Dawnie Walton, and her debut novel, The Final Revival of Opal & Nev, is the winner of the 2022 VCU Cabell First Novelist Award.  Walton’s work explores identity, place, and the influence of pop culture. Formerly an editor at Essence and Entertainment Weekly, she has received fellowships from MacDowell and Tin House, and holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, she lives in Brooklyn with her husband.