Fiction: Walter Mosley’s “touching and contemplative” short story collection, The Awkward Black Man, makes Walter a 23-Time AALBC bestselling author with 10 AALBC bestselling books! Nonfiction: The top selling book, across all genres, this period is His Truth Is Marching on: John Lewis and the Power of Hope by Jon Meacham. Children’s Books: Children’s sales are led by Jabari Asim’s all-time bestselling board book on AALBC, Whose Knees Are These? Poetry: Moments, the Minutes, the Hours: The Poetry of Jill Scott is our bestselling poetry book this period, continuing to sell well 12 years after it was published. Our bestsellers list has been published continuously since 1998 and is the most visible bestsellers list focused on Black Books. As a result, you will learn about books selling well, in the Black community, that may never show up on lists published by the NY Times, USA Today, and others. | In this vividly illustrated children’s picture book, identical twins Nia and Nori share all the ways they are exactly alike … and also completely different. Adijah & Atiya Brabham, republished Different and the Same in a larger size — great for reading with a child. The new version also sports the AALBC Bestseller seal! The original version is a 2-time AALBC bestseller (Nov 1, Prairieclover Publishing). | Reflecting on the presidency, Obama offers a unique and thoughtful exploration of both the awesome reach and the limits of presidential power, as well as singular insights into the dynamics of U.S. partisan politics and international diplomacy. Obama brings readers inside the Oval Office and the White House Situation Room, and to Moscow, Cairo, Beijing, and points beyond (Nov 17, Crown Publishing Group). Pre-order A Promised Land, in print, by midnight November 4th, and get a free audiobook. | Beloved Georgia judge Joseph Donaldson was known for his unshakable fairness, his hard-won fortune—and a scandalous second marriage to his much-younger white secretary. Now he’s left a will with a stunning provision. In order to collect their inheritance, his lawyer daughter Maya, her stepmother Jeanie, and Jeanie’s teen daughter, Ryder, must live together at the family lake house. Maya and Jeanie don’t exactly get along, but they reluctantly agree to try an uneasy peace for as long as it takes… (Oct 27, Kensington Books) | A literary landmark: the biggest, most ambitious anthology of Black poetry ever published, gathering 250 poets from the colonial period to the present Across a turbulent history, from such vital centers as Harlem, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and the Bay Area, Black poets created a rich and multifaceted tradition that has been both a reckoning with American realities and an imaginative response to them. Capturing the power and beauty of this diverse tradition in a single indispensable volume, African American Poetry reveals as never before its centrality and its challenge to American poetry and culture (Oct 20, Library of America). | Any serious student of African-American history could point to the rich, informative contents of two iconic publications: Chancellor Williams’ The Destruction of Black Civilization and Cheikh Anta Diop’s The African Origin of Civilization: Myth or Reality. These two titanic resources have fired up the imagination and academic resolve of many scholars surrounding their subject, and John Valentine’s The Clan of Southern Man, promises to elevate the ongoing debate about the origins of humankind. Valentine, a historian and Egyptologist, is committed to getting to the genesis of the toxic global ills plaguing our community and developing world. Born the son of a poor sharecropper in rural Mississippi, the author knows the dual scourges of racism and prejudice firsthand. More ? | Located in the historic neighborhood of Leimert Park in Los Angeles California. Eso Won is one of the country’s oldest and most venerated Black-owned bookstores in the country. Recently, actress, author, and producer Issa Rae, showed some love for Eso Won by acknowledging the store’s impact on her career in a wonderfully produced video and by making a large donation to the store to support local schools. If you happen to be lucky enough to live in Los Angeles you also have access to both Malik Books and Reparations Club. You may learn about these terrific stores and others, across the country, on AALBC’s list of Black-owned Bookstores. | The 15th National Black Writers Conference Will be Held Virtually from Wednesday, November 11 to Saturday, November 14, 2020 Presented by the Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College, CUNY, the theme of this year’s Conference is “Activism, Identity, and Race: Playwrights and Screenwriters at the Crossroads.” The Conference is a public gathering of writers, scholars, literary professionals, theater and film luminaries, students, and the public. Panelists and special guests will examine the ways race, identity, politics, and popular culture shape the production of plays, films, and television shows. The four-day event features a Summit Keynote, roundtable conversations, panel discussions, a town hall, film screenings, author readings, writing workshops, local vendors, and much more. More than 60 playwrights, screenwriters, poets, and scholars will participate. The Conference will honor playwrights, screenwriters, documentarians and filmmakers: Carl Clay, Dominique Morisseau, Stanley Nelson, Voza Rivers, and Richard Wesley. | Since 1998, AALBC has run several discussion forums; in fact, prior to the rise of social media our discussion forums were incredibly popular and active. Even today, some of our site’s most popular content is on our discussion forums. Recently, I decided to formally stop blogging, because any information I want to share I can post on our Black Literature Forum or on the #ReadingBlack club. On the discussion forums others can engage with my information in a far richer manner. The forums are a platform where you can maintain your privacy and anonymity if you choose, and you definitely don’t have to worry about being manipulated by some algorithm. | Dear Reader, This November I’m relocating AALBC to Tulsa, Oklahoma! Why Tulsa? Well anyone who knows me knows I love to travel. I’ve visited all 50 states, camped in Dry Tortugas, skied the back bowls of Vail, and drove to the geographic center of the United States just for kicks. Yeah, I’m guy LOL! For that past couple of years, I’ve been flirting with the idea of living in different places. I learned about a program called Tulsa Remote, really like what I saw, and was accepted into the program. If you are currently based near Tulsa reach out. As always, Reader thank you for your business and support. You are why I’ve been able to provide this platform, since 1998, to celebrate Black culture through books. Your paid subscription helps support this effort. Peace and Love,
Troy Johnson
Founder & Webmaster, AALBC.com | Consider sponsoring our eNewsletter or a dedicated mailing.
? AALBC.com eNewsletter — November 3, 2020 - Issue #306 | |
