Netflix deal. New York Times Best Sellers List. Good Morning America appearance. U of A alumna Ayana Gray is making a splash with her debut novel, Beasts of Prey. The first in a pan-African-inspired fantasy trilogy, Beasts of Prey follows two Black teenagers, Koffi and Ekon, who strike a deal to enter a magical jungle and take down the monster that's been menacing their city for close to a century.  

Gray, who graduated from the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences in 2015 with honors degrees in both political science and African and African American studies, is on campus today to discuss her work and the whirlwind of publicity accompanying her first book tour. 

The Multicultural Center, Arkansas Union 403, will host a meet and greet at 11 a.m., with 25 books to be given away to the first 25 people in attendance.

The Honors College will host Gray's public lecture at 5:30 p.m. in Gearhart Hall Auditorium (GEAR 26), with a reception to follow in the Honors Student Lounge (GEAR 130). Copies of Beasts of Prey will be for sale before and after the lecture. Parking will be available in the Harmon Street Parking Garage. The lecture will also be offered online via Zoom.

"I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate the UA's 150th than to bring in an honors alumna like Ayana Gray," said Lynda Coon, dean of the Honors College. "She's already made a big splash on the literary scene. We're excited to see how her career progresses."

An Auspicious Debut

Beasts of Prey was acquired by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin, in a seven-figure deal. It was published in the U.S. on Sept. 28 and immediately landed on the New York Times YA Best Sellers List. Beasts of Prey will also be published internationally across five continents and 16 countries and is being developed by Netflix as a feature film with Melody Cooper adapting the screenplay. 

"When I started writing Beasts of Prey, I never could've imagined that Netflix would be interested in adapting it into a feature film," Gray said. "To get to partner with them, Melody and the team at Clubhouse Pictures to bring my book to life is a dream come true."

Beasts of Prey is a School Library Journal Gold Standard Selection and was hailed as "a dazzling debut," by Kirkus Reviews, "rife with betrayal and narrated through poetic language that … will ensnare readers." 

A Recipe for Literary Success

Gray attended high school in Little Rock and currently resides there. She said that the experiences she had as a student at the U of A "absolutely bled into Beasts of Prey." She cited one class in particular, professor Jeff Ryan's course on political violence, during which she learned about concepts like moral relativism. 

"I found it really fascinating," Gray remembered. "By the end of the class, we were pretty uncomfortable. We realized that the world is not nearly as black and white as maybe we're taught to believe as children."  

Months later, she had the opportunity to visit Ghana, where she studied pan-Africanism, the trans-Atlantic slave trade and decolonization. Gray, still reeling from the political violence course, was struck by how a country so young could have such a rich history. 

"When I graduated just a few months later, it was the first time in my life that I didn't have a very clear plan ahead," she said. "I didn't know what I was doing with myself. … But what I did know was that I love to write, and that I love books." 

She began writing stories about the things she'd learned. The project that would eventually become Beasts of Prey began as something she did for fun, but it evolved into a more intentional book as she delved further into her research. 

"I had that base knowledge about things like pan-Africanism and the trans-Atlantic slave trade, but I didn't know a lot about mythos across the African continent," Gray explained. "And it's a hard thing, because so much of it is oral. I'm still finding new things," she added. 

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Honors College Mic showcases notable leaders, alumni and top faculty members who share insights and expertise on a wide range of topics. Overall, these lectures foster intellectual conversation at the University of Arkansas through dialogue between lecturer and student, faculty and staff, and the wider populace.