Alicia Keys is a seventeen-time Grammy Award–winning singer, songwriter, producer, actress, activist, and entrepreneur who has sold over 90 million records worldwide. Billboard has ranked her as the number one R&B/hip-hop artist of the 2000s. Her memoir, More Myself, was a New York Times bestseller. She worked on the development of the Hell's Kitchen musical for thirteen years. Lise Funderburg's books include Pig Candy; Black, White, Other; Purple Rising; and Apple, Tree. Her essays have appeared in Threepenny Review, Harper's, New England Review, Cimarron, Broad Street, Brevity, The Nation, New York Times, Chattahoochee Review, Best African American Essays, and elsewhere. She teaches creative nonfiction at the University of Pennsylvania.
“I loved every second of Hell’s Kitchen, the hit Broadway musical, and this keepsake book is a must-read. Jam-packed with behind-the-scenes content, it walks readers through Alicia’s extraordinary process of creation. So much hard work and joy went into this magical production—and this book serves as a reminder of the power there is in holding fast to our dreams.” —Michelle Obama “[A]n intimate and in-depth look at the joys and challenges of bringing an original musical to life…Theater geeks and Keys fans alike will savor this enthusiastic peek behind the curtain.” —Publishers Weekly