5 Up-and-Coming Authors to Read Now

Did you know that in 2022, there were over 54,000 writers and authors in the US alone?

That being said, when it comes to the authors that you want to read, the sheer amount of choice can be overwhelming to say the least. Do you want to read work from someone with a similar background to you? Or branch out and read books authored by people with completely different experiences? Do you stick to the authors you know or pick them at random from the ‘A-Z Fiction’ shelves?

To give you a little nudge in the right direction, the team of booklovers at Victoria Freudenheim have put together a list of some of the best up-and-coming authors to get you excited.

1. Rebecca F. Kuang

First on our list is Rebecca F. Kuang, a talented young author with an impressive catalogue of academic achievements.

Originally born in Guangzhou, China, in 1996, Kuang was raised in Dallas Texas from the age of four. After studying History at Georgetown University, Kuang went on to gain an MPhil degree in Chinese Studies at Magdalene College, Cambridge, an MSc in Contemporary Chinese Studies from Oxford University, and then a PhD in East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale.

With such an impressive collection of accolades under her belt, it is no wonder that Kuang’s works are challenging, captivating, and incredibly intellectually stimulating for all who read them. You may well have heard of Kuang on account of her latest sensation, Yellowface (2023), which has taken the market by storm. But Kuang has been producing successful stories for a few years now.

Her debut novel, The Poppy War, came out in 2018 when she was just 22 years old and on a gap year in China. Blending fantasy and politics to give a slice of mid-20th-century China, this book earned her the Compton Crook Award for Best First Novel in 2019.

After a strong start, Kuang also produced The Dragon Republic (2019) and The Burning God (2022). Her fourth novel, Babel (2022), is extremely powerful and also incredibly long. Worth every minute, however, this fascinating story, set in 1830s England, bravely addresses bold concepts such as the power of language against important topics like colonial violence.

We look forward to seeing which new heights Kuang reaches as Yellowface is consumed by more and more readers and we anticipate many innovative works to follow.

2. Stephen Buoro

Our second author to watch is Stephen Buoro, author of the greatly successful The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa (2023).

Born in Nigeria, Buoro is the fourth of six children and grew up with both artistic and religious influences with his father being a photographer and the only books in his home being sacred texts.

You might say that Buoro had a difficult introduction to literature as it was only after winning a scholarship to a missionary school – where students were caned for not speaking English – that he learned to read. And yet he thrived. After earning a maths degree, he found a love of words and came to study creative writing in the UK with an MA at UEA, winning the Booker prize foundation scholarship.

Buoro began writing in the summer of 2005, after his father passed away. Powerfully, for Buoro, writing became an outlet for grief, a way of opening up his feelings for self-inspection. Inspired by his teenage readings of The Catcher in the Rye, Buoro enjoys the irreverent, colloquial style and gives voice to a very quotidian style of living in beautiful prose. Buoro describes ‘Andy’ as a ‘chimaera’ or a ‘device for looking at the African self and how the African and western selves interact’.

Currently studying for a PhD in creative-critical writing, Buoro is a highly accomplished writer already and we look forward to seeing more from him in the future.

3. Emily Ruskovich

The third on our list is Emily Ruskovich, the incredibly talented writer behind the best-seller, IDAHO. Ruskovich began life living in the mountains of IDAHO – on Hoodoo Mountain, to be precise – and has continued to scale heights ever since with her career.

After graduating from the University of Montana, she earned an MA in English for the University of Brunswick and an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Her debut novel IDAHO earned her immediate literary fame and multiple accolades, being translated into over 12 languages — and even being turned into a film by esteemed actress Elizabeth Moss.

Just some of the prizes her first novel has won include: the O. Henry Award for Short Fiction and The Pacific Northwest Book Award. Also, her writing has appeared in Zoetrope, One Story, The Virginia Quarterly Review, Lithub, The Paris Review, The Guardian, and even the New York Times.

Despite all these prizes being won, though, it’s the writing itself that continues to win over readers. Described as ‘wrenching and beautiful’ by the New York Times, Ruskovich’s novel is an exercise in perspective, using complicated storytelling techniques to force readers to confront the multiplicities of truth and fractured relationships.

If you’re interested in eerie, mysterious, mountainous prose, keep your finger on the pulse when it comes to Emily Ruskovich.

4. Phoebe Robinson

Fourth on the list is Phoebe Robinson, a multi talented stand-up comedian and recently turned author. Most well known for being the co-creator and co-star of podcast and TV show 2 Dope Queens, Robinson sits right at the centre of important intersections of race, gender, and popular culture.

Her latest work is You Can’t Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have to Explain, a collection of essays around popular culture, racial difference, and gender which has been absolutely lapped up by critics and readers alike.

Daring to be bold and make statements with her work, Robinson gives voice to the important issues around cultural difference and encourages readers to interrogate their biases with lighthearted humour and wit.

You can’t afford to be a stranger to Robinson’s important work as it is something of a cultural necessity. For that reason, she is definitely one to watch.

5. Liv Little

Author of the dazzling new novel, Rosewater, Liv Little is the fifth and final author to watch on our list.

Currently living in South London, Liv is the proud founder and former chief executive of ‘gal-dem’ the empowering independent magazine for people of colour from marginalised genders.

Rosewater, her debut novel, seeks to build upon the work done by gal-dem to amplify marginalised voices and does so not only successfully, but beautifully.
This novel details queer romance and intimacy in a bright, effortless style that brings together the downturns of life with uplifting prose.

If you enjoy romance and queer fiction, Liv Little is definitely one to watch.

Stay curious with Victoria Freudenheim

We hope you’ve enjoyed this list. We always find it exciting to introduce our readers to the latest authors making waves in the literary scene.

If you’re keen to keep exploring when it comes to genre and reading habits, keep up with our blog and make sure to check in with our latest reviews page to see what we’ve been reading, too.