AALBC in the Media

AALBC.com is Frequently Sited in Major Media

Lists AALBC.com, in 2002, as one of
"The 100 best Web Sites for African Americans"

AALBC Founder, Troy Johnson appeared in the "Circuits" section of Thursday, March 18, 1999 New York Times

"On-line clubs can also address genres and literary Niches that it may be more difficult to build an off-line club around. Such is the case with the African American Literature Book Club..."

African Voices
Winter 2000/2001

Slaying the Giant: How you can publish your own book
by Ron Kavanaugh

"Johnson has been on the forefront of compiling information on electronic books. Although he feels it will be sometime before eBooks become the norm he does see it coming"

Black Issues Book Review
Vol. 1 No. 5; p. 51
Date: 09/01/1999

Homepages meet coffee-table art
by Pat Houser

It is a true smorgasbord for those who love African American Literature. Most importantly, Johnson emphasizes, "It is a community".

Publishers Weekly
11/1999
Vol. 246 No. 48 Pg. 28

Black Web Site Supports Titles With Discussion.
by Diane Patrick

"If you're a writer, reader or book marketer looking for a Web site that attracts a wide demographic of black readers, then point your browser to the African American Literature Book Club (www.aalbc.com) for a passionate discussion of books by black authors."

Workshop - Breakout Session II: "We Must Develop New Guidelines for the Protection of our Cultural Property

"Using the Internet to Advance Black Arts"
Kalamu ya Salaam, Nommo Literary Society; Troy Johnson, African American Literature Book Club; Jiton Davidson , Fyah.com"; and Dr. Askhari Johnson Hodari, de Griot Space

December 31, 1998 - Features Section

"The African American Literature Book Club aims to increase awareness of the richness of African-American literature. You can vote for a favorite author or book or try some fun stuff, such as a crossword puzzle or virtual poetry reading."

The News and Observer, Raleigh, NC
September 15, 1999 - News Section
"...Looking for a central place to check out classics and best sellers by African-Americans? A New York-based Web site that made its debut in March probably will have what you are looking for."

Did you catch the AALBC.com in the October 1998 issue of UPSCALE?

"It's a place where one can browse, learn about African-American literature and participate in on-line book discussions. I like to call it "everybody's site" because most of the content was suggested by users, and participants continuously contribute to it." says Troy Johnson, the club's founder.

Thursday, January 11, 2001
by Martin Arnold

"There are some online services that specialize in books for black, in addition to Black Expressions. The most successful is the African American Literature Book Club..."

Essence
December, 2000

Virtual Literature
by Ronda Racha Penrice

"...the African American Literature Book Club are popular stops for African-American book lovers. Troy Johnson, who founded aalbc.com in 1996 [Sic], labels response to the site Overwhelming"

Host's Linda Duggins and Max Rodriguez interviews AALBC.com Founder and webmaster, Troy Johnson on New York's 1600 WWRL April 26, 2001 (Listen)

African-American Book Clubs Gain Influence
interviewed by Zlatica Hoke
Washington, 8 Feb 2001"The purpose of his site is to put out information about books and authors, advertise new books, and link his website to those of some African-American authors."

Colorblind Books With Universal Appeal
By Jane Gordon,
By Jane Gordon, February 18, 2000

"Herron credits the country's prosperity with the recent explosion of publications, Web sites and books - including children's books - for and by African Americans... Sites such as http://aalbc.com, a literary book club for African Americans"

A Diverse Market for African-American Books Keeps Growing.
by Carol Taylor

Publishers Weekly
12/1999
Vol. 246 No. 50 Pg. 37

"Thumper, the anonymous, popular and always opinionated moderator of the AALBC message boards. He also singles out Camika Spencer's When All Hell Breaks Loose, originally self-published, then picked up and reissued in September by Villard. "It's the crown of self-published books on AALBC this year," the moderator said"

Black Issues Book Review features the AALBC in their March/April 1999 issue

Online Book Sellers Provide a Web of Opportunity
"...read reviews and editorials of books, join the "Coffee Will Make You Black Reading Group, tackle a crossword puzzle or visit a chat room to share ideas with fellow book lovers."

Emerge writes a two page article about the AALBC in the July/August 1998 issue:

"...once inside this hidden jewel of a site, there are ample features to hold your attention and enhance your appreciation of Black authors and their literature."

New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC)
Presents:

Sacred Circle / Spoken Word
A Three-Day Festival of Spoken Word

Workshop - Distribution and the Internet
Troy Johnson (aalbc.com) & Davey D (daveyd.com)