Ravi Howard

Ravi Howard is an American novelist^[1] and a professor at Florida State University.^[2] His first novel Like Trees, Walking was published in 2007 and inspired by the lynching of Michael Donald.^[3] In 2008, Howard was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel and won the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence.^[4] His second novel, Driving the King, was published in 2014 and is about the friendship between Nat King Cole and his friend Nat Weary.^[5] In The New York Times, critic Janet Maslin called Driving the King "a thoroughly convincing story" and a "warmly enveloping book."^[6] In 2021, Howard's short story "The Good Thief," originally published in Alabama Noir, was included in the anthology Best American Mystery and Suspense 2021.^[7]

During his time in television, he won a Sports Emmy Award for writing for the show Inside the NFL.^[8]

References

1. Jones, Tayari (January 27, 2015). "Ravi Howard on singer Nat King Cole: "The Jackie Robinson of television"". Salon.com. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
2. "Ravi Howard | Department of English". english.fsu.edu. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
3. "Novelist Ravi Howard on 'Like Trees, Walking'". NPR. March 7, 2007. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
4. Gautier, Amina (February 7, 2016). "The Sunday Rumpus Interview: Ravi Howard". The Rumpus. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
5. Maslin, Janet (December 28, 2014). "On the Civil Rights Map, a Crooner and His Driver". The New York Times. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
6. "On the Civil Rights Map, a Crooner and His Driver (Published 2014)". 2014-12-28. Archived from the original on 2022-06-16. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
7. "Ravi Howard's 2020 short story 'The Good Thief' finds a home in 2021 Best American anthology | Department of English". english.fsu.edu. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
8. Sieradzki, Amanda (September 19, 2020). "Author and teacher Ravi Howard chimes in with Poets for Change". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved March 4, 2025.