Virginia DeBerry

Biography

DeBerry is a former high school English teacher from Buffalo, New York. She attended Fisk University and is a graduate of State University of New York at Buffalo. from where she graduated with a BA. After almost 10 years in the classroom, she moved to New York and started a successful career as a plus-size model. She was frequently featured in catalogs, advertising, magazines and appeared on several television programs including Today.

During this time she met co-author, Donna Grant, who was also a plus size model vying for the same assignments. Their modeling careers led to the opportunity to launch Maxima, a fashion and lifestyle magazine for plus-size women, where Virginia was editor-in-chief and Donna the managing editor. When publication of Maxima ceased, Virginia and Donna decided to try writing a book together. Virginia and Donna, best friends for more than 30 plus years, have turned a friendship into the most successful collaboration to date in African-American fiction.

Publishing

Their first effort, Exposures was published under the pseudonym Marie Joyce (for Donna Marie and Virginia Joyce). It was also published in Spain as Instantaneas. Their next book, written as DeBerry and Grant, was Tryin' to Sleep in the Bed You Made, which was a critical success, an Essence Magazine Bestseller, as are all three of their books, and won the Merit Award for Fiction from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association, as well as the 1998 Book of the Year Award from the Blackboard Bestseller List/African American Booksellers Conference-Book Expo America. More than that, it hit an emotional nerve with tens of thousands of readers from all over the world who continue to write to Virginia and Donna ten years after the book's publication. Far From the Tree became a New York Times Bestseller, and Better Than I Know Myself received two Open Book Awards, and was included on the Best African-American fiction of 2004 lists of both Borders and WaldenBooks.

In addition to speaking at book fairs and literary festivals around the country for the past eight years, Virginia and Donna have been keynote, motivational/inspirational speakers and served on panels for a wide variety of meetings, organizations, companies, churches, cultural and educational institutions, including: DELL North America, Women Work!, Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, Speaking of Women's Health (Procter & Gamble) & the Texas Conference for Women. Their honest and powerful messages have received praise from literary, business and academic audiences. They have also appeared on CNN, Good Day New York and been featured on the pages of Essence Magazine, Glamour (magazine), American Woman, and Black Issues Book Review. In 2009 they spoke at the first annual California Book Club Summit and were part of a panel discussion on the unease of African Americans about the publishing industry.

In 2008 Donna and Virginia joined with partners Tyrha Lindsey and Tracey Kemble to form 4 Colored Girls Productions. They hoped to make a film of Tryin’ to Sleep in the Bed You Made, based on their 1997 novel, as their first independent feature. They were unhappy with the type of film Hollywood wanted and the film was never made.

Later career

In 2010 DeBerry became one of three co-founders with Jim Lenihan, and Mike Tublin of the New Bruswick Jazz Project. They wanted to bring jazz music to their city and by 2015 had presented around 700 free shows, many featuring recognized jazz musicians. Her involvement is ongoing.

DeBerry talked about her varying interests

Clearly, I don’t pick things that are easy to do, ... noting how she has added the jazz promoter hat to her resume in the last five years. I can reach a point where I have maximum interest in something. I don’t want to say I get bored, and I don’t want to say I’m a dilettante, because I taught school for 10 years and then I worked in fashion for 10 years, but I pick things that appeal to me in some way. Everything I decided to do because I really felt compelled to do it has turned out well. It’s been successful enough to be self-sustaining, and I haven’t gotten rich doing anything, but I don’t know what else you can want out of life than that, and I know I’m not going to get rich doing this, but that’s okay,

Private Life

Virginia, born in Wadesboro, NC. the daughter of Juanita DeBerry and the late John L. DeBerry II. She also has a sister, Valerie DeBerry and a brother, Dr. John L. DeBerry III. She grew up in Buffalo, then moved to New York from the early 80’s until ’92. She then moved to Jersey.

Twice married and divorced, now single and happy.

Awards

Black Caucus of the American Library Association 1998 BCALA Honor Award in fiction for Tryin' to sleep in the bed you made

BlackBoard Bestseller List 1998 Book of the Year Award for Tryin’ to Sleep in the Bed You Made It was he best-selling hardcover book among African-American authors in 1997-’98

Go on Girl Book Club, 1997 New Author of the Year Award

African American Literary Awards Show—Open Book Award, September 29, 2004,