30 years + writing 200 + books published, celeb ghostwriter, book publishing expert, playwright, film director Ardre Orie is CEO of 13th & Joan Publishing House. One of the most sought-after ghost writers, her mastery of the art of skillful storytelling effortlessly places her at the top. Orie’s super impressive list of clients include VH1, MTV, WETV, BRAVO, BET, CENTRIC, YouTube, the NFL, Grammy-winning artists as well top entrepreneurs.
In 2019, she made history with her launch of “Dear Paris” a weeklong international retreat for women of color, providing writing guidance/support.
Orie, a product of a single-parent home, abandoned by her father, had a rough encounter during childhood with domestic violence, hanging onto a shred of self-esteem and looking for an outlet for succor, luckily she discovered the magical healing power of storytelling, which paved way for a brighter future.
“A girl’s father is her point of reference for who she is and how she moves in the world. In his absence, I could never really define what love was for myself. I walked around half, not whole. My mother, the strongest woman that I have ever known, later attempted to discover love and came up empty-handed. Our home that had once been peaceful was filled with bloodshed and violence beyond words. We learned together that love can hurt,” reflecting back, she explains.
“I found ways to address the hurt from my father’s absence. I stopped blaming myself and questioning if I had not been good enough for him to stay. I began to focus on what God had for me. I began to attempt to establish my own definition of love, separate from anything that I had seen. And while I spend all of my days encouraging you to share your stories, today, I am humbly transparent about mine.”
Way back, she didn’t hold onto writing professionally but passion set the stage and along the line, she walked away from a budding education career. Today from finding purpose through pain, she has become one of the in-demand talents in her field, her enviable ability to emotionally vivid pictures, tapping into her client’s innermost thoughts, and playing it all on paper secures her place.
“I have been entrusted to write their stories because I can hear their hearts. We all bear a story untold and we all have a chapter inside that we are dying to share or relieve ourselves of. Most importantly, we all deserve an opportunity to tell the world who we are.”
The ‘Queen of storytelling’ is on a mission to inspire a new generation of writers of color to share the untold stories the world needs to hear.
“My mission has been and will always be to continue to create media that helps us to see the depth and variety in our lives and to redefine how we see ourselves and the world. Serving as a ghostwriter allows me to be a vehicle to push forward with this mission. I believe that no one should bear a story untold. We deserve to tell our stories, read our stories, watch our stories, and most importantly, experience the freedom that accompanies walking in our truths.”
