Dr. Molefi Kete Asante

Dr. Asante, who has published over 65 books, is considered by his peers to be one of the most distinguished contemporary scholars of African American Studies.

His work on African culture and philosophy has been cited by journals such as the Journal of Black Studies, Journal of Communication, American Scholar, Daedalus, Western Journal of Black Studies, and Africaological Perspectives. The Utne Reader called him one of the “100 Leading Thinkers” in America and Asante was recommended in a survey as one of the 25 influential African male leaders of the last two hundred years. In 2001, Transition Magazine said “Asante may be the most important professor in Black America.” He has appeared on Nightline, Nighttalk, BET, Macnell Lehrer News Hour, Today Show, the Tony Brown Show, Night Watch, Like It Is and 60 Minutes.

Asali Solomon

Named one of the National Book foundation’s “5 Under 35 in 2007; Asali Solomon was born and raised in West Philadelphia. Her first book, a collection of stories entitled Get Down, is set mostly in Philadelphia. Solomon’s work has been featured in Vibe, Essence, and the anthology Naked: Black Women Bare All About Their Skin, Hair, Lips and Other Parts. She has a PhD in English from the University of California, Berkeley and an MFA form the Iowa’s Writer Workshop in fiction. She is a Visiting Assistant Professor of English at Trinity College in Hartford, CT, and is on the short list for this year’s Hurston/Wright Literary Award for best new fiction.

The Hurston/Wright Legacy Award 2007 nominees include Solomon for her collection of short stories, Get Down published by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux in 2006.

Dr. Maulana Karenga

Dr. Karenga is professor of Black Studies at California State University, Long Beach.  He received his B.A. and M.A. in  political science from UCLA, a Ph.D. in political science from United States International University and a second Ph.D. in social ethics from the University of Southern California.  An activist-scholar, he is chair of The Organization Us, National Association of Kawaida Organizations and executive director of the Kawaida Institute of Pan-African Studies.  He is also creator of the pan-African holiday Kwanzaa and author of numerous scholarly articles and books, including Introduction to Black Studies, Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Selections From The Husia: Sacred Wisdom of Ancient Egypt; and Maat, The Moral Ideal in Ancient Egypt: A Study in Classical African Ethics.

Wahida Clark
http://aalbc.com/authors/wahida_clark.htm

Wahida Clark was born and raised in Trenton, New Jersey. She decided to start writing fiction while incarcerated at a women's federal camp in Lexington, KY. Her style is street, raw, and she has an imagination that's in overdrive. When you read her novels they are so real you are convinced of one of three things: that you are inside the book, you know the characters, or you just have to meet them. Her first novel, Thugs And The Women Who Love Them and the sequel, Every Thug Needs A Lady appeared on the Essence Best Sellers List.

Also, check out Clark's first video interview with the The Urban Book Source (part of their Behind The Books documentary)

Barbara Chase-Riboud

Barbara Chase-Riboud is a Carl Sandburg Prize-winning poet and the prize-winning author of four acclaimed, widely translated historical novels, the bestselling Sally Hemings, Valide: A Novel of the Harem, Echo of Lions (about the Amistad mutiny), and The President's Daughter. She is a winner of the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize and received a knighthood in arts and letters from the French government in 1996. Chase-Riboud is also a renowned sculptor whose award-winning monuments grace Lower Manhattan. She is a rare living artist honored with a personal exhibition, "The Monument Drawings," in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Born and raised in Philadelphia, of Canadian American descent, she is the recipient of numerous fellowships and honorary degrees. She divides her time among Paris, Rome and the United States.

Lee is a retired Detroit Police Department Inspector. During the twenty years that Michael served the Detroit Police Department, he was commanding officer of the Gang Enforcement Section, Carjacking Task Force, a Patrol Operations Section, and Records Section.

In this sequel to Lee’s debut novel, Chandler Park Drive, readers are re-acquainted with Detroit cop Denard Blake. In Overturned, Blake is investigating the brutal murders of a young woman and her two children. As the investigation intensifies, Blake discovers that the same gun used to kill the woman and her children was also used to kill several others, including a drug dealer and a hotel clerk.   Also check out the book trailers (video promotions) for Lee's novels.

"Recently, I had the honor of meeting Victoria Christopher Murray this past June when she came to the Hilton Toledo as the Keynote speaker hosted by the Chapter IX Circle of Friends.  It was a joyous event and myself along with several of the other authors we were able to speak briefly about our work and future endeavors. Many of the authors presented still have 9-5's but with God and your help, my job will soon consist of only writing and fulfilling my dream of becoming nationally known."

Barack Obama in Harlem's Apollo Theater New York, Nov. 29th 2007 - Video

Barack Obama hosted a fund raiser at Harlem's "World Famous" Apollo Theater on the evening of November 29th 2007. The event featured supporters; comedian Chris Rock, scholar and activist Dr. Cornel West, and New York State Senator Bill Perkins.

Obama spoke to a standing room crowd of approximately 1,500 people. The video was taken by Harlem resident, and Obama supporter, Troy Johnson; founder of AALBC.com and Sr. Book Editor of Harlem World Magazine.

Felicia "Snoop" Pearson and AALBC.com founder Troy Johnson - Video Interview

The first time I saw Snoop was on HBO's The Wire. I recall watching the scene with her buying a nail gun (fans of The Wire will know what I'm talking about). I also recall thinking just how consistently brilliant HBO is with casting. I replayed that scene twice just taken by the character.
I said to myself, "where did HBO get a little boy that can act like that... and who dreamt up that character?" It was much later that I learned the character was actually a woman.

Snoop has recently published a memoir called; Grace After Midnight. While only 27, the memoir is not untimely, as Snoop has been through and experienced quite a bit in a short period of time. Snoop while 14 shot and killed another teenage girl and spent 6 years in prison...

Persia Walker - Video

Persia Walker, talks about her novel; Darkness and the Devil Behind Me.  She also compares her experiences self publishing and being published by a major publisher.

Walker attended Swarthmore College and earned a master's degree in Journalism from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.   She has worked for The Associated Press in Arkansas; Washington, DC; and New York. She has also written for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Inc., (RFE) in Munich, worked as a freelance book editor, done cultural reporting and voice work for European publication.

Fishing for Love on the Net: A Guide to Those Searching for Love by Myles Reed, Jr.

Judging by all the lovey-dovey couples you see snuggling in the TV commercials promoting internet dating, it’s easy to assume that finding your lifemate in the 21st Century is as simple as signing up with a matchmaking service like Dr. Neil Clark Warren’s eHarmony. Truth be told, searching for Mr. or Ms. Right is far more complicated than those ads imply.

That’s the contention of Myles Reed, Jr., author of Fishing for Love on the Net. The author, a CPA/MBA with 15 years experience in corporate America working for Fortune 500 companies, spent a half-dozen years using the net as his primary means of meeting women. And now that he’s very happily-married with a newborn baby, he’s written a book to help others avoid the common pitfalls encountered by singles seeking a companion in cyberspace.

Gabrielle Union - Interviiewed by Kam Williams

Born in Omaha, Nebraska on October 29, 1972, Gabrielle Monique Union was more of an athlete than an actress during her formative years, going on to play point guard on her high school’s basketball team and soccer for the University of Nebraska. Ironically, when she set her sights on showbiz, the 5’7” beauty found her breakout role as a cheerleader in Bring It On.

This Christmas - Film Review by Kam Williams

For the first time in years, the scattered Whitfield siblings are returning to their childhood home in L.A. for a family reunion being hosted by their mother, Ma’ Dere (Loretta Devine) with the help of her longtime, live-in boyfriend, Joe Black (Delroy Lindo). But since each of the kids arrives not only with luggage but burdened by emotional baggage, there are some pressing issues which urgently need to be addressed before they can all comfortably share in the anticipated Christmas celebration

Review includes links to interviews with actors Loretta Divine, Regina King, Columbus Short and Lauren London.

American Gangster - Film Review by Kam Williams
http://reviews.aalbc.com/american_gangster.htm

An elaborate epoch of Shakespearean proportions, American Gangster unfolds like a blackface version of The Godfather, exploring an array of universal themes along the way, ranging from loyalty and betrayal, to love and hate, to ambition and corruption, to sin and redemption. Regrettably, despite these classical pretensions, its $100 million budget and a stellar cast (including Cuba Gooding, Jr., Chiwetel Ejiofor, Ruby Dee, Josh Brolin, Carla Gugino, Roger Guenveur Smith, Joe Morton, and rappers T.I., Common and RZA), the picture still somehow adds up to less than the sum of its parts and is thus likely to leave a vaguely sour taste in the mouth of the more discerning cinemagoer.

Karrine Steffans - Interviiewed by Kam Williams

Born on St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands on August 24, 1978, Karrine Steffans was a naive ingénues who, as a tender teenager, made her way to Hollywood in search of fame and fortune. Unfortunately, the best that she could do was to parlay her looks into working for scale as a scantily-clad dancer in gangsta rap videos. As a result, her bootylicious bod came to upstage a bevy of other beauties appearing in such video as Mystikal’s Danger where she went topless except for wearing a pair of sheer, star-shaped pasties over her cannonball implants.

This notoriety came at a cost, however, as she was expected, in turn, to provide oral favors not only for hip-hop stars but for members of their entourages and assorted hangers-on. Nicknamed "Superhead," Karrine became so popular that Vivid Entertainment eventually released an X-rated video [April 10, 2006 http://videovixenmovie.com] of her performing her specialty on a porn star.

This trilogy was an incredible read.  AcVernon Menchan is a really good writer who writes from the heart.  Her prose is fluid; yet down to earth.  She tells a great story and has the skills of a good storyteller in the old African American tradition.  A griot of sorts, she tells her stories with wisdom and old-fashioned mother wit.  The entire three book set is a good investment if you are a reader who enjoys a continuing saga. 

Deliver Me From Evil by Mary Monroe - Reviewed by Idrissa Uqdah

Deliver Me From Evil was a really good read. Mary Monroe once again, gives us a great story with some characters that make you laugh, cry, and will remind you of some of the most broken people you know in real life.

I am an avid Mary Monroe fan. Readers can always depend on her to create a story that is so full of creative imagination that you can’t seem to put the book down. Her characters are never ordinary people. Monroe’s latest offering is no different. Yes readers, Mary Monroe has written another superb book.

Created by Dr. Ron Karenga in 1966, Kwanzaa was conceived with the hope that black people would explore “the rich resources of traditional African culture and ethics in their quest for liberated minds and lives.” Very much a child of the Civil Rights Movement, the new holiday was initially met with considerable resistance due to its then being viewed as a Pan African alternative to Christmas, given that it was celebrated during the same season, between December 26th and January 1st.

Hottentot Venus recounts the tragic life of Sarah Baartman.  Born in the colony of Good Hope, South Africa, in 1789, Sarah Baartman was taken to London at the age of twenty by an English surgeon, who promised her fame and fortune. Dubbed the “Hottentot Venus,” she was paraded naked in Piccadilly in a freak-show exhibition and subjected to the unabashed stares and crude comments of the British public, which resulted in a sensational trial for her custody by British abolitionists.

Be sure to watch the video "Who Is Sara Baartman? Every black woman should know her name by dede hunt

Black Comedians on Black Comedy: How African-Americans Taught Us to Laugh

For almost four hundred years, black Americans have been entertaining the masses through humor. Here is the only up to date book to examine this genre. This book traces the history and evolution through the 121 interviews conducted with some of the top African-American comedians in the world. Fables and myths are clarified, facts unraveled, and good times are nonstop as the makers of comedy history put that history in their own words. They not only share their appreciation of the established icons, but tip their hats to many of the unsung heroes as well.

"Steal this Book!" —Chris Hayden, Author of A Vampyre Blues: The Passion of Varnado

This little gem of a book conjures a wide range of emotions as you walk through the life of Harlem elder Walter Smith.  Smith relates the joys and sorrows of his life.  Most notably Walter relates how the now celebrity "American Gangsters" ravaged the Harlem landscape.  Walter shows us by simply describing the impact on his childhood buddies.

Written in plain, accessible language, this book is probably most appropriate for young adults as both a source of sage wisdom and a lesson in history.

The Adventures of E.Brilliant: "The Legend of Little City"

African American Adventure at it's best!

Who said you had to have super powers to save the world. While every other so called superhero uses muscles, capes, gadgets and even magic. E.Brilliant uses what every kid has. Their intelligence and know-how. E.Brilliant lives just like every normal kid. Parents, school, and of course a slight weakness for gummie yummies. But one thing he does different is he never says no to a challenge. When was the last time you said "I can do it." E. Brilliant lives for the 'I CAN.' Despite his asthma and his age E.Brilliant let's nothing stop him from saving any and everybody that calls for help.

The National Black Book Festival (NBBF) - May 17-18, 2008
Houston, Texas, George R. Brown Convention Center
http://www.nationalblackbookfestival.com

The National Black Book Festival (NBBF) is an annual event, sponsored jointly by Cushcity.com, the world's largest African-American retailer online, and the Houston Black Expo, the largest African-American tradeshow in the state of Texas. The event is held in conjunction with the Houston Black Expo and attracts a wide array of authors, publishers, book clubs, libraries and individual readers from the Southwest U.S. and nationwide. NBBF 2008 will be held at the George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston, Texas.

The event features a pavilion of authors, including those who are notable and new. Book signing and discussion sessions with featured authors, workshops and seminars, a spoken word poetry slam and book club give-aways are just a few of the exciting featured activities at NBBF.

THINKING BOOKS! EVENTS 
http://www.vsmtools.com/U/78/ReviewFiles/page10448.asp

Thinking Books! is the national discussion forum for the Harlem Book Fair, QBR The Black Book Review, and the best books from the Diaspora. It is a public, intimate, event-driven, online reading and discussion community featuring authors and issues found in today’s fiction and nonfiction in key areas such as urban life, erotica, politics, race & culture, inspiration/religion, health and beauty, relationships, career, self-help and personal finance. Books that make you...think!

HW Shop Harlem In-Store Shopping Experience for the Harlem holidays

13th, Dec., Thursday, 6-8 pm Join the owners of N Harlem's new men & women's luxury boutique for in-store shopping with special guests and personal fittings, giveaways and 10% premiums. 114 W. 116th St. (bet. Lenox and 7th Aves.), RSVP 212.961.1035 ext. 103

21st, Dec., Friday, 6-8 pm You are invited to a Sean John Eyewear personal fitting at Cohen's Optical's with beer cocktails, gift bags, giveaways and 10% premiums. 86 W. 125th St. (on the corner of Lenox Avenue), 212.996.2676

27th, Dec., Thursday, 6-9 pm Join shopharlem participants, the HW family, our sponsors, DJ Mario for our end of the year bash at The River Room, for giveaways and 15% premiums. Riverbank State Park / Riverside Drive @ 145th St., 212.491.1500