Tiajuana Anderson Neel, executive director of the Pulpwood Queens Book Club Reading Nation, died April 19. She was 65. The Longview News-Journal reported that Neel "loved to read books and became a loyal member of the Pulpwood Queens Bookclubs.... In 2018 she was the recipient of the Doug Marlette Award, which is given to an individual for lifetime of supporting literacy."
Kathy L. Murphy, founder of the Pulpwood Queens Book Club, which has more than 700 chapters internationally, said the response she has "received from authors, like Alice Hoffman, Lisa Wingate, Jamie Ford, River Jordan, Deborah Rodriguez, Missy Buchanan, Patti Callahan Henry and more, and truly Pulpwood Queens everywhere, has been overwhelming. If Tiajuana is listening and I am sure she is, I would tell her, 'Honey, you have gone viral.' She was an extraordinary person that did extraordinary things all in the name of literacy."
In a tribute on Facebook, Jonathan Haupt, executive director at Pat Conroy Literary Center, wrote: "We've lost one of the biggest hearts and most beloved souls in our literary community with the passing of Tiajuana Anderson Neel.... It was an honor and a delight to meet Tiajuana in Jefferson, Texas, in January, to spend time in her welcoming orbit there at a gathering she cherished, and then to host her and Kathy on their pilgrimage to Beaufort thereafter. Tiajuana lived a life of faithful and compassionate service to others, and she leaves a Texas-sized hole in the hearts of everyone in her tribe who loved her so."
Murphy observed: "She was brought into my life because her love of books but I will also tell you she can never be replaced.... So if we take anything away from this I just remember what author Christa Allan told me today. She helped people and never expected anything in return even when she knew that what she did to help people would never be appreciated, she did it anyway."