William Melvin Kelley
William Melvin Kelley | |
|---|---|
William Melvin Kelley (1963) | |
| Born | November 1, 1937 Staten Island, New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | February 1, 2017 (aged 79) Manhattan, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Writer, educator |
| Alma mater | Harvard University |
| Genre | Novel, short story |
| Notable works | A Different Drummer (1962), dem (1967) |
| Notable awards | Anisfield-Wolf Book Award |
| Spouse | Karen (Aiki) Kelley |
| Children | Jessica (daughter), Cira (daughter) |
William Melvin Kelley (November 1, 1937 – February 1, 2017) was an African-American novelist and short-story writer. He is perhaps best known for his debut novel, A Different Drummer, published in 1962. He was also a university professor and creative writing instructor. In 2008, he received the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for Lifetime Achievement. Kelley is credited with being the first to commit the term "woke" to print, in the title of a 1962 New York Times op-ed on the use of African-American slang by beatniks: "If You're Woke, You Dig It".