Meet Our Bestselling Memoirist Guest Judge: Ashley C. Ford

With her love of human-centric storytelling, plus her unyielding curiosity for what makes different individuals tick, Ashley C. Ford's values highlight what we're looking for in our Spring 2022 Memoir Prize submissions.

No one knows the power of a good story like Ashley C. Ford. As Ashley told the Longform podcast, she still remembers the childhood moment when Lois Lowry’s The Giver made her realize exactly how much possibility the world could hold for a curious and determined young Black girl, even one growing up poor in Indiana. It’s been a long, winding road from young bookworm to author of the critically-acclaimed New York Times bestselling memoir Somebody’s Daughter. But that same passion for story still saturates everything Ashley touches – which is exactly why Narratively is thrilled to have her as a guest judge for our inaugural Spring Memoir Prize. She’ll be joining fellow expert storytellers Nicole Rocklin and Glynn Washington in selecting revealing and emotional narratives from overlooked points of view, and choosing a Grand Prize Winner who will receive an intimate video call with each of our judges to talk shop and gain insight into the craft of storytelling.

Ashley’s own love of storytel…