BOONE, N.C. — DeAndra Miller (Pen Name: DeAndra Davis), teaching assistant professor in the Appalachian State University Department of English, is the recipient of the American Library Association (ALA)'s 2026 William C. Morris Award. The Morris Award, first given in 2009, honors a book published by a first-time author writing for teens and celebrates impressive new voices in young adult literature.
Miller received the award for her book, All the Noise at Once, published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing. All the Noise at Once focuses on a Black, autistic teen who tries to figure out what happened the night his older brother was unjustly arrested in a moving story about brotherhood, identity, and social justice.
The announcement was made at the 2026 Youth Media Awards, held in Chicago on Monday, Jan. 26. Recognized worldwide for the high quality they represent, the ALA Youth Media Awards — including the prestigious Newbery, Caldecott, Printz, and Coretta Scott King Book Awards — guide parents, educators, librarians, and others in selecting the best materials for youth. Selected by committees composed of librarians and other literature and media experts, the awards encourage original and creative work in the field of children’s and young adult literature and media.
Miller, an autistic and neurodivergent Jamaican-American author, holds an MFA in Fiction from Florida International University. She joined App State's Department of English in August 2025, teaching creative writing courses. In September, Miller kicked off the 2025-26 Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series with a craft talk for aspiring authors and a reading from All the Noise at Once. Her next book, The Lovers, the Liars, and Me, will be published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers in June 2026.
To learn more about Miller, visit her website.
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About the Department of English
The Department of English at Appalachian State University is committed to outstanding work in the classroom, the support and mentorship of students, and a dynamic engagement with culture, history, language, theory and literature. The department offers master’s degrees in English and rhetoric and composition, as well as undergraduate degrees in literary studies, film studies, creative writing, professional writing and English education. Learn more at english.appstate.edu.
By Lauren Gibbs
January 26, 2026
BOONE, N.C.
DeAndra Miller is a teaching assistant professor in the Appalachian State University Department of English and the author of All the Noise at Once. Photo courtesy of Miller
DeAndra Miller is a teaching assistant professor in the Appalachian State University Department of English and the author of All the Noise at Once. Photo courtesy of Miller