Lorene Cary’s new novel, If Sons, Then Heirs (Atria Books, April 2011), recounts a love story for our time while exploring a searing racial history that haunts—and impoverishes—its unforgettable characters. Publishers Weekly calls it: “an absorbing and moving tale.” Cary’s other books include: the best-selling memoir Black Ice, an American Library Association Notable Book for 1991 often taught in colleges and high schools; The Price of a Child, a 1995 novel chosen as the first One Book, One Philadelphia selection; Pride, a contemporary novel, and FREE! Great Escapes on the Underground Railroad, a collection of true-life stories for young readers, published in 2006.

In December 2010, the public opening of The President’s House on Independence Mall in Philadelphia introduced visitors to five videos, shot from Cary’s original scripts, depicting the lived of nine enslaved Africans in the household of President George Washington as well as the free black men and women who helped two of them run to freedom.

Cary founded Art Sanctuary in 1998.  Now, more than 10,000 diverse participants enjoy the organization’s unique programs of excellent African-American arts and letters in inner-city Philadelphia. Signature events include the Celebration of Black Writing, at the National Historic Landmark Church of the Advocate, Temple University, and schools across the city. For arts activism, for her writing, and for her teaching as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania, Cary in 2003 received the Philadelphia Award, her city’s highest civic honor.

Cary’s essays have appeared in publications including Newsweek, Time, Essence, and O Magazine. She lectures nationwide and has received five honorary doctorates.  She also serves as president of the Union Benevolent Society. 

Lorene Cary is married to the Rev. Robert C. Smith; they live in Philadelphia and have two daughters, Laura and Zoë.