Valerie Boyd, the author and editor known for her acclaimed biography of Zora Neale Hurston, has died at 58, publisher Simon & Schuster announced in a news release.

Boyd, a Georgia native, began her career in writing at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in the 1980s; she later served as the newspaper’s arts editor. She taught for years at the University of Georgia and served on the board of the National Book Critics Circle from 2005 to 2008.

In 2003, she published Wrapped in Rainbows: The Life of Zora Neale Hurston. The book garnered praise from critics, including one from Kirkus, who gave the biography a starred review and wrote, “Boyd writes knowledgeably and gracefully, putting into perspective Hurston’s considerable achievements both as a literary figure and as a social scientist. [It] brings one of the most pivotal figures in 20th-century literature brilliantly to life.”

Boyd edited Gathering Blossoms Under Fire: The Journals of Alice Walker, which will be published in April by Simon & Schuster. She was working on an anthology, Bigger Than Bravery: Black Resilience and Reclamation in a Time of Pandemic, at the time of her death.

Social media users paid tribute to Boyd. “Condolences to those who knew and loved Valerie Boyd, talented writer, biographer of Zora Neale Hurston and a truly genuine and kind human being,” tweeted journalist Jelani Cobb. “I’m saddened to hear of her passing but grateful to have known her.”

And author Shirley Moody-Turner wrote, “The weight of this loss. My heart goes out to Professor Valerie Boyd’s family, friends, and colleagues. A fellow traveler, she called the soul to come and see.”

Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.