Sue Monk Kidd is a writer, novelist and memoirist. She was born in Albany, Georgia and raised in the tiny town of Sylvester, Georgia, a place that deeply influenced the writing of her first novel The Secret Life of Bees.

Sue’s first book, God's Joyful Surprise (Harper SanFrancisco, 1988), describes the beginnings of her spiritual search. Her second book, When the Heart Waits, (Harper SanFrancisco, 1990) reveals a deepening of Sue’s voice and recounts her vivid spiritual transformation at mid life. Turning her explorations to feminist theology, she published The Dance of the Dissident Daughter, (Harper SanFrancisco, 1996), a memoir that had a groundbreaking effect within religious circles.

Sue's desire to write fiction returned in her forties, and she enrolled in a graduate writing course at Emory University, as well as studying at Sewanee, Bread Loaf and other writers' conferences. She wrote and published short stories in small literary journals for which she garnered several awards.

When her first novel, The Secret Life of Bees was published by Viking in 2002, it became a genuine literary phenomenon. The novel tells the story of fourteen year old Lily, who runs away with her black housekeeper in 1964 in South Carolina, and of the sanctuary they find in the home of three beekeeping sisters. The Secret Life of Bees has sold more than 6 million copies, spent over 2 ½ years on the New York Times bestseller list and been published in 35 countries. It was awarded the 2004 Book Sense Paperback book of the Year, nominated for the Orange Prize in England, and chosen as Good Morning America's Read This! Book Club pick. Taught widely now in high school and college classrooms, The Secret Life of Bees is fast becoming a modern classic. It was produced on stage in New York by The American Place Theater and adapted into a movie by Fox Searchlight in 2008, which won the People’s Choice and the NAACP Image awards for Best Picture.

Sue's second novel, The Mermaid Chair, has sold nearly 2 million copies since its publication by Viking in the Spring of 2005. Set on a South Carolina barrier island, it tells the story of 42 year old Jessie Sullivan, a married woman who falls in love with a Benedictine monk, and explores themes of mid life marriage and self-awakening. The Mermaid Chair reached the #1 spot on the New York Times bestseller list and remained on the hardcover and paperback lists for nine months. Winner of the 2005 Quill Award for General Fiction, the novel has been translated into 24 languages and was produced as a television movie by Lifetime.

Firstlight, a collection of Sue's early writings was released by Guideposts Books in 2006 and Penguin in 2007. A compilation of inspirational stories, spiritual essays, and meditations, it has been translated into several languages and has over 200,000 copies in print.

Sue's newest book, Traveling with Pomegranates: A Mother-Daughter Story, co-authored with her daughter Ann Kidd Taylor debuted September 8, 2009, appearing on numerous bestseller lists, including the New York Times Bestseller List. To read more about Ann, visit www.annkiddtaylor.com. Set against the backdrops of Greece and France, this dual memoir chronicles Sue and Ann’s travels together as each woman finds herself at a crossroads and they undertake a journey to redefine themselves and rediscover each another.

Sue serves on the board of advisors for Poets & Writers, Inc.

Today Sue lives in Southwest Florida with her husband, Sandy, and their black lab, Lily.

• 2011 Induction into the South Carolina Academy of Authors Literary Hall of Fame
• 2010 Homecoming Award presented by Oklahoma Center for Poets and Writers, Oklahoma State University- Tulsa
• Nominated for the 2006 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award- The Mermaid Chair
• 2006 Distinguished Alumna of the Year, presented by Texas Christian University
• 2006 South Carolina "The Order of the Palmetto" Award - State's highest civilian honor
• 2005 Winner of the Quill Award in General Fiction - The Mermaid Chair
• 2005 Southeastern Library Association Fiction Award winner - The Secret Life of Bees
• 2004 Book Sense Book of the Year, paperback- The Secret Life of Bees
• Literature To Life Award presented by The American Place Theatre- 2004
• Nominated for the 2004 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award- The Secret Life of Bees.
• Winner of the 2003 SEBA Book of the Year for The Secret Life of Bees
• Finalist for the 2003 Book Sense Book of the Year Award, hardcover- The Secret Life of Bees
• Finalist for the 2003 Boeke Prize in South Africa- The Secret Life of Bees
• Nominated for the 2002 Orange Prize in England- The Secret Life of Bees
• Winner of the 1996 Poets & Writers Exchange Program in Fiction
• Citation in Best American Short Stories 1996, 100 Distinguished Stories for In the Graveyard of Afterbirth.
• 1994 South Carolina Fellowship in Literature by the South Carolina Arts Commission
• Citation in Best American Short Stories 1994, 100 Distinguished Stories- The Secret Life of Bees.
• 1993 Katherine Anne Porter Second Prize in Fiction by the Nimrod/Hardman Awards
• 1994 & 1996 South Carolina Academy of Authors Fellowships in Fiction by the S.C. Academy of Authors