7 Bestselling Poetry Books

Period: January/February - 2023

Celebrating Black stories and authors since 1998, the AALBC Bestsellers List is now published quarterly. Here’s a printable list and collage of this period’s titles. Also check out the BLK Bestsellers—the definitive monthly guide to America’s bestselling books by Black writers.

Fiction:
For the first time, The top three fiction “books” are literary journals. The Killens Review is a fixture on our list making it 8 times. midnight & indigo, a literary journal dedicated to short fiction and narrative essays by Black women writers, makes its debut on our list this period.

Nonfiction:
Reparations on Fire: How and Why it’s Spreading Across America by Nkechi Taifa is an AALBC bestseller not just because it is an important book, but Taifa makes a point of encouraging readers to buy her books from black-owned bookstores.

Children’s Books:
An American Story, written by Kwame Alexander and Illustrated by Dare Coulter is not only the bestselling children’s book, it is the bestselling book overall this period!

Poetry:
Poetry did well during this period with work from award-winning poets Yusef Komunyakaa, John Keene, and Tyehimba Jess making the list.