Biography

William Melvin Kelley was born on November 1, 1937 in Staten Island, New York, USA. He was married to Karen Kelley. He died on February 1, 2017 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.

Novelist, essayist, educator and social commentator, William Melvin Kelley used his writings to explore the conundrum of race relations in the United States in the latter half of the 20th Century. His video diaries of life in Harlem were the basis of the film 'The Beauty That I Saw (2014)'.