Jewell Parker Rhodes

Dr. Jewell Parker Rhodes is a New York Times bestselling author, educator, and Founding Artistic Director of the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing at Arizona State University, where she holds the Virginia G. Piper Endowed Chair. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she is the author of more than a dozen books for youth including the New York Times bestsellers Ghost Boys (2018) and Black Brother, Black Brother, and the Coretta Scott King Award-winning Will's Race for Home.

Ghost Boys — the story of 12-year-old Jerome, shot by a police officer while playing with a toy gun — became one of the most widely taught and most frequently challenged books in American schools. Ghost Boys: The Graphic Novel (Little, Brown Ink, 2025), illustrated by Setor Fiadzigbey, brings the story to a new generation of readers.

In 2026, the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards celebrated its most diverse nominee class in the 38-year history of the awards, with a historic number of Black creators nominated across categories. Rhodes received a 2026 Eisner nomination for Best Adaptation from Another Medium for Ghost Boys: The Graphic Novel (Little, Brown Ink).