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Eric Darnell Pritchard 🧿

@ericdarnellpritchard

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Writer. Repped by @wlabooks. Author of Clothes to Make You Smile (2026); Fashioning Lives (2016). Up Next: #PatrickKelly biography on @w.w.norton.

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Dear hearts! I woke up to a beautiful blessing and have legit been staring at the wall blissfully dazed ever since.

I am grateful, overjoyed, and honored that Clothes to Make You Smile: Patrick Kelly Designs His Dreams has been selected for the Longlist for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. And I sincerely cannot believe I just wrote that 🤷🏿‍♂️😯💜

Thank you, @nationalbookfoundation and the Young People’s Literature judges panel for this affirmation of the work and intention of every writer and illustrator on the Longlist, to whom I give big congratulations as well. Thank you for making time to engage with what I imagine is an enormous volume of writing and illustration to fulfill your service.

Shannon @shannondrewthis , my sister, I’m so proud of us. And Courtney Code @courtneycode @abramskids , our editor, thank you for everything. I am so happy that Patrick Kelly’s life, art, and the gospel of “happy clothes” has found people’s heart.

My greatest wish for all of my work on Patrick Kelly’s life and art is for his story and work to become known to and inspire more people. And this news is an affirmation that this is happening. It is beyond gratifying to hold a community and ancestral commitment with such loving hope and intention for soooo long and have it received with such kindness. Thank you to my partner, and my village, I love you.

To God and the Ancestor Helping Spirits be the glory. 🥹💜🙏🏿🎉🧿

#NBAwards #PatrickKelly #kidlit #picturebook #fashion by @ericdarnellpritchard

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13 days ago

As any writer knows, an essential part of putting work into the world is to have the right team. The right agent, editor, & publisher at the right time. And so, it is with gratitude, pride, & joy, that I finally share that the biography ADORN: THE TENACIOUS LIFE AND JOYFUL WORK OF PATRICK KELLY, is on its way to you, published by @w.w.norton. Publisher of my advisor/mentor the late Dr. Nellie McKay’s trailblazing “Norton Anthology of African American Literature” (coedited w. Henry Louis Gates) & my elder/mentor/OG Alexis De Veaux’s “Warrior Poet: A Biography of Audre Lorde,” one of my fave biographies ever-ever!

I thank God and the Ancestor Helping Spirits for rewarding my faith, self-trust & hard work by working everything out in my favor at every step. I’m grateful to my whole village but especially a group of family/friends who prayed for/with me, & showed up in support in ways that move me to tears: David; our niece Taj; my sibs Ziggy, Stephanie, Austin, Jessica, Melissa, Nate, Carmen, Terrance, Phyllis, Alexis, Sangodare, Tourmaline, Ullin, Gwen, Beverly; my friend Beth Garrett-Johnson; my in-laws Michael & Nereida; & my therapist (🤣💅🏿).

So grateful for my agent, Susan, who immediately saw importance & value of this project & enthusiastically represented it/me to this milestone. Her faith in the project sustained my own. Grateful also that the Universe conspired for ADORN to find my editor, Nneoma. I am thrilled beyond words (which for a writer is nothing small) to work with her to bring the book into the world. I also thank everyone who has sincerely supported any of my work over the years, including my projects in Patrick Kelly. I hope you will be pleased with the book. I’ve done my very best, and I’m incredibly happy and eager for the Gworls to read it. To God and the Ancestor Helping Spirits be the glory. 💜🧿✨💐🎉 —(MORE IN COMMENTS)

#patrickkelly #patrickkellyparis #PKBio
#biography #biographer #fashion #80sfashion #writer #bookdeals #publishing #fashionhistory #fashionwriter #paris #blackfashion #queer #blackgaymen #blackqueer #blacklgbt #blackfashiondesigners #blackhistory #LGBTQ #lgbtqhistory #vicksburg #mississippi #whatisrememberedlives by @ericdarnellpritchard

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a year ago

Good morning, Dear Hearts! I wrote an essay for *the* #ModernLove section of @nytimes in a collection of conceptualized by the incomparable Veronica Chambers, a longtime writer hero of mine. This morning it’s live along with 7 extraordinary essays exploring various iterations of “Black Love Today” written by @staceyannchin @damonyoungvsb @brandonkylegoodman @mobrowne @lacollins_ @lystenhere @writeherschye. I am deeply honored to be in their company. Eternal thanks to Adam Sternbergh, @charliebcuff, @vvchambers, Jennifer Harlan, Dan Jones and Miya Lee for the opportunity to tell this story. And thank you Hannah Buckman @texchures for this luminous and moving illustration. So many details in the story are embedded in the illustration in beautiful and thoughtful ways. I hope you will read it and the other essays as well. With gratitude and love, e. 💜 LINK IN BIO! #nytimes #essay #blacklove #blackqueer #lgbtqia #writersofinstagram by @ericdarnellpritchard

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5 years ago

TODAY! Hey NW Arkansas ! Make sure you come out to @nwabookfest today. It’s going to be a great time. If you’re around at 1pm stop by the session with author Ayana Gray in conversation with @juliarose5678 and me. Hope to see you there ! by @ericdarnellpritchard

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2 days ago

LAST CALL: Register to receive the Zoom link to join us for the @cl_collaboratory kickoff of our monthly silent book club “Friday Night Reads.” It’s a fun event for book lovers that is no prep, is free, and open to the public. Grab a book and join us for two hours of uninterrupted reading of anything you want, in whatever format you want (though bonus if you pick a cozy book for our Fall theme!) We are also still doing our TBR bingo (slide 2) where you could win some free CLC swag or a free book of your choice is your complete the full bingo card by end of the year!

I’m hosting for Team CLC tonight and would love to see you there. The link is in my stories, in the CLC’s bio on its page, and also at communityliteraciescollaboratory [dot] [com] under ‘Events.’

#reading #readingisfun #books #bookstagram #bookclub by @ericdarnellpritchard

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3 days ago

Wore a white blouse with a heart print to teach today in celebration of Patrick’s birthday. I actually wore this to my book launch for #ClothesToMakeYouSmile too.

A snap taken in my campus office at the end of a long day and a long week that’s still jam packed with the @cl_collaboratory “Friday Night Reads” Virtual event tomorrow night ( did yall register? If not, go to the link in my stories OR the CLC page bio and register for the Zoom link and join us tomorrow night) and then Saturday is book fest. The way I am going to sleep all day Sunday, whew! 😥 😩💜😂🧿

#PatrickKelly #PatrickKellyParis #ericdarnellpritchard by @ericdarnellpritchard

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3 days ago

Today is Patrick Leroy Kelly’s birthday. He would be 72 years old, but with all his effervescence, a 72 year old Patrick would absolutely be more like 72 years young! 💯💜

Every year I think about what Patrick’s life & work can/has taught us in the previous year since. Speaking personally, this year Patrick has taught me a lesson from what might be the most palpable Patrick-ism of them all: “If you’re going to dream, dream big, it costs the same” he’d say.

Patrick’s life, from reading fashion magazines on Grandma Ethel & Grandpa William’s porch, to his trailblazing & singular contribution to fashion & cultural history, is a testament that he knew what he was talking about. Who could have believed it ? He did.

The only thing stronger than Patrick’s “creative manifestation” were his faith in the Divine, himself, and relatedly, his art. What if we all cultivated the courage to live into a self-belief that not only blesses our life but can bless the lives of others for the ages ? What joy, love, serenity and abundance is in the other side of cultivating self-trust in everything we do to bring more good into the world ?

I wish Patrick had lived, full stop. And I wish he were here to tell us his thoughts on what dreaming big taught him. Yet, I believe an Ancestor’s wisdom is always available to all of us. And engaging with what an Ancestor’s life and work can — is — teaching us ensures that not only do they live on but so do the virtues we can distill from that life if we put it into practice and activate it for our good now. In that, they survive, and live, as my soul sister @alexispauline might say, “an eternal life.”

Patrick, gratitude for the many ways people can be inspired personally & creatively by you. For being a portrait in fortitude, whimsy, love. If you want to celebrate Patrick today do something creative & share it with someone else. Then, ask them to do the same for another.

Remember too, as emblazoned on the backdrop of his shows: “Patrick Kelly loves you.” And I love you too. 🧵 🪡 💜

PS: 🗣️Speaking French with a Mississippi accent is elite! 💅🏿💯💜🥰🧿

#whatisrememberedlives #patrickkelly #patrickkellyparis #fashion #kidlit by @ericdarnellpritchard

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4 days ago

Had a wonderful time today with the faculty, students, faculty at @ucahonors where I gave a talk titled “Heart Work” about how Black feminist love ethics guides the @cl_collaboratory literacy advocacy in Arkansas and nationally.

Thank you to Honors College Dean Patricia Smith for the invitation to share more about what the Brown Chair in English Literacy at the University of Arkansas does through the CLC to collaborate with other literacy workers to aid all Arkansans and community partners in several other states practice literacy fluently, productively, and joyfully.

As Audre Lorde said “I am who I am, doing what I came to do.” I am grateful every day for a job wherein I get to do my work, and the community-accountable and Ancestor led discernment to remain clear about the distinction between them and where they are best braided to transformative effect.

To God and the Ancestor helping spirits be the glory. Onward!

💜🙏🏿🧿

#literacy #professor #educator #blackfeminist by @ericdarnellpritchard

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6 days ago

I’m wearing my Alma Thomas earrings on this publication Tuesday to celebrate the publishing of @ericdarnellpritchard and my sister-friend @alexispauline ‘s newest book: Primary: After and With Alma Thomas! ¡Felicidades, Alexis! 📖📚🎨🧑🏾‍🎨🖤💜❤️ by @ericdarnellpritchard

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6 days ago

In Springfield, Missouri for the day, wishing my fierce, gorgeous, and kind mother-in-love @nereidaglisch (Nereida Pomposa Sánchez y Negrin de Glisch) a very Happy 77th Birthday! When David and I first met and began dating 21 years ago, one of the first things we bonded over was both of us having Virgo mothers whose birthdays happened to be 364 days apart.

Nereida, I hope when I’m 77 that I am as fabulous as you. Thank you for your love, generosity, prayers and for giving me my greatest blessing, my beloved, David.

Felíz cumpleaños! 🥳🎂🎉💜🧿 by @ericdarnellpritchard

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9 days ago

Today is my mother, Anntrette “Kitty” Pritchard’s birthday. If she were on this side of existence she’d be 76 years old.

I know everybody who was fortunate to have been raised by folx who truly loved you and grew you would say they’re the best, but I had a really wonderful mother. I miss her every single day, but I also feel like I’m with her every day too because I believe our Ancestor helping spirits are always right there.

I was talking to my cousin JJ after I sent him the news about the NBA Longlist recognition and he said “of course this happened on her birthday week!” And immediately I got an image of her sitting at her desk typing with one finger on her computer, trying to send the link with the news to everybody on that AOL email address I begged her to retire, and she would not and did not 😩 And then printing out the news of the Longlist and passing it out at church. Them folx would be so sick of Deaconess Kitty this Sunday. Bless it! 😂

Anyways, my mother gifted me with so many things. David once asked me what’s the single greatest thing your mother ever did for you besides your birth. And I told him it was that when I was a child if ever I asked her if I could accomplish something in life she’d say “Eric Darnell, I believe you can do anything you want to do.” And she meant it. Like, when I was a teen and Venus Williams made it to her first US Open final, I was convinced that I was supposed to learn to play tennis and win Wimbledon. Do you know my very non-athletic self asked that lady if I could be a great tennis player and she told me she believed if I believed, and took me to Modell’s and bought me a tennis racket 😂🥹😭

I’m gonna go play out the elements’ “September,” make her favorite food - crab legs with extra old bay and potato salad, and watch “General Hospital” in celebration of her.

And what you can do to honor her, dear hearts, is believe in yourself. Ms. Kitty loves you, and I love you too. 🥰💜🙏🏿💐🧿 by @ericdarnellpritchard

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10 days ago

So excited that Julia @juliarose5678 and me will be in conversation with the wonderful @ayanagray_ in two weeks at @nwabookfest on September 26 at @waltonartscenter !

We’ll be discussing Gray’s latest @nytimes Bestseller and @usatoday Bestseller #HawkAndSparrow which is also @gmabookclub pick. A book signing will follow.

Thank you to our friends and fellows literacy advocates and literary culture workers at NWA Book Fest for such a wonderful opportunity. There will be 35 authors total represented, additional panels, and vendors including our @cl_collaboratory booth where you can stop by for free giveaways and spin to win a free book! It’s going to be a lot of fun. See you all there. 💜🙏🏿🧿

#northwestarkansas #ayanagray #yalit by @ericdarnellpritchard

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14 days ago