12 Facts About Barbara Neely

Barbara Ann Neely was an African-American novelist, short story writer and activist who wrote murder mysteries.

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

Barbara Neely attended a Roman Catholic elementary school and was the only child in her class of Pennsylvania German dialect students to speak English fluently and was the only student of African-American descent to attend her elementary and high school.

Barbara Neely moved to North Carolina and began writing for Southern Exposure as well as producing various shows for the African News Service.

Barbara Neely was part of an evaluative research team at the Institute for Social Research.

Barbara Neely published her first short story, "Passing the Word", in the magazine Essence.

Barbara Neely died on March 2,2020, at the age of 78 after a short illness.

Barbara Neely used her as a model of what she wanted to become.

Barbara Neely saw what Morrison did with the experiences of black woman to tell stories of ordinary people and tried to mimic the same style.

Blanche and her charming personality, along with Barbara Neely's messages, are at the center of her mystery novels' plot lines.

Barbara Neely gives Blanche a double-consciousness and when thrown into tough situations, "Blanche's detective work enacts more of a triple - or even a quadruple-consciousness".

Barbara Neely's death came less than two months before the April 30,2020 banquet where she would have received her award.