Kaitlyn Greenidge

Kaitlyn Greenidge is an American writer. She received a 2017 Whiting Award for Fiction for her debut novel, We Love You, Charlie Freeman. Her second book is a historical novel called Libertie.

Early life and education Greenidge was born in Boston and grew up in the neighboring communities of Somerville and Arlington. Her mother, a social worker and her two sisters lived in a single-parent household after her parents divorced when she was 7. She received her bachelor's degree from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut and her MFA from Hunter College in Manhattan.

Career

Greenidge has written nonfiction for outlets including Elle, Vogue, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal.

Books Greenidge's debut novel, We Love You, Charlie Freeman, was released in 2016. It is the story of an African American family, the Freemans, who adopt a chimpanzee and raise it as a family member for an institutional research project. in a Paste review, and a "vivid and poignant coming-of-age story" by Kirkus Reviews. She won a 2017 Whiting Award for the book.

She received a 2018–2019 fellowship from the Radcliffe Institute, where she worked on "an untitled novel based in part on the life of Susan McKinney Steward, the first black female doctor in the state of New York." In a starred review by Publishers Weekly, the book was called "another genius work of radical historical fiction." Kirkus Reviews said in a similarly positive review, "Greenidge explores issues that are still real today while also inviting readers into historical moments that will be new to many."

Personal life Greenidge lives in central Massachusetts with her daughter who was born in 2019.