Sherrie Fernandez-Williams, author of Soft: A Memoir holds an MFA in writing from Hamline University and is a recipient of an Artist Initiative Award through the Minnesota State Arts Board, a SASE/Jerome Award through Intermedia Arts, and the Jones’ Commission Award through the Playwrights’ Center.  She was a selected participant in the Loft Mentor Series for Creative Nonfiction, and the Givens Black Writers Collaborative.  Her work has been published in various literary magazines and anthologies including the Poverty and Education Reader, Segue, RKVRY, Branches, and the Summit Avenue Review.  Fernandez-Williams discovered her need for words   in Brooklyn, NY where she was born and raised, but “grew up” as a writer in the Twin Cities.