Kalela Williams directs the Virginia Center for the Book, which includes the Virginia Festival of the Book and other programs and projects throughout the year. She has served in directorships and other leadership capacities for the Philadelphia organization Mighty Writers; the Free Library of Philadelphia, including their One Book, One Philadelphia program; and James Madison University’s Furious Flower Poetry Center. Her debut novel, the YA coming-of-age story Tangleroot, was named an Indie Next pick and was chosen as one of Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2024. Kalela lives in Staunton, VA, where she stays busy adding to the town’s arts and culture scene, writing, and shepherding her three cats.