Connie Briscoe
http://aalbc.com/authors/connie.htm

Connie Briscoe has been a full-time published author for more than ten years. Born with a hearing impairment, Connie never allowed that to stop her from pursuing her dreams...writing. Since she left the world of editing to become a writer, Connie has hit the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Boston Herald, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists.  Connie lives with her family in Maryland.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
http://aalbc.com/authors/kareem_abdul-jabbar.htm

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (born Ferdinand Lewis 'Lew' Alcindor on April 16, 1947) is considered by many fans and sportswriters to be the greatest basketball player of all time. The 7-foot-2 Hall of Fame center, famous for his indefensible skyhook, also dominated the NBA for 20 years. He not only captured the NBA’s MVP six times, was a 19-time All-Star, and set the NBA all-time records in nine categories — he also remains the NBA’s All-Time Leading Scorer, a record that may never be broken.

But as Kareem himself says, “I can do more than shoot a ball through a hoop.” And indeed he can. A lifelong passion for history led to his authoring six best-selling books on various historical subjects. His knowledge and love of jazz birthed not only an audio book (based on one of his NY Times best-selling hardcover, On the Shoulders of Giants) but an upcoming documentary that features a myriad celebrities, from Samuel L. Jackson and Billy Crystal to Quincy Jones and Maya Angelou. Kareem is also executive producing an exciting feature film in development based on the greatest basketball team you’ve never heard of: The Harlem Rens, the first professional champions of professional basketball. Beyond that, Kareem is very involved in “giving back” and participates in numerous charities, especially ones that promote cancer.

T. Styles
http://authors.aalbc.com/t_styles.htm

Styles is the President and CEO of The Cartel Publications.  In operation for less than 2 years, Cartel has managed to secure a solid position within the hip/hop literary industry. Recognizing their readers enjoy being entertained both literally and visually; they pride themselves in marketing their novels and company image to effortlessly stand out above the rest. Their novels have been featured in Don Diva Magazine, Essence Magazine, The Baltimore Sun, Washington Paper, and many others.

The Cartel Publications published T. Styles most recent novel; The Face That Launched A Thousand Bullets.  Other authors published by Cartel include Reign, Mikal Malone and Jason Poole

Marc Lacy
http://authors.aalbc.com/marc_lacy.htm

Marc is most noted for his smooth flowing lyrics and creative mind which are exuded in his eloquently written poetry. But also a beast is awakened within as he delivers his often-charged and thought provoking spoken word performances. By offering a wide range of subject matter in his work, Marc has been able to cover a lot of ground within his craft.

Marc's latest spoken word/musical compellation LyriCode 256 was produced by Canita Rogers of Quiet Girl Music Productions and AVO Publishing.

W. B. Garvey
http://authors.aalbc.com/wb_garvey.htm

W. B. Garvey is a relative of the famous pan-Africanist and Jamaican National Hero, Marcus Garvey. While going through his deceased father's papers, Garvey learned that his grandfather had been a railroad engineer who worked on the Panama Canal during its construction. That revelation sparked years of research and correspondence that led to the writing of Panama Fever: Digging Down Gold Mountain.  A classically-trained violinist, W.B. Garvey has performed as soloist with renowned symphony orchestras and as a recitalist in major U.S. concert halls. Garvey has appeared with the New York City Opera and the Black Music Repertory Ensemble and made studio recordings with major artists such as Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Tony Bennett and Wynton Marsalis as well as playing for over a hundred film scores including Martin Scorsese's Age of Innocence, Spike Lee's Malcolm X and Woody Allen's Purple Rose of Cairo.  W.B. Garvey was born in Los Angeles and is a graduate of the University of Southern California.  He has lived in Kingston, Jamaica, and London, England, and currently resides in New York City

Azarel
http://authors.aalbc.com/azarel.htm

Azarel, the CEO of Life Changing Books is a former teacher and native of North Carolina. She received her BS degree from University of Maryland Eastern Shore, and earned a Masters of Arts in teaching degree from Bowie State University in 1999. Her love for writing sparked a career change in 2002. She resigned from her teaching tenure in the Prince George's County public school system to fulfill her dream of becoming an author. After writing her first novel, "A Life to Remember," written in an attempt to help change lives of young men, Azarel launched her own publishing company, Life Changing Books (LCB). Now with over twenty-one titles published to date, LCB is one of the most well known and successful African-American publishing companies in the publishing industry.

Many titles produced by Azarel have continuously topped the charts on the national Essence Best sellers list and many national book store chains. Although Azarel publishes a wide variety of adult fiction, her title roster includes Teenage Bluez an urban series of books for teens. Teenage Bluez is designed to capture the hearts of teens across America by providing them with entertaining stories in a positive manner.

The Hiptionary: A Survey of African American Speech Patterns with a Digest of Key Words and Phrases by Mahmoud El-Kati
http://reviews.aalbc.com/the_hiptionary.htm

Herskovits’ findings are critical in the debate about the use of Ebonics, which many simply misread as ungrammatical English in need of correction while others recognize the so-called “slanguage” as the product of the clash of African and European languages. Regardless, one thing we can all agree on is that blacks have made significant artistic contributions to America in an ongoing fashion, and one way this is reflected is in all the colorful words and phrases which they have coined generation after generation.

Reputations Fade Away by Dawayne Williams
http://reviews.aalbc.com/reputations_fade_away.htm

By any yardstick you want to use, Dawayne Williams had a very tough childhood. He and his younger brother were raised in the projects in Washington, DC by a single-mom while his dad (who denied paternity anyway) was in and out of prison for a variety of criminal offenses. Consequently, Dawayne grew up without a male role model to emulate. So, it’s no surprise that he would already have joined a street gang as a junior high school student to deal crack and weed and woo older women until he ended up shot and stabbed multiple times and behind bars like his absentee-father.

What IS amazing is that he somehow survived not only to tell the tale but to recount it all in Reputations Fade Away, the most riveting memoir this critic has encountered in recent memory. If nothing else, Dawayne definitely has a bright future as writer, given his ability to keep the reader enthralled and on the edge of your seat. His autobiography is written in Technicolor in vivid words which jump right off the pages. So I hope Hollywood takes note and turns this bio-pic into a feature flick.

Renegade: The Making of a President by Richard Wolffe
http://reviews.aalbc.com/renegade.htm

The election of Barack Obama has spawned a cottage industry of books about the President and the First Lady. Many of these publications have merely been “take the money and run” rip-offs rushed to print in a calculated attempt to cash-in on the collective euphoria about the historic moment. One author even freely admits in the introduction of her tome that she never even spoke to either the Obamas or to any of their relatives, friends or colleagues. But that didn’t prevent her from quickly putting out a coffee table-type keepsake.

People who were patient enough to wait for a quality opus will find themselves handsomely rewarded by Renegade, a recounting of Obama’s ascension to the White House by Richard Wolffe, a reporter who was assigned by Newsweek Magazine to cover the 2008 campaign from beginning to end. Over those 21 months, he enjoyed unusual access to the candidate, since it was Barack himself who came up with the idea of Wolfe’s chronicling his rise to the presidency for posterity, ala The Making of the President, the Teddy White’s classic about JFK.

Michael Jackson, the King of Pop: The Big Picture--The Music! The Man! The Legend! The Interviews: An Anthology
http://reviews.aalbc.com/michael_jackson_the_king_of_pop.htm

In the wake of Michael Jackson’s untimely passing, I’m sure his legions of devoted fans are looking for a way to keep his spirit alive. They would do well to consider picking up a copy of Michael Jackson: The King of Pop, a comprehensive anthology comprised of interviews, song lyrics, dozens of color and b&w photographs, and more.

The literary equivalent of a bound fanzine, the book offers an uncritical peek at Jackson both from his own, self-serving perspective and that of the admittedly-adoring author. Despite her gushing, syrupy sweet tone, the tome is still fairly fascinating primarily because Michael comes off as a very sympathetic figure who clearly became bizarre because he never had a normal childhood. It’s sort of like how a dog or a cat is worthless as a pet if it’s weaned from its mother at too young an age.

Niecy Nash The “G-Force” Interview
http://reviews.aalbc.com/niecy_nash.htm

Niecy Nash was born Carol Denise Ensley in Palmdale, California on February 23, 1970. She developed an interest in show business at a very early age after seeing the fabulous Lola Falana on TV. But she first earned a B.A. at California State University before embarking on a career in Hollywood, starting out as a standup comic.

Speaking of TV, Niecy is also recognized for playing Benita, the late Bernie Mac’s sister on The Bernie Mac Show. Here, she talks about her work in G-Force, the Disney family comedy featuring a mix of animation and live-action which is currently the #1 movie at the box office.

Tracy Morgan - The “G-Force” Interview
http://reviews.aalbc.com/tracy_morgan.htm

Native New Yorker Tracy Morgan was born in Brooklyn on November 10, 1968 and raised in the Bronx where he attended De Witt Clinton High School. He started doing standup as a teenager and was discovered in 1984 at the Apollo Theater on Amateur Night which kickstarted his showbiz career on the comedy circuit. He eventually landed a recurring role on the Fox sitcom “Martin,” which by 1996 he had parlayed into a gig as a member of Saturday Night Live’s ensemble cast.

Here, Tracy talks about his new movie, G-Force, where he does the voice of Blaster the guinea pig, an animated character. The film revolves around a crack squad of FBI-trained animals called upon by the U.S. Government to put a stop a diabolical billionaire bent on world domination.

Amiri Baraka - at the Harlem Book Fair 2009
http://aalbc.com/authors/amiri.htm

Baraka is one of the most prolific African American writers of the 20^th century. He is an acclaimed poet and the Obie-winning playwright of Dutchman. His long list of writing credits includes: Blues People; Home; Social Essays; Black Fire; Selected Poetry of Amiri Baraka / LeRoi Jones and Selected Plays and Prose of Amiri Baraka/LeRoi Jones. He continues to be active in the struggle against racism and capitalism, to organize artists, and to participate in the struggle for Black Liberation.  Here he talks to Allthingsharlem.com about President Obama, The NAACP's 100 Authors, and more.

Soledad O’Brien - The “CNN Presents: Black in America 2” Interview
http://reviews.aalbc.com/soledad_obrien.htm

Born on September 19, 1966 in Saint James, NY, Maria de la Soledad Teresa O’Brien is the fifth of sixth children born to Edward and Estrella, immigrants from Australia and Cuba, respectively. She and her siblings excelled academically, and all attended Harvard University. But while her brothers and sisters pursued postgraduate degrees in either medicine or the law, Soledad settled on a career in journalism.  

Here, the perky, peripatetic journalist took a break from her very hectic schedule to talk about all of the above and about Black in America 2

Daryle Jenkins - Klanbuster Discusses State of Hate Groups in the Age of Obama
http://reviews.aalbc.com/daryle_jenkins1.htm

When Barack Obama was running for President, an unspoken fear in the mind of the black community was the possibility of an assassination attempt by a deranged bigot. And even since he won, there have wider concerns about some sort of backlash, given the rumors of a rise in the ranks of the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazi and other white supremacists terror groups. Given the recent attack at the Holocaust Museum by an avowed racist, I figured it was time to track down the brother known as “The Klanbuster” for another interview.

Every Day is Truly A Gift-Rest in Peace, E. Lynn by Zane
http://www.thumperscorner.com/discus/messages/1/48609.html

I have sat around the majority of this evening trying to find the words to express my sentiments regarding the homegoing of one of the greatest voices in literature—not African-American literature but literature period. I spent a few hours answering advice emails, played with a strange puppy that wandered onto my doorstep, joked around with my children, and even played online Spades; all the while trying to think of what I wanted to say—or if I should even say anything at all. Then I decided that I had to say something and I had to do it before I went to sleep tonight.

President Obama Addresses NAACP Convention: Well-Received Speech Stresses Education and No Excuses
http://reviews.aalbc.com/obama_naacp_convention.htm

He began by paying tribute to the trailblazers who had paved the way for him, conceding “I stand here on the shoulders of giants,” adding “I’m here to say thank you to those pioneers and thank you to the NAACP.” He then reaffirmed that “Prejudice has no place in the U.S.” before shifting to a self-help tone which sounded more like Booker T. Washington than the NAACP’s founder W.E.B. Du Bois. For he said, “There’s never been less discrimination in the United States than at any time in our history,” as he focused on a good education as the means of making it in America.

“Our kids can’t all aspire to be Lebron or Lil’ Wayne,” he warned. “They can’t all be ballers and rappers.” He said that their horizons should be limitless, offering as alternatives the hope that they might see themselves as growing up to become a doctor, a lawyer, or even the President of the United States.

Do the Right Thing - 20th Anniversary Edition of Spike Lee Classic Out on DVD
http://reviews.aalbc.com/do_the_right_thing.htm

It’s hard to believe that it’s already been 20 years since the summer of ’89 when Do the Right Thing made such a splash upon arriving in theaters. Arguably Spike Lee’s best film (although some might make the case for She’s Gotta Have It, Four Little Girls, Bamboozled, School Daze or The Original Kings of Comedy), this refreshingly-frank exploration of black-white relations earned Spike his first Academy Award nomination (in the Original Screenplay category).

Danny Aiello landed an Oscar-nomination for his stellar work as Sal, although the picture also features quite a number of powerful performances, most notably Spike’s as Mookie, Giancarlo Esposito as Buggin’ Out, Bill Nunn as Radio Raheem and Samuel L. Jackson as Mister Senior Love Daddy. The same can be said about John Turturro and Richard Edson who play Aiello’s sons.  Rosie Perez made her screen debut here as Mookie’s nasal baby mama, Tina, as did Martin Lawrence as Cee. And a couple

Kamp Katrina - Documentary Examines Plight of New Orleans’ Po’ Whites Post-Katrina
http://reviews.aalbc.com/kamp_katrina.htm

Because of the indelible images of masses of black people abandoned on rooftops, under highway overpasses and at the Superdome, many people might think that only African-Americans were adversely affected by Hurricane Katrina. But the disaster took a terrible ongoing toll on po’ white folk, too, as chronicled in this compelling documentary directed by Ashley Sabin and David Redmon.

The film follows the efforts of Ms. Pearl, an altruistic Native-American woman who, with the approval of her husband, David Cross, converted their backyard in to a tent village for locals left homeless in the wake of the flood that devastated the region a couple of years ago. David operates a construction company and is willing to employ anyone camping out on the premises in order to help them get back on their feet. In fact, he establishes certain house rules, including no drugs and a mandate that everyone there find work of some kind, even if not with his company.

Anita O'Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer - DVD Review
http://reviews.aalbc.com/anita_oday.htm

What is most remarkable about the very accessible subject of this appealing documentary is how resilient she proved to be in the face of neverending adversity. She survived even as narcotics and booze were consuming the futures of so many of her equally-strung out colleagues in the industry, guys like Charlie Bird Parker, her young arranger Gary McFarland, and later her drummer, John Poole, the man who first introduced her to mainlining smack.

Nonetheless, this music-oriented treat is made memorable by the phenomenal musical interludes of O’Day doing what made her famous forever, those moments of sheer genius when she reinterprets assorted jazz standards, making them her own by employing an engaging mix of mood, tone, phrasing, scatting and raw emotion. Blue eyed soul at its very best!

Palace Council by Stephen L. Carter - Now in Paperback!

Palace Council—Now in paperback from bestselling author Stephen L. Carter.  Philmont Castle is a man who has it all: wealth, respect, and connections. But when Castle's body is discovered on the grounds of a Harlem mansion by the young writer Eddie Wesley, it spurs a twenty-year search for the truth. Uncovering layer upon layer of secrecy and intrigue, Wesley's investigation takes him from the wealthy drawing rooms of New York through the shady corners of radical politics all the way to the Oval Office and President Nixon himself.

Worth a Thousand Words: A Novel by Stacy Hawkins Adams
http://aalbc.com/authors/stacy_hawkins_adams.htm

Adams is a nationally acclaimed author, speaker and freelance journalist whose novels help readers laugh, heal and seek to lead more meaningful lives. Her contemporary women's fiction infuses faith, social issues and personal themes with creative plots. As her characters navigate life, they wind up understanding themselves, and God, better.

Her latest Novel Worth a Thousand Words dramatically explores the tough decisions one woman must make in the world of love, relationships, and career. Will Indigo find the courage to face her own truths—and accept those being harbored by the people she loves most? Either way, she risks losing everything she’s ever wanted.

Black Light by Kehinde Wiley (Photographer), Brian Keith Jackson (Introduction)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1576874869/ref=nosim/aalbccom-20

Los Angeles native and New York-based visual artist Kehinde Wiley has firmly situated himself within art history's portrait painting tradition. As a contemporary descendent of a long line of portraitists--including Reynolds, Gainsborough, Titian, Ingres, and others--Wiley engages the signs and visual rhetoric of the heroic, powerful, majestic, and sublime in his representation of urban black and brown men found throughout the world. By applying the visual vocabulary and conventions of glorification, wealth, prestige, and history to subject matter drawn from the urban fabric, Wiley makes his subjects and their stylistic references juxtaposed inversions of each other, imbuing his images with ambiguity and provocative perplexity.

The Obama Time Capsule: World History in the Making
http://authors.aalbc.com/barack_obama.htm#time

The Obama Time Capsule showcases one of the most important presidential races in American history through the eyes of the world's top photographers. Spanning a two-year period, the book provides behind-the-scenes images encompassing President Barack Obama's road to the White House, Election Day, the Inauguration and his first 100 days in office. Including essays from TIME magazine's Joe Klein, The Huffington Post's Arianna Huffington, General Colin Powell and President Obama's sister, Auma Obama. The book also includes fascinating infographics from world-renowned graphic artist Nigel Holmes, the human stories featured in this fascinating book capture the challenges and opportunities facing America's 44th president as he takes his place on the world stage.

The Obama Time Capsule also offers a groundbreaking new feature: After you answer a few simple questions and upload your own photos to the publisher's website, a personalized copy of the book will be created just for you, seamlessly weaving President Obama's extraordinary journey together with your name, your photos and your thoughts.

Sugar of the Crop: My Journey to Find the Children of Slaves by Sana Butler
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1599213753/ref=nosim/aalbccom-20

Sugar of the Crop tells the story of an unprecedented quest to find the last surviving children of slaves. In a revealing journey that takes her from Los Angeles to Louisiana, from a Harlem church to a Virginia nursing home, Sana Butler paints a fascinating picture of freed slaves as husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, and tells the story of how they raised children after the Civil War.

Drawing on a decade of interviews with centenarians whose parents were slaves, Butler reveals how African Americans emerged from slavery with a powerful drive to put the past behind and a deep commitment to make the most of their opportunities, large and small. Like immigrants, freed slaves faced a new America with hopes and dreams for their children and the nation’s future. Impelled by a generation that exercised political power at a rate never again seen in this country, the sons and daughters were raised to be independent and often fearless thinkers, laying the groundwork for what would later become the Civil Rights Movement.

I Apologize to All Women in the World - From Man by Billy Prowell
http://astepbeyondpublishing.com/

Since the beginning of time man has abused woman physically, psychologically, emotionally even sexually with little or no remorse. Man's egotistic behavior is attributed to his lack of knowledge of God, himself and woman.

There is a group of men however, that have elevated psychologically above the barbaric, the egotistic, the ignorant and the prideful man. Through study, this elite group of men realize their bloodline is royal. Further study evince woman came from the same royal bloodline and thus, should be treated as a queen.

Man accepts his actions of old were abnormal, disrespectful and demoralizing to women. Man rehabilitates himself and offers a heart felt apology to all women in the world who have been abused in any manner by a man.

The survey includes the 7 questions below.  Click the link above for a chance to win $50 and see what othersw think.

1. Is President Barack Obama doing a good Job?
2. Could Professor Henry Lewis Gates, Jr. have done anything to avoid being arrested?
3. Is marriage an antiquated idea?
4. Are there more or less good books now than 10 years ago?
5. Do you believe Michael Jackson was murdered?
6. Do you believe the US government can do a good job providing universal health care?
7. Do you believe Social Security benefits will be available for the 40 year old person who has been working, and contributing continuously, for the last 20 years?

The winner of the $50 prize will be notified in approximately 1 month.  The winner's first name and city will be announced in our next enewsletter.

Do You Know Tina McElroy Ansa? (Winner of the $50 prize is Janice from IL)
Survey Results: http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e2j86hrhfw2kgzad/results

The 2009 African American Literary Awards - New York, NY - September 24, 2009
http://www.literaryawardshow.com

General admission tickets for the awards show and dinner are $75.00 in advance and $85.00 (cash) at the door. Advanced tickets can be purchased by mail and must be received by Friday, September 18, 2009.

AALBC.com is pleased to announce that we were nominated in the Book Club of the Year category.  Please show your support by casting your vote for AALBC.com http://www.literaryawardshow.com/voting.html 

Capital Bookfest - Largo, Maryland - October 3, 2009
http://www.capitalbookfest.org

On Saturday, October 3, 2009, join us for a day of readings, panel discussions, children's storytelling, conversations, and authors talks with Nelson George, Tim Reid, Liza Mundy (Michelle Obama: Biography), Sonya Sones, Marita Golden, Lori Nelson, Ronald Cotton (Picking Cotton), Chef Gillian Clark, Sahar Simmons, Le Hinton, Victoria Christopher Murray, W. Ralph Eubanks, Lucille Clifton, Omar Tyree, Kimberly Seals Allers (The Mocha Moms Manual), Charisse Nunes (I am Barack Obama children’s book), and several teen authors.

The 10th National Black Writers Conference - Brooklyn, NY - March 28, 2010
http://mec.cuny.edu/nationalblackwritersconference

The theme of the 2010 National Black Writers Conference is And Then We Heard the Thunder: Black Writers Reconstructing Memories and Lighting the Way. Through a series of panel discussions, roundtables, author readings and storytelling, the National Black Writers Conference  will use the metaphor of thunder, memory and light to examine the historical representation of the literature of Black writers and the representation of new and future directions for contemporary and emerging literary voices.  With Toni Morrison as the Honorary Chair, the National Black Writers Conference will also honor Amiri Baraka, Kamau Braithwaite and Dr. Edison O. Jackson. Black writers will come from throughout America, the Caribbean, Europe and Africa.

Register in advance, on-line and save: http://events.aalbc.com/reg_2010_nbwc.htm

The Power Network - Summer Time Special Increases your book's exposure
http://aalbc.com/power_campaign.htm

To better serve publishers AALBC.com (the most popular site dedicated to African-American literature), MosaicBooks.com (the first site created to showcase Black literature), and Cushcity.com (the largest African-American Internet retailer) have formed a "Power Network."

Your book-cover ad can be served in a premium position on three of the top sites for African-American literature. Substantially increase the reach and impact of your marketing campaign.  Only 1 month left to take advantage of this incredible offer.  Offer ends August 31st 2009.

All About AALBC.com
http://aalbc.com/aboutus.htm