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AUTHORS YOU SHOULD KNOW
http://authors.aalbc.com/author1.htm
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 Susan
L. Taylor
http://authors.aalbc.com/susan_taylor.htm
Susan L. Taylor was the driving force
behind
Essence Magazine for almost 4 decades. Taylor,
61, joined Essence in 1970. A fourth-generation
entrepreneur, Taylor was the founder of her own company, Nequai
Cosmetics, before becoming Essence’s fashion and beauty editor
and, in 1981, its editor-in-chief.
Check out Taylor's latest All About Love: Favorite
Selections from In The Spirit on Living Fearlessly from
Urban Books (Publication date: January 29, 2008)
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 Randall
Kennedy
http://authors.aalbc.com/randall_kennedy.htm
Awarded the 1998 Robert F. Kennedy Book Award for Race, Crime,
and the Law, Mr. Kennedy writes for a wide range of scholarly
and general interest publications, and sits on the editorial
boards of The Nation, Dissent, and The American Prospect. A
member of the American Law Institute, the American Academy of
Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Association,
Mr. Kennedy was awarded an honorary degree by Haverford College
and is a former trustee of Princeton University.
Kennedy's newest book is
Sellout: The Politics of Racial Betrayal. Here
Kennedy "grapples brilliantly and judiciously
with another stigma of our racial discourse: "selling out," or
racial betrayal, which is a subject of much anxiety and acrimony
in Black America.
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 William
Jelani Cobb
http://authors.aalbc.com/william_jelani_cobb.htmWilliam
Jelani Cobb, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of
History at Spelman College.
He specializes in post-Civil War African American history, 20th century American
politics and the history of the Cold War. He is also a contributing writer for
Essence magazine,
an essayist and fiction writer and the author of To The Break of Dawn: A
Freestyle on the Hip Hop Aesthetic (NYU Press 2007) as well as The Devil & Dave Chappelle and Other Essays. He is editor of
The Essential Harold Cruse: A Reader, which was listed as a 2002 Notable Book of
The Year by Black Issues Book Review.
You must read Cobbs's article "As Obama Rises, Old Guard Civil Rights Leaders Scowl"
http://authors.aalbc.com/as_obama_old_civil_rights_leaders_scowl.htm
(originally appeared in the Washington Post January 13,
2008)
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 Jabari
Asim
http://authors.aalbc.com/jabari_asim.htm
Asim is the author of
The N Word: Who Can Say It, Who Shouldn't, and Why. He
is also an accomplished poet, playwright and fiction writer.
Asim has been described as one of the most influential African
American literary critics of his generation. Asim is the editor
in chief of The Crisis, the NAACP’s flagship publication. For
the previous eleven years he was an editor at the Washington
Post Book World. His writing has appeared in numerous
publications including Essence, the Los Angeles Times, and the
Village Voice.
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 Mat
Johnson
http://authors.aalbc.com/mat_johnson.htmMat Johnson
was born and raised in Philly, Mat Johnson grew up in the
Germantown and Mount Airy sections of the city. As an adult, he
has lived elsewhere. His first novel, Drop,
was a B&N Discover Great New Writers selection. His second
novel, Hunting in Harlem, won the
Hurston/Wright Legacy Award. He has written for a variety of
publications, including a stint as a columnist for
Time Out-NY. Mat Johnson currently
teaches at the University of Houston, Creative Writing Program.
Mat's latest graphic novel Incognegro
will be particularly appealing to the young males reader looking
for something really cool read.
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 Derek
Walcott
http://aalbc.com/authors/derek_walcott.htm"No poet rivals
Mr. Walcott in humor, emotional depth, lavish inventiveness in
language or in the ability to express the thoughts of his
characters and compel the reader to follow the swift mutations
of ideas and images in their minds . . . [His poetry] makes us
realize that history, all of it, belongs to us." —The New York
Times
Walcott's book of poems Selected Poems
is a career-spannning retrospective, culled from
nearly 50 years of work, will go a long way toward reminding
readers of the breadth and depth of Nobel laureate Walcott's
achievement.
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 Mona
Sutphen
http://authors.aalbc.com/mona_sutphen.htm
Sutphen recently co-authored with Nina
Hachigian a foreign policy book, The Next American
Century: How the U.S. Can Thrive as Other Powers Rise.
The Next American Century describes how "...the United
States must get its own house in order, making sure that
American children can compete, American workers can adjust,
America’s military remains cutting-edge, and American diplomacy
entices rather than alienates. While America must be prepared
for the possibility that a hostile superpower may one day
emerge, it has to be careful not to turn a distant, uncertain
threat into an immediate one."
Sutphen is currently one of
Barack Obama's foreign policy advisors working on East Asia
and South Asia policy.
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 Agyei
Tyehimba
http://authors.aalbc.com/agyei_tyehimba.htm
Agyei Tyehimba has co-written a book entitled
Game Over: The Rise and Redemption of a Former Harlem Hustler
which was released on August 7, 2007. Published by Simon &
Schuster, Game Over chronicles the life of former Harlem hustler
Azie Faison.
Much like the classic autobiographies
Manchild in a Promised Land,
Down These Mean Streets, and
Makes Me Wanna Holler, this book tells the story of a young
man's struggle for meaning and identity in the 'hood, how the
streets seduced him, and his remarkable transformation from drug
dealer to writer and youth advocate.
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RECENT AALBC.COM BOOK & FILM REVIEWS, ARTICLES,
INTERVIEWS & VIDEOS
 Abiola
Abrams: One Daring Writer - Video plus Interview
http://authors.aalbc.com/abiola_abrams.htm
Abiola Abrams, who you may know as host of
BETJ's The Best Shorts, is an artist to watch. Actually,
scratch that. She's an artist who you should continue to watch
because homegirl has been doing her thing as a filmmaker and
writer for quite some time. She just dropped her first book,
Dare, a hip-hop inspired retelling of Faust with a feminist
twist. Shorter description: a damn good book. Read
Abiola's interview with the BackList's
Felicia Pride
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 The
Black Star News Awards Dinner 2007
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Gejoib_Bu0EThe Black Star News
Awards Dinner 2007 was held at Nubian Heritage, on November 30,
2007 in The Village of Harlem, New York. Publisher/CEO
Milton Allimadi hoted an inspiring event. Honorees include
legendary Journalist Gil Noble, Errol Lewis Columnist of the New
York Daily News, NY1 Anchor and author
Dominic Carter, Author
Renee Daniel Flagler, and more
Please visit also visit
www.blackstarnews.com to learn more about The Black Star
News.
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| Barack Obama Win's Prompts a Many Fascinating
Conversations
 As Obama Rises,
Old Guard Civil Rights Leaders Scowl by William Jelani Cobb,
Ph.D.
http://authors.aalbc.com/as_obama_old_civil_rights_leaders_scowl.htm
Vote Fraud Costs Obama New Hampshire Primary a Tale of Two
Tallies by Kam Williams
http://reviews.aalbc.com/vote_fraud_costs_obama.htm
It is Obama Time! - Conversation from
Our Discussion Boards
http://www.thumperscorner.com/discus/messages/179/32890.html
Now that we can declare the end to
racism... - Conversation from Our Discussion Boards
http://www.thumperscorner.com/discus/messages/179/32915.html
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 African
American Lives 2 - Black Luminaries Find Roots in 4-Part PBS
Series reviewed by Kam Williams
http://aalbc.com/reviews/african_american_lives_2.htm
A year ago, Harvard Professor
Henry Louis “Skip” Gates hosted a groundbreaking series on
which he and eight other African-American icons explored their
roots via a combination of genealogical and DNA research. The
show was so successful, that PBS has brought Skip back along
with eleven new recruits curious about their roots.
This go-round, the group of luminaries includes actors
Don Cheadle and
Morgan Freeman, poet
Maya
Angelou, Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee, DJ Tom Joyner,
singer Tina Turner. Ebony/Jet publisher Linda Johnson Rice,
fellow Harvard Professor Reverend
Peter Gomes and belatedly-black author
Bliss Broyard. Plus, there’s Kathleen Henderson, the contest
winner picked from among over 2,000 entrants to have her history
researched for the program.
African American Lives 2 premieres on PBS at 9 PM (EST) on
Wednesdays February 6 and 13. (check local listings)
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 That
Mean Old Yesterday by Stacey Patton - Book Review
http://reviews.aalbc.com/that_mean_old_yesterday.htm
Paint a picture of a little brown girl who
walks in fear and sadness. Her dark story is told in Stacey
Patton’s memoir, That Mean Old Yesterday. Stacey was a
ward of the State of New Jersey since she was a baby. She lived
in less than perfect foster homes until she was five and was
adopted by a childless couple who lived in the suburbs of
Trenton. Here is where the horror story of abuse and
degradation began. —Reviewed by: Idrissa Uqdah |
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 Why
Black People Can't Lose Weight: The Psychology, The Challenge,
and The Solution to Overall Wellness by Makeisha Lee -
Book Review
http://reviews.aalbc.com/why_bp_cant_lose_weight.htm
Well-crafted and convincing, Why Black
People Can't Lose Weight offers a revolutionary,
step-by-step approach to health aimed at changing the body by
first eliminating destructive attitudes about dieting from the
mind.
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 Passin'
by Karen E. Quinones Miller - Book Review
http://reviews.aalbc.com/passin.htm
Essence best selling author Karen E. Quinones Miller has
written another entertaining and compelling novel that
chronicles the experiences of a Black woman posing as a
Caucasian in today’s society. The main character finds that the
sense of entitlement that comes from being the minority race in
America is not worth the pain and self-loathing that comes from
denying one’s racial ancestry.
Nicole a.k.a. Shanika discovers that although the grass may look
greener on the other side; it grows faster and higher and
threatens to bury her under a mess of lies and deception that
hurts those she loves and causes her new best friends to loathe
who she has become. It also teaches her to value her own
self-worth in the end and forces her to return to the person she
was born to be. But this growth does not come without loss and
pain. From Grand Central Publishing (February
15, 2008)
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 Jurnee
Smollett and Denzel Whitaker: The Great Young Stars in The Great
Debaters
http://reviews.aalbc.com/denzel_whitaker.htm
In
The Great Debaters,
Jurnee Smollett and Denzel Whitaker more than hold their own
opposite a couple of Academy Award-winners in
Denzel Washington and
Forest Whitaker. These accomplished young stars deliver
powerful performances portraying members of all-black Wiley
College’s 1935 debate team which won the national championship.
The gifted pair share their thoughts about their latest
outing as James Farmer, Jr. and Samantha Booke with Kam
Williams. Also check out Kam's Interview with
Kimberly Elise
who also appear in the film.
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 How
She Move - Promising Prep Student Returns to Ghetto Roots in
Inspirational Dance Saga
http://reviews.aalbc.com/how_she_move.htmAlthough this
premise might sound suspiciously similar to that of Stomp the
Yard, given that it revolves around dance and a protagonist
whose sibling dies at the point of departure, How She Move is
enough of a variation on the theme to stand on its own. In fact,
this engaging ensemble drama is superior in almost every way,
especially in terms of character development, chemistry,
choreography and conveying a feeling that you are watching real
people in a real situation.
Consequently, accolades are in order for the inspired
performances delivered by the two talented young leads, starting
with recent Juilliard-grad Rutina Wesley, who makes a most
auspicious screen debut as the picture’s emotionally-conflicted
heroine. Equally-impressive is dancer-turned-actress Tre
Armstrong, who more than holds her own as Ms. Wesley’s
trash-talking nemesis.
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 First
Sunday - Crooks Conspire to Rob Church in Demeaning Minstrel
Show
http://reviews.aalbc.com/first_sunday.htm
When a movie resuscitates this many offensive African-American
stereotypes, you half expect somebody to be passing out
watermelons and barbecuing ribs right in the lobby of the
theater. I had problems with virtually every aspect of First
Sunday, starting with its basic premise. The plot revolves
around a couple of petty thieves, Durell (Ice
Cube) and LeeJohn (Tracy Morgan), who hatch a plan to rob a
house of worship after overhearing that its congregation had had
finally collected enough money to break ground on a new church.
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 Honeydripper
- Danny Glover Stars in Saga Set in Segregated South
http://reviews.aalbc.com/honeydripper.htm
Danny Glover’s engaging turn as the protagonist of
Honeydripper is matched by the equally-measured performances by
Charles S. Dutton, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Mary
Steenburgen, Kel Mitchell, Sean Patrick Thomas and YaYa DaCosta.
Plus, the production has been blessed with country cred courtesy
of some gifted blues musicians, such as Keb Mo’ and Mable John,
whose talents add immeasurably to the comfy auditory ambience.
Kudos to two-time Oscar-nominee Sayles (for Lone Star and
Passion Fish) who has tackled themes of interest to the
African-American community previously, both in his comic cult
classic Brother from Another Planet and in the relatively
cerebral Sunshine State. Here, he’s to be commended for again
serving up a thought-provoking slice of African-Americana sans
the shucking and jiving which Hollywood typically attaches to
black-oriented fare.
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 Why
African-Americans Can't Get Ahead: And How We Can Solve It with
Group Economics by Gwen Richardson
http://reviews.aalbc.com/why_aa_cant_get_ahead.htmIn
Why African-Americans Can't Get Ahead, Ms. Richardson makes
a passionate appeal for a collective black mindset in terms of
money matters. And, in numerous case studies, she eloquently
illustrates why she feels this approach is imperative, such as
in her discussion of how Koreans came to control the bulk of
hair care supply stores in black communities all across the
country.
The author, a graduate of Georgetown University with a B.S.
degree in marketing, is not just some ivory-tower intellectual
with impractical Pan-African notions. No, she bases the ideas in
this, her first book, on her practical experience of 20 years
spent as an entrepreneur, which included co-founding with her
husband, Willie,
Cushcity.com, the largest African-American internet
retailer.
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 She's
Gotta Have It (1986) - Spike Lee’s First Feature Film Finally
Arrives on DVD
http://reviews.aalbc.com/shes_gotta_have_it.htm
After 22 years, Spike Lee’s feature film
debut still more than holds up for a bare bones production made
on a shoestring budget in a dozen days. Shot on locations
scattered around the Brooklyn native’s neighborhood, this inner
city romantic comedy chronicles the amorous misadventures of
Nola Darling (Tracy Camila Johns), a sex-starved sister who,
well, who has just gotta have it.
The film is also noteworthy because it
launched not only Lee’s historic career but that of numerous
other African-American thespians like S. Epatha Merkerson and
actors-turned-directors Eric Dickerson (Juice) and Reggie Hudlin
(House Party). Finally, it features some of what would become
Spike’s trademark cinematic stylings, such as his having folks
address the camera directly.
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AALBC.com RECOMMENDS
 2008 Essence
Literary Awards Nominees
http://books.aalbc.com/2008_essence_literary_awards_nominees.htm
Essence Magazine, led by their books editor
Patrik Henry Bass, has initiated the first Essence Literary
Awards. In the process they have compiled an impressive
list of 38 books for this prestigious award. All of the
books are excellent some are even great. I'm sure, if you
review the list you will find a book you'll love.
The winning titles will be announced February
7, 2008. AALBC.com's Troy Johnson was a member of the
blue-ribbon panel which voted on the winning books.
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 All
the Rage: The Boondocks Past and Present by Aaron McGruder
http://aalbc.com/authors/aaron.htm
Here are the
latest, greatest, and last of the daily and Sunday strips;
banned comics that have never been seen before, with Aaron
McGruder’s commentary on them; and interviews and profiles of
the man behind the rage. All the Rage is a must for any true
Boondocks fan. Aaron McGruder is the creator of The Boondocks,
a nationally syndicated comic strip, which appeared daily in
more than 350 newspapers around the country. Now a smash hit as
a Peabody Award–winning animated series on Cartoon Network’s
Adult Swim, the second season of The Boondocks promises even
more controversial events. Aaron is the author of the
bestselling A Right to be Hostile, Public Enemy #2, and Birth of
a Nation. He lives in Los Angeles and has been banned from more
newspapers than you’ve ever read.
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 On
The Line by Donna Hill
http://aalbc.com/authors/donna.htmJoy Newhouse is the
diva of the airwaves, a relationship expert who scores big with
listeners for her jaw-dropping, scathing commentary on men,
women, sex—no subject is taboo for this provocative radio shock
jock. When she's fired suddenly by new management, Joy isn't
happy off the air and out of the spotlight. So she writes a book
that features her most titillating calls and letters, a
bestseller ripe with the kind of gossip intended to put Joy back
where she belongs: on top.
Soon, however, negative and righteous feedback from those
listeners she exploited in her book stirs up a media scandal,
giving Joy a crisis of conscience—and a taste of payback.
Perhaps it wasn't so wise of her to hitch her star to her
readers' most personal stories—tales of secret affairs, office
romances, baby-daddy drama, cheaters, swingers, sibling
rivalries, job infighting and more. Perhaps there's a better way
to reinvent herself?
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| INTERESTING DISCUSSION BOARD
CONVERSATION
http://www.thumperscorner.com/cgi/discus/search.cgi?method=last&number=7&units=1440&tree=ON&where=all
Hillary and Obama dominate the topics of discussion.
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EVENTS
http://events.aalbc.com
 The
Ninth National Black Writers Conference - Friday, March 28, 2008 -
Sunday, March 30, 2008
http://events.aalbc.com/the_9th_national_black_writers_conf.htm
The Ninth National Black Writers Conference: Black
Writers: Reading and Writing to Transform Their Lives and the World will
offer panel discussions, readings, workshops and conversations to focus
on the ways in which black writers use literature to transform their
lives and the larger global community. Inspired in 1986 by the late John
Oliver Killens, the National Black Writers Conference was convened to
bring together writers, critics, book-sellers, book reviewers, and the
general public to discuss issues affecting black writers. Since 1986 the
National Black Writers Conferences at Medgar Evers College have
attracted a wide range of writers and scholars from the African diaspora.
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NEW AALBC.com SERVICES - MAXIMIZE YOUR BOOK'S EXPOSURE
Do you have a book, or product that you would like to get
in front of a smart, internet savvy, African American audience?
Check out two examples of our services below.
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 Power to the Small Publisher!
http://mosaicbooks.com/banner.htm
Join successful author
Cheryl Robinson, and have your book prominent displayed on
AALBC.com (the
most popular site dedicated to African-American literature,
Cushcity.com (the largest African-American Internet
retailer) and
MosaicBooks.com (the first site created to showcase Black
literature).
Never before has it been so easy to reach the Black reading
audience. That is why we call it the "Power Network"
visit
http://mosaicbooks.com/banner.htm for more information
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 One Million
ViewsJoin Go On Girl! book Club
author of the Year (2003),
Persia Walker and take advantage of our brand new 1 Million
Views Campaign. You give us up to 4 different media; any
combination of advertising banners, videos, or book covers and
we'll display it all over the AALBC.com for an entire year!
Your campaign will run a minimum of 1 year and
your media will be displayed for a combined minimum total of
1million times.
Contact
AALBC.com for more information |
We can customize an advertising campaign
to meet your needs. Contact
sales@aalbc.com for more information.
AALBC.com INFORMATION AND HOUSEKEEPING
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It will help us learn a little more about our visitors
and what types of books they like. The survey is anonymous.
We will eventually share the results of our survey on our web site.
Get Linkedin to Troy Johnson of AALBC.com
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You'll be notified when new Videos are available. We have Kensington
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Connect to Troy through Facebook
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Visit my Blog
http://troyjohnson.name Need a Speaker?
http://blackexperts.com/profiles/troy_johnson_aalbc.html
 Vice Chancellor and
Provost Eric Spina and Wally Bobkiewicz, President of of the Syracuse
University Alumni Association (pictured) presented the Outstanding
Alumni Award to Troy
Johnson during SU's Homecoming + Reunion 2007
Peace,
Troy Johnson
Founder AALBC.com
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Search 50 of the top Black Book Web Sites Now.
With this simple search engine you can directly search 50 of the top web
sites dedicated to Black books. The sites included were hand
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#1
-
The Sex
Chronicles: Shattering the Myth by
#1
- Confessions of a Video Vixen by
