Being raised in the ghetto of West Philadelphia never stopped this young writer from seeing her dreams come to fruition. Anya Nicole’s childhood was spent with her older sister in a single-parent home. Anya watched her mother go from job to job while using welfare to fill in the gaps, and it had a profound effect on her. Her mother did her best to ensure her daughters grew up right and had all that they needed. In turn, the aspiring author took that lesson and applied it to her own life. While fostering her desire for a sound education, the joy of writing entered her life. She received a BA in Communications from Temple University and a Masters in Health Education from Saint Joseph’s University. Anya valued her academic accomplishments but found her calling when she discovered that through words she would be able to bring her life to the eyes of others. Anya has said, “I am a writer who writes about what she sees and encounters. I want people to see what I see.” Once college was over and her success had been acknowledged by her friends and family, society still threw Anya a rough deal. While working at a store as a checkout clerk she was looked down on, disrespected, and robbed at gunpoint.

 Even though she had hit a low point, Anya looked back to the determination that her mother had instilled in her. Anya had always intended to become a role model for other young kids in her neighborhood. She wanted them to know that they too could be more than society suggested to them. She continued writing and developing her abilities while admiring urban literature writers such as Nikki Turner, and K’wan Foye. Their success kept Anya driven to finish her first manuscript. Although at times writing often had to take a back seat to life and work. By 2006 Anya had finally finished her first novel, Corporate Corner Boyz. Corporate Corner Boyz pays homage to Anya’s knowledge of the streets and her vast collegiate education. She thanks Q-Boro Books for allowing her to share her talents with the world.

Anya continues to write and lives in Philadelphia.

Bio by LaKeisha Thorpe