Laura Obuobi was born and raised in Accra, Ghana, but has been living in the United States since 2003. She has loved books ever since her daddy taught her to read. Libraries, bookstores, in fact any ‘bookish space’ is Laura’s happy place.
She is fascinated by pre-colonial West African history and how it connects with the Black diaspora and Black history. Laura loves to explore these themes, elements, and cultural connections in her stories.
Laura received an MA in Early Childhood Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and taught for 8 years as a preschool teacher. Her time in the classroom opened her eyes to the power of picture books, and the desire to write for children. Her first book, Black Gold, will be released in October, 2022. Laura is a graduate of the Writing for Children and Young Adults program at Vermont College of Fine Arts.
Black Gold was recently nominated for Outstanding Literary Work in Children’s Literature for the 54th NAACP Image Awards.