Kandace Coston (she/her) grew up in the Bronx, NY, where she spent every day after school at the public library reading stories and writing her own. She graduated from Barnard College where she studied music then won an internship grant from We Need Diverse Books. She did her internship at the publishing house Lee & Low Books, joined their editorial team, and has been there ever since collaborating with talented creators on incredible picture books.

In 2019, Kandace co-founded the zine press UnimPRESSed to share comics and poetry by BIPOC creators that are not steeped in oppression and trauma. Our stories can be light, funny, and joyful!

Kandace adores strong female protagonists, shifting friendship dynamics, compelling villains, and laugh-out-loud shenanigans. She often blends these elements in the manuscripts she writes. In 2019, Kandace’s YA story about a biracial half-vampire titled “Black, White, and Walks with the Night” was published in the TO Comix Press anthology Wayward Kindred. Kandace won the ABRAMS Amplify Award in 2023 for her MG graphic novel about volleyball (publication forthcoming!) She lives in New York where she spends her free time making zines, tending to her plants, and planning her next cosplay.

Contact
For book-related inquiries, please reach out to:
Marietta B. Zacker 
Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency
marietta@galltzacker.com
973-761-6358
www.galltzacker.com

For more about Lee & Low Books and the editorial team, please check out:
https://www.leeandlow.com/authors-illustrators/editorial-team/

For more about We Need Diverse Books, please visit:
diversebooks.org 

For more about UnimPRESSed, please checkout:
unimpressed.gumroad.com