General bioTamryn Spruill is an artist, activist, journalist, and author seeking truth in pursuit of justice and equality. Spruill carved a beat for herself covering the issues of gender, race, and sexuality that have historically undermined the success of women's sports in the U.S. She has followed the WNBA since its inception in 1996, and she is writing a book about its powerful history through the lens of the passionate, persevering, and powerful women who make the league up.
Spruill is the winner of the LA Press Club's 2020 Southern California Journalism Award for Best Sports Commentary, Print/Online for "Critical Assist": a historically contextualized feature on WNBA guards Natasha Cloud and Renee Montgomery, who opted out of the 2020 season to pursue social justice work in the aftermath of the police killings of African Americans George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. In their respective WNBA cities of Washington, DC, and Atlanta, GA, Cloud and Montgomery both worked tirelessly to combat voter suppression in the runup to the 2020 Presidential Election. |
For ABRAMS Books, Spruill is writing a book about the WNBA's glorious, but often fraught history. COURT QUEENS: The Story of the WNBA's Power, Passion and Perseverance On and Off the Court examines the multilayered odds against which the league and its players have had to triumph to reach their 25th season (in 2021) and the issues that still imperil the league's quest to realize its full potential.
Spruill’s bylines include Harper’s BAZAAR, The New York Times, SLAM, ZORA, Teen Vogue, The Athletic and Swish Appeal, where she served as editor-in-chief from 2018, when hired as the first woman to hold that position, and 2021, when she stepped down to finish her book.
Spruill has appeared in interviews as an expert source for Jake Tapper (The Lead, CNN), Tiffany Cross (The Cross Connection, MSNBC), Rosemary Church (CNN International), Michelle Norris (All Things Considered, NPR), BBC News, CBC Radio, and others.
She holds Bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and Journalism (University of South Carolina) and a Master’s of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (Goddard College).
ADDITIONAL BIOS:
Spruill’s bylines include Harper’s BAZAAR, The New York Times, SLAM, ZORA, Teen Vogue, The Athletic and Swish Appeal, where she served as editor-in-chief from 2018, when hired as the first woman to hold that position, and 2021, when she stepped down to finish her book.
Spruill has appeared in interviews as an expert source for Jake Tapper (The Lead, CNN), Tiffany Cross (The Cross Connection, MSNBC), Rosemary Church (CNN International), Michelle Norris (All Things Considered, NPR), BBC News, CBC Radio, and others.
She holds Bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and Journalism (University of South Carolina) and a Master’s of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (Goddard College).
ADDITIONAL BIOS:
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