Renée is a novelist of memory, grit, and grace. Her debut novel, Leaving Woodstock (Kensington, 2027), follows a runaway teen’s search for her father at the legendary 1969 Woodstock festival and the unexpected family and self she discovers along the way.

She writes the kinds of stories she loves to read, and that means they’re rooted in the South, layered with strong women, tangled families, and the places that shape us. Her voice is vivid and lyrical, laced with humor, heartache, and a touch of grit.

Renée earned her MFA from Hollins University, where she was a two-time recipient of the Shirley Henn Award for Excellence in Creative Writing. She is also a recipient of the Highlights Foundation Writers Workshop Scholarship at Chautauqua and a finalist for the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Award. Her work has been published in Beginnings Literary Journal and The Dead Mule School of Southern Fiction.