Rob Franklin spent years diving into the intersections and worlds of his hometown of Atlanta and second-home of Brooklyn as he crafted his striking debut novel, The Great Black Hope. The novel follows a young Black queer Stanford graduate who flees to his hometown of Atlanta after tragedy strikes in his socially elite friend group, and he is arrested for drug possession. The plot alone has snagged many a readers’ attention. But it's Franklin’s seductively cool writing style that has kept readers locked in with each page turn. With the success of the book, the School of Visual Arts professor and Kimbilio Fiction Fellow can add bestselling author to his list of accolades. His book was even named one of the best of the year by Vogue and Debutiful, and listed as a must-read by Time Magazine. And with his published work appearing in the New England Review, Prairie Schooner, and The Rumpus, readers are already looking forward to the next spectacular novel or literary work Franklin will pen.