Kacen Callender is a renowned author, celebrated for their work in young adult fiction, middle grade fiction, and fantasy genres. Callender was born in Saint Thomas, part of the United States Virgin Islands, and later pursued their higher education in the United States. They received their bachelor's degree in Creative Writing and Japanese from Sarah Lawrence College. Callender further enhanced their writing skills by earning a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from The New School's Writing for Children program.
Callender's professional journey in writing is as commendable as their educational background. Before establishing themselves as an author, Callender worked at Little, Brown as an editor. This experience provided them with a unique insight into the publishing world, which they have since used to navigate their own career. Callender's work has been recognized with numerous accolades, including the Stonewall Book Award and the Lambda Literary Award for their book, Hurricane Child. In addition, their fantasy novel, Queen of the Conquered, is the 2020 winner of the World Fantasy Award.
Callender is a Black, queer, trans author who uses they/them and he/him pronouns. They have been open about their identity and have used their platform to represent and advocate for marginalized communities. Callender made headlines when they announced their new name and their upcoming young adult novel, Felix Ever After, in May 2019. Their work continues to resonate with readers, as evidenced by the National Book Award for Young People's Literature that they received for their novel, King and the Dragonflies, in 2020. Callender's contributions to children's fiction and fantasy are noteworthy, and they remain a prominent figure in the literary world.