Williams is the daughter of author Alice Randall and Avon Williams III, and the great-granddaughter of Harlem Renaissance poet Arna Bontemps. Her grandfather, Avon Williams, was a key leader in Nashville’s civil rights movement. She joined the faculty of Vanderbilt University in the Fall of 2019 as a Writer-in-Residence in the Department of Medicine, Health, and Society.

Williams’ career highlights include co-authoring the NAACP Image Award-winning cookbook, *Soul Food Love*, with her mother, Alice Randall. This book, published by Random House in 2015, not only features healthy recipes but also explores the family’s history and the complex relationship African-American women have with food. Her debut book of poetry, *Lucy Negro, Redux*, was published in 2015 by Ampersand Books. This collection delves into William Shakespeare’s sonnets, theorizing that the ‘Dark Lady’ was a woman of African descent. *Lucy Negro, Redux* was later adapted into a ballet choreographed by Paul Vasterling, titled *Attitude: Lucy Negro Redux*, which premiered in 2019 by the Nashville Ballet. She also co-authored the young adult novel, *The Diary of B. B. Bright, Possible Princess*, which received a Phillis Wheatley Award for Young Adult Readers in 2013.

Caroline Randall Williams has lectured and spoken across twenty states, addressing diverse audiences in various venues, from school classrooms to the Superdome mainstage during Essence Fest. Her work consistently explores the intersections of art, business, and scholarship, aiming to inspire individuals and guide corporations toward their ideal identities. Notably, in 2020, she authored a significant opinion piece for the *New York Times* titled “You Want a Confederate Monument? My Body Is A Confederate Monument.” In this essay, she discussed her family history and personal identity in relation to Confederate monuments. She was named one of “50 People changing the South” by Southern Living in 2015 and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Iowa Review, The Massachusetts Review, CherryBombe, Garden and Gun, Essence, and the New York Times.