Kennnedy Ryan
Ryan is one of the most decorated romance novelists of this era. She received the highest honor in romance publishing, The RITA, making history in 2019 as the first Black author to win the award for her novel “Long Shot.” In 2022 she again made history winning the Audie Award, the highest recognition in audiobook publishing, for her novel “Reel,” becoming the first Black author to do so in the Romance category. In 2025, she received another Audie Award for Best Romance Audiobook for “This Could Be Us.”
Beyond writing, Kennedy Ryan is a dedicated advocate for autism awareness. She is the co-founder of LiFT 4 Autism, an annual charitable book auction, which has raised over $500,000 for autism, with all funds going directly to Kulture City, a national autism organization. Dubbed “Queen of Hugs” by her readers, she is a wife and a mother to an extraordinary son.
