Gwen Richardson

Gwen Richardson is an author, publicist and entrepreneur. Two of her books have been nominated for NAACP Image Awards: 101 Scholarship Applications: What It Takes to Obtain a Debt-Free College Education in 2015, and You Are Wonderfully Made: 12 Life-Changing Principles for Teen Girls to Embrace in 2016. The latter was a book she co-authored with her daughter, Sylvia, who is a graduate of North Carolina Central University, an HBCU. As a publicist, Gwen provides a wide range of marketing services, primarily for clients within the book industry. She has been an entrepreneur for more than 20 years, and co-owns Cushcity.com with her husband, Willie. Cushcity.com provides retail and literary marketing services within the African-American market. Gwen is co-founder and national coordinator of the National Black Book Festival. This annual event, held in Houston, Texas, attracts over 100 African-American authors from across the U.S. and celebrates its 13th anniversary in October 2020. Gwen is a native of Newport News, Va., She resides in Houston with Willie and their daughter, Sylvia. She is a graduate of Georgetown University with a B.S. degree in marketing.