Beatrice McClearn

Beatrice McClearn (born 16 November 1982, in Washington, D.C.) is an American author.

Although she started writing short stories at the age of 9, McClearn first became known for her poetry by her middle school classmates (who often asked her to write poetry on their behalf).

McClearn stopped writing poetry in 2001 and experimented with the idea of posting blogs on social networking sites BlackPlanet and MySpace. The feedback she received from family and close friends inspired her to take her writing to the next level.

Shortly after her marriage in 2006 McClearn started writing Diaries of an Emotional Prostitute under the alias Young Akilah. The first entry was written as she listened to Jill Scott sing one of her favorite songs Cross My Mind. During that time she also worked as an 8th grade Reading/Language Arts teacher for Prince George’s County Public Schools, where she wrote during her planning periods.

In early 2007 McClearn sought the advice of a Canadian editor, a former literary agent, who suggested the manuscript undergo drastic rewrites. Shortly after, McClearn decided to take a break. A year later McClearn filed for divorce and decided it was time to revisit her editor’s suggestions.

While rewriting her novel, McClearn worked as a writer/consultant for small companies like Premier Social Management, Examiner.com, and Butterfly Effects Soy Candles. In addition, McClearn published a variety of short stories that touched on sexuality, self-esteem, and society for blogs entitled MindPlay, Confessions of a Fat Girl, and Road to Recovery. In late 2010 McClearn dropped her alias and published Diaries of an Emotional Prostitute under Sixth Sense Publishing.

By early 2011 McClearn joined forces with her best friend, Colleen “Journei” Ervin, to create Uncover2Discover - a series of videos that engaged their audience in what they called “girl talk.” The YouTube production ended summer of that same year.