Alyssa Colman Awarded Schneider Family Book Award

Wake Forest theatre alum Alyssa Colman (‘06)  has been awarded the 2026 American Library Association’s Schneider Family Book Award for her novel Where Only Storms Grow. The award recognizes outstanding artistic expression of the disability experience for young readers. The novel also received the 2026 Josette Frank Award and was named a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection.

A theatre and English major at Wake Forest, Colman draws on her training in storytelling to write heartwarming stories for young audiences. Her previous novels include The Gilded Girl and The Tarnished Garden, both middle-grade fantasies. Colman currently lives in Virginia with her husband, twin daughters, and dog, Daisy. Visit her website here to learn more about her accomplishments since graduating.