Tanita S. Davis

Tanita S. Davis is an American author known for her works in young adult literature. She has gained recognition for her NAACP Image Award-nominated and Coretta Scott King Award-winning novel Mare's War (2009).

Tanita S. Davis was born in San Francisco, California, the youngest among her biological siblings, with two adopted siblings adding to her family. While studying creative writing at Mills College, she intended to focus on prose, but her path led her to children's literature.

Her educational experience at Mills, completed with an MFA in 2004, was enriched by the works of Victor LaValle, Ginu Kamani, and Micheline Aharonian Marcom, which she cites as more instructive than her degree. After her studies, Davis lived in Scotland for five years, where her husband was completing his PhD.

She wrote Mare's War as her thesis. This book tells the story of two teenagers on a road trip with their WWII veteran grandmother, who shares tales of her rebellious past. In 2010, she received a nomination for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work — Youth/Teens for Mare's War.

Davis started her writing career with the Camp Chronicles Series (1999–2000), featuring Summer of Friends and Summer of Memories. She has written titles such as A la Carte (2008), Happy Families (2012), Peas and Carrots 92016), Serena Says (2020), and Figure It Out, Henri Weldon (2023).

Another notable work by Davis is Partly Cloudy (2021), which explores the complexities of middle school life. It focuses on themes of friendship, racial microaggressions, and community solidarity through the experiences of Madalyn, a young Black girl.

Davis also contributes short fiction to publications such as Hunger Mountain and Cicada magazines and serves on the board of The Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards (The Cybils).

Tanita S. Davis currently resides with her husband in Northern California.

Photo credit: www.tanitasdavis.com