2006 Audie® Award Winner - Literary Fiction
Set in New York in the 1980s and '90s, Upstate tells the story of two young lovers, Antonio and Natasha, torn apart by tragedy and struggling to survive against all odds. When a horrific tragedy sends Antonio to jail, their worlds turn upside down. Antonio struggles to stay alive on the inside; Natasha battles society on the outside. Over the course of ten years, they share an intimate correspondence as their lives change dramatically and they often have only each other to turn to. Will fate bring them back together, or will they remain forever apart? Ripe with unforgettable characters and two haunting voices, Upstate is not to be missed.
Kalisha Buckhanon has received awards and fellowships from the NAACP, Illinois Arts Council, Andrew Mellon Fund, and many others. Her work has appeared in such publications as Michigan Quarterly Review and Warpland. She holds an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from New School University.