Jill Conner Browne
A.K.A. THE Sweet Potato Queen, a #1 New York Times Bestselling Author
“Boss Queen” Jill Conner Browne founded the Sweet Potato Queens® in the early 1980s. After passing through a patch of the doldrums, she found herself in need of some excitement, and a new direction. Browne discovered that she lived near Vardaman, Mississippi, self-proclaimed Sweet Potato Capital of the World, and inspiration struck. She volunteered to be the queen for the farmers’ annual festival. Although the crowning never materialized, the prospect of being the queen of anything was too good to pass up; so, in 1982 Browne entered herself and a few similarly inspired friends in Jackson, Mississippi’s, St. Patrick’s Day Parade (now the 4th largest in the country). The four original Queens all wore green, hand-me-down, ball gowns and tiaras, and waved to the crowd from the bed of an old pickup truck. It was modest, but it was a start. The Queenly costume has undergone several upgrades since then, and now consists of a sparkly size-24 green-sequined mini-dress (stuffed to its voluptuous forty-pound carrying weight), flowing red wigs, Revlon’s® “Love That Pink” lipstick, and real-life majorette boots.
Browne is “America’s #1 Humor Writer,” according to Nielsen BookScan, a retail book sales monitoring service. There are more than 2.2 million copies of THE Sweet Potato Queen’s books currently in print, not including: American Thighs: The Sweet Potato Queen’s Guide to Preserving your Assets and Maximizing the Return on Investment, The Sweet Potato Queens’ Guide to Raising Children for Fun and Profit, The Sweet Potato Queens’ 1st Big-Ass Novel: Stuff we didn’t actually do, but could have and may yet, her fifth book, a New York Times best-seller, The Sweet Potato Queens’ Wedding Planner and Divorce Guide, (Crown Publishers, 2005) is an ingenious hardcover flip-book; the #1 New York Times best-seller, The Sweet Potato Queens’ Field Guide to Men: Every Man I Love is Either Married, Gay, or Dead (Three Rivers Press, 2004); the #1 New York Times best-seller, The Sweet Potato Queens’ Big-Ass Cookbook (and Financial Planner) (Three Rivers Press, 2003); and, the national bestsellers: God Save the Sweet Potato Queens (Three Rivers Press, 2001), and The Sweet Potato Queens’ Book of Love (Three Rivers Press, 1999), the book that started it all, which has been translated into German and Japanese.
Browne is known at the podium for her highly motivating, empowering, hilarious, totally G-rated account of how she came to be THE Sweet Potato Queen™, what THAT has done to her life, the Keys to the Universe, and the resulting contributions to World Peace (in spite of the fact that all she ever wanted in life was to be a 5'2", red-headed, large-breasted, tiny-footed singer and never got ANY of it). Afterwards, she answers questions – and since she knows pretty much everything (except for Algebra) – this is most helpful to the audience.
Browne has been featured in USA Today, Newsweek, People, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The Dallas Morning News, The Denver Post, The St. Petersburg Times, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Forbes, SOUTH, The London Observer Magazine (UK), and Bella Magazine (UK), and Today in English (France) just to name a few; she has appeared on numerous TV shows, including three times on the CBS Early Show and Good Morning America; she's been on CBS News Sunday Morning, The Other Half, The Wayne Brady Show, The Caroline Rhea Show, Southern Living Presents (Browne’s segment was nominated for a 2005 Regional Emmy Award), The Rick & Bubba Show twice, CMT’s 100 Greatest Love Songs, Tucker Carlson, Mississippi Public Broadcasting’s TV production, Writers, (The “Southern Humorists” episode featuring Browne won a 2005 Regional EMMY) and NPR’s All Things Considered. Browne has written several columns for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is a monthly contributor to YA Magazine. For the length of the 1st women’s national FM talk network, Browne was a regular on-air contributor to The Lisa Birnbach Show. Through Browne’s website, www.sweetpotatoqueens.com, she has inspired more than 5,500 registered Sweet Potato Queen Wannabe™ chapter groups, in 22 countries around the world.
Browne is a founding member of the Women’s Fund of The Community Foundation of Greater Jackson, Mississippi. She actively assists Hurricane Katrina on-going relief efforts: so far she has raised more than $100,000.00 in cash and tens of thousands of dollars worth of in-kind donations through her website; she cooked with Chefs for Humanity™ for law enforcement and victims on the Gulf Coast; does clean-up detail with Camp Coast Care; and she participated in the nationally televised Mississippi Rising Gala Concert raising in excess of $15 Million.
When Browne's not writing, working for relief efforts, or speaking at fundraising events around the country, she lives and reigns in Jackson, Mississippi, with her three cats, a 3-legged female mutt, a big boy dog, and her husband. And no, he’s not the Sweet Potato King.
Interested in booking Jill Conner Browne to speak at your next event?
Browne is “America’s #1 Humor Writer,” according to Nielsen BookScan, a retail book sales monitoring service. There are more than 2.2 million copies of THE Sweet Potato Queen’s books currently in print, not including: American Thighs: The Sweet Potato Queen’s Guide to Preserving your Assets and Maximizing the Return on Investment, The Sweet Potato Queens’ Guide to Raising Children for Fun and Profit, The Sweet Potato Queens’ 1st Big-Ass Novel: Stuff we didn’t actually do, but could have and may yet, her fifth book, a New York Times best-seller, The Sweet Potato Queens’ Wedding Planner and Divorce Guide, (Crown Publishers, 2005) is an ingenious hardcover flip-book; the #1 New York Times best-seller, The Sweet Potato Queens’ Field Guide to Men: Every Man I Love is Either Married, Gay, or Dead (Three Rivers Press, 2004); the #1 New York Times best-seller, The Sweet Potato Queens’ Big-Ass Cookbook (and Financial Planner) (Three Rivers Press, 2003); and, the national bestsellers: God Save the Sweet Potato Queens (Three Rivers Press, 2001), and The Sweet Potato Queens’ Book of Love (Three Rivers Press, 1999), the book that started it all, which has been translated into German and Japanese.
Browne is known at the podium for her highly motivating, empowering, hilarious, totally G-rated account of how she came to be THE Sweet Potato Queen™, what THAT has done to her life, the Keys to the Universe, and the resulting contributions to World Peace (in spite of the fact that all she ever wanted in life was to be a 5'2", red-headed, large-breasted, tiny-footed singer and never got ANY of it). Afterwards, she answers questions – and since she knows pretty much everything (except for Algebra) – this is most helpful to the audience.
Browne has been featured in USA Today, Newsweek, People, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The Dallas Morning News, The Denver Post, The St. Petersburg Times, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Forbes, SOUTH, The London Observer Magazine (UK), and Bella Magazine (UK), and Today in English (France) just to name a few; she has appeared on numerous TV shows, including three times on the CBS Early Show and Good Morning America; she's been on CBS News Sunday Morning, The Other Half, The Wayne Brady Show, The Caroline Rhea Show, Southern Living Presents (Browne’s segment was nominated for a 2005 Regional Emmy Award), The Rick & Bubba Show twice, CMT’s 100 Greatest Love Songs, Tucker Carlson, Mississippi Public Broadcasting’s TV production, Writers, (The “Southern Humorists” episode featuring Browne won a 2005 Regional EMMY) and NPR’s All Things Considered. Browne has written several columns for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is a monthly contributor to YA Magazine. For the length of the 1st women’s national FM talk network, Browne was a regular on-air contributor to The Lisa Birnbach Show. Through Browne’s website, www.sweetpotatoqueens.com, she has inspired more than 5,500 registered Sweet Potato Queen Wannabe™ chapter groups, in 22 countries around the world.
Browne is a founding member of the Women’s Fund of The Community Foundation of Greater Jackson, Mississippi. She actively assists Hurricane Katrina on-going relief efforts: so far she has raised more than $100,000.00 in cash and tens of thousands of dollars worth of in-kind donations through her website; she cooked with Chefs for Humanity™ for law enforcement and victims on the Gulf Coast; does clean-up detail with Camp Coast Care; and she participated in the nationally televised Mississippi Rising Gala Concert raising in excess of $15 Million.
When Browne's not writing, working for relief efforts, or speaking at fundraising events around the country, she lives and reigns in Jackson, Mississippi, with her three cats, a 3-legged female mutt, a big boy dog, and her husband. And no, he’s not the Sweet Potato King.
Interested in booking Jill Conner Browne to speak at your next event?
Contact Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau.
(866) 248-3049
info@simonspeakers.com
