Ashley C. Ford is an American writer, podcaster and educator who discusses topics including race, sexuality, and body image. She is the author of the New York Times best-selling memoir, Somebody's Daughter. She has been the host of five podcasts and has written or guest-edited for publications including The Guardian, Elle, BuzzFeed, and New York. In 2017, Forbes named her one of their "30 Under 30 in Media". In 2022, Ford won the Indiana Authors Award for a debut novel.[1]
Ashley C. Ford | |
|---|---|
 Ford in March 2018 | |
| Born | Fort Wayne, Indiana |
| Occupation | Writer, podcaster, educator |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Ball State University |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Notable works | Somebody's Daughter |
| Spouse | Kelly Stacy |
| Website | |
| ashleycford | |
Early life and education
editFord is a native of Fort Wayne, Indiana, where she was raised by her mother and grandmother.[2][3] Her early life was shaped by significant transitions and challenges. At around four years old, she moved to Columbia, Missouri, to live with her grandmother while her mother struggled in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This period marked the beginning of her love for storytelling, as her grandmother taught her to read using a mix of the Bible and celebrity tabloids, igniting Ford's imagination and creativity. Despite the complexities of her family dynamics, including a father in prison since her infancy, Ford's upbringing fostered a sense of resilience and a deep connection to storytelling that would later define her career.[1] Ford graduated in 2011[2] with a degree in English from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.
Career
editWriting
editFord has written for publications including The Guardian, Elle, BuzzFeed, and Slate[4] as well as lifestyle blog A Cup of Jo.[4] In 2017, she was the senior features writer at Refinery29, and that year, she was named as one of Forbes's "30 Under 30 in Media".[5][6]
Much of her writing covers personal topics, including her life as a Black, queer writer; her history as a survivor of sexual assault; and her experiences with a family member in prison for most of her childhood.[7][8][9] Ford's essay "My Father Spent 30 Years in Prison. Now He's Out." was named on Longreads' Best of 2017 list.[10] She considers the writer Roxane Gay a mentor.[11]
She was announced as a Time100 Talks correspondent in August 2020.[12]
Somebody's Daughter
edit
Her debut book Somebody's Daughter was released on June 1, 2021, as "An Oprah Book" through Oprah Winfrey's publishing imprint at Flatiron Books.[13] The book is a memoir, focusing on her difficult upbringing and her often fraught relationships with her parents, in particular her mother.[14] Throughout her childhood, her father was incarcerated and the book explores the ways the formative conditions that created for her and her mother have "shaped her understanding of childhood, authority, forgiveness and freedom."[15]
Podcasting
editFord is the host of Brooklyn-based television program and podcast 112BK,[16] has hosted the BuzzFeed News podcast Profile,[9] and was previously the host of the first season of Audible.com's interview series Authorized.
Ford is the host of the short fiction podcast, The Chronicles of Now,[17] co-hosts the HBO companion podcast Lovecraft Country Radio,[18] and is the former host of Mastercard's Fortune Favors the Bold.[19]
Acting
editIn 2018, Ford played the narrator in a stage production of The Nightmare Before Christmas at the New York cabaret Feinstein's/54 Below.[20]
Activism
editFord has used social media to drive fundraising campaigns for charitable causes, being credited for helping to raise $450,000 for the Ferguson Municipal Public Library in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014 and over $100,000 to pay off school lunch debts in 2017.[21][22]
Personal life
editFord is married to the writer Kelly Stacy. They have a chocolate Labrador named Astro Renegade Ford-Stacy.[23][24] Ford identifies as queer[8][25] and credits her time at Ball State as one of the places she was able to explore her sexuality.[26]
References
edit- ^ "2022 Awards". Indiana Authors Awards. Retrieved 2023-11-01.
- ^ a b Bailey, Leslie (2015-05-24). "Writer/lit lover Ashley Ford shares journey to memoir". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2018-08-24.
- ^ Fallows, James (2019-04-25). "Our Towns: On the Road, in the Air". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2019-04-28.
- ^ a b "Bio". Ashley C. Ford. Retrieved 2018-08-24.
- ^ "'Dear Sugars': How to Talk about Our Partners' Bodies". The New York Times. 2017-09-19. Retrieved 2019-04-28.
- ^ "Ashley Ford, 29". Forbes. Archived from the original on September 11, 2017. Retrieved 2018-08-24.
- ^ Galo, Sarah (2014-11-17). "Ashley Ford: 'I write for the girl I was'". The Guardian. Retrieved 2018-08-24.
- ^ a b "Writer Ashley Ford Speaks on Why She Identifies As Queer Even if She Has a Long-term Boyfriend". Fusion. Archived from the original on 2018-08-24. Retrieved 2018-08-24.
- ^ a b "Ashley Ford, Professional Writer - Brief but Spectacular". PBS Newshour. 3 January 2019. Retrieved 2019-04-28.
- ^ "Longreads Best of 2017: Essays". Longreads. 2017-12-21. Retrieved 2018-08-24.
- ^ Brown, Elisha (2017-09-15). "Roxane Gay and Ashley C. Ford on Mentorship and Coping with Critics". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2019-04-28.
- ^ "Ashley C. Ford Joins Time as Time100 Talks Correspondent". Time. 4 August 2020. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- ^ "Somebody's Daughter | Ashley C. Ford | Macmillan". US Macmillan. Retrieved 2020-11-02.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Davis, Bridgett M. (2021-05-30). "Ashley C. Ford's Memoir Recalls Life With a Single Mom and a Jailed Dad". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-08-26.
- ^ "To Love And Not Forgive : Code Switch". NPR.org. Retrieved 2021-08-26.
- ^ Anthony, Jillian (2017-12-19). "Ashley C. Ford on writing with joy, turning thirty and finding her voice". Time Out New York. Retrieved 2018-08-24.
- ^ "The Chronicles of Now on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. 2 September 2020. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
- ^ "Lovecraft Country - Lovecraft Country Radio (The Official Podcast)". HBO. Archived from the original on 2020-11-01. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
- ^ "Fortune Favors the Bold". Gimlet. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
- ^ "Heath Saunders, Natalie Walker, and Ashley C. Ford To Lead The Nightmare Before Christmas at Feinstein's/54 Below". BroadwayWorld. 2018-09-10. Retrieved 2019-04-28.
- ^ "Donors unite nationwide to pay off kids' school lunch debt". CBS News. 2017-01-31. Retrieved 2019-04-28.
- ^ Hess, Abigail (2017-02-02). "This writer's tweet raised over $100,000 to wipe out students' school lunch debts". CNBC. Retrieved 2019-04-28.
- ^ "Writer Ashley C. Ford's Home is Full of Hulk Paraphernalia, Black Girl Magic, and 'Cute' Piles". Apartment Therapy. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
- ^ "Hello Sunshine". Hello Sunshine. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
- ^ "I'm queer no matter who I'm with. I won't define myself differently for your comfort | Ashley C Ford". the Guardian. 2015-03-14. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
- ^ Hampshire, Kathryn (2014-11-19). "Ball State alumna works as staff writer at BuzzFeed". Ball State Daily. Retrieved 2018-08-24.