2012 marks the beginning of AALBC.com's 15th year of selling books on-line.  We sold our first book on December 1997.  The 2011 bestsellers list is based upon online sales, reported through Amazon.com's affiliate program

Wahida Clark has the most titles on the 2011 Best Sellers List (5)

Seven other authors have more than one title on the list Teri Woods (4), Zane (4), Iyanla Vanzant (3), Edwidge Danticat (2), J. California Cooper (2), Karrine Steffans (2), and Tiffany L. Warren (2).

Iyanla Vanzant and J. California Cooper are the only two authors to make both out our 1998 and 2011 Best Sellers list

Karrine Steffans is the only author to have a single title make the list seven years in a row. Confessions of a Video Vixen has been the #1 or #2 best selling book every year since 2005 and is AALBC.com's all time best selling book.

Carl Weber's The Choir Director book made the 2011 list despite being published (mass market paperback) on December 27th, 2011

The oldest book on the list is Ivan Van Sertima's classic They Came before Columbus: The African Presence in Ancient America

eBooks sales are not included in totals.  eBooks are tracked on a separate list: best selling eBooks for 2011

1,651 different titles were sold in 2011 This is fewer titles than 2010.  While the 2011 title count excludes eBook titles, the total would still be less than 2010.  This is the first year we have seen in decline in the number of titles sold, year over year, since 1997 -- yikes!

Help AALBC.com sell more books and maybe even make our bestsellers list (Click here to learn how)

Check out our 25 best selling books for November and December of 2011

Keith Gilyard
http://aalbc.com/authors/keith_gilyard.html

Gilyard received his Bachelor of Science degree from City University, his Masters of Fine Arts from Columbia University, and his doctorate (EdD) at New York University. In 1981, Gilyard became a faculty member at CUNY, Medgar Evers College, where in 1986 he helped to launch the National Black Writers Conference (see events).

Gilyard wrote a number of books including a biography of John Oliver Killens, John Oliver Killens: A Life of Black Literary Activism, which AALBC.com reviewer described as "...an excellent biography of an extraordinary man. Gilyard does a wonderful job in bringing Killens to life."  Now available in paperback [University of Georgia Press (November 1, 2011)].

Meri Nana-Ama Danquah
http://aalbc.com/authors/meri_danquah.html

Meri Nana-Ama Danquah was born in Accra, Ghana on September 13, 1967. Danquah's grandfather, Dr. J.B. Danquah, was one of the founding fathers of Ghana [In fact, he is credited with giving Ghana its name].

Danquah's previous work includes the groundbreaking memoir Willow Weep for Me: A Black Woman's Journey Through Depression and two critically acclaimed anthologies, Becoming American and Shaking the Tree. She earned an MFA in creative writing and literature from Bennington College.

Qwantu Amaru
http://aalbc.com/authors/qwantu_amaru.htm

Qwantu Amaru has been writing since the age of 11. An avid reader, he has always aspired to write suspenseful page turners and socially significant literature like those of his writing influences Richard Wright, Harper Lee, Walter Mosley, Tananarive Due and Stephen King. Qwantu draws his inspiration from his modest upbringing in small towns and cities across Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Louisiana, and Florida.

In addition to his first novel, One Blood, Qwantu has written six volumes of poetry: Lightbringer, Lovelost, After the Storm, Midnight's Shadow, Awakening, and Actual-Eyez. Qwantu is an active member of the outstanding socially active poetry collective Black on Black Rhyme out of Tallahassee, FL. He has performed spoken word in poetry venues from New York to Los Angeles. He is also part owner and one third of The Pantheon Collective, an independent publishing venture dedicated to bringing high quality independent books to the masses while empowering and inspiring other authors to follow their dreams. Qwantu currently resides in Jersey City, NJ.

Killing the Messenger: A Story of Radical Faith, Racism’s Backlash, and the Assassination of a Journalist
http://aalbc.com/reviews/killing_the_messenger.html

Any Western journalist who’s honest will admit that they’re scared to write anything critical about Islam, since it doesn’t take much to make a mullah put a price on your head. Consider the recent history. Everyone from novelist Salman Rushdie to Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard have had to go into hiding because of all the death threats they received after publishing material Muslims deemed offensive. And Dutch director Theo van Gogh was stabbed to death by a disgruntled fundamentalist because he made a movie about honor killings and other forms of violence still being perpetrated against innocent females in the name of Allah.

Much closer to home, Chauncey Bailey, editor-in-chief of the Oakland Post, was shot dead on the morning of August 2, 2007. He was about to expose a store called Your Black Muslim Bakery as a front for a criminal operation dealing in drugs, sex slaves and murder.

Chauncey’s assassination touched me [Kam Williams] personally, since he was an editor of mine at the time. In fact, the two of us had spoken just a couple of days before he was gunned down on the street by a Muslim goon squad on orders from their imam, a madman known as Yusuf Bey IV.

The Cross & the Lynching Tree by James H. Cone
http://aalbc.com/reviews/cross.html

It has been said that Sunday morning is still the most segregated time in America. An explanation for that phenomenon might rest in the fact that the white Church remains in denial about the country’s ugly legacy of lynching, while the black Church was on the front lines in the battle against that despicable form of state-sanctioned terrorism.

This is the thesis of James H. Cone in The Cross & the Lynching Tree, a scathing indictment of the silence of Caucasian clerics in the pulpit about the perilous plight of generations of African-Americans. The author, a Professor of Systematic Theology at Union Theological Seminary in New York, points out the obvious parallels between, “the crucifixion by the Romans in Jerusalem and the lynching of blacks by whites in the United States” before wondering “What blocks the American Christian imagination from seeing the connection?”

lost in language & sound: or how i found my way to the arts:essays by Ntozake Shange
http://aalbc.com/reviews/lost_in_language.html

Readers who may not be familiar with the author would get quite a bit of information behind the scenes as she writes poignantly her emanation from minor to major. As such, the book reads like an autobiographical sketch exploring and expounding on how linguistic fortitude and specific aspects of the humanities has shaped her voice and virtue. It's much more prolific as she gives a profound personal look at the reflections through flashbacks on what it means to be artistic without compromise, a woman of worth, while allowing her blackness to be all that the race requires.

The book is unique in the fact that it's descriptive in how she got from point A to B and all other points in between! I like the fact that she wrote it in the style that is uniquely hers (i.e., writing in lower case and using backslashes throughout), and with a sense of continuity that doesn’t lose the reader. Written with three distinct themes, the chapters are short but inspiring, each with reasons for all things relative to the craft. If anything, the sheer stylistic rendering forces you to keep up with the pace without losing insight.

Joan Myers Brown & the Audacious Hope of the Black Ballerina: A Biohistory of American Performance by Brenda Dixon Gottschild
http://aalbc.com/reviews/joan_myers_brown.html

The book was written by Brenda Dixon Gottschild, Professor Emeritus of Dance Studies at Temple University, a brilliant scholar who is passionate about her field of endeavor. Consequently, the enlightening text might be best described as a combination history lesson about the talented Brown (including her mentors and protégés as well) and a labor of love undertaken by a sage elder determined to remind future generations in vivid detail about the many hardships endured by their African-American ancestors on the long, hard road to racial equality.

A timely testament to a legendary role model who inspired generations of little black girls to reach for the stars in the face of a racist society that would just as soon crush their prima ballerina dreams.

Learning about the Africans That Came to the Americas! by L.E. Chavous
http://aalbc.com/reviews/learning_about_the_africans.html

After Lee Chavous became a father a few years ago, he soon found himself worrying about his son’s prospective education. He knew that the formative years are critical, and that the history books tend to marginalize, overlook, or inaccurately recount the contributions of African-Americans.

Wanting his little boy to grow up fully aware not only of his ancestors’ centuries-long struggle for equality but of how they also helped shape the country in myriad ways, Lee decided to write his own illustrated texts. Aimed at kids aged 8-11, the first in his very informative series, Learning about the Africans That Came to the Americas, offers an impressive overview of slavery from the black perspective.

For black youth, one of the unfortunate aspects of learning is having to unlearn misinformation, like the fact that John Brown was actually a hero who freed slaves, not an insurrectionist hung for stealing plantation owners’ property. That’s why it was refreshing to see that this book describes Brown as an “abolitionist.”

Seven Important Writers of the 20th Century
http://aalbc.it/aebios

I [Troy Johnson] had the pleasure of speaking in a couple of the short video biographies, on American novelists, created by Bio.com, which is part of the A+E Television Networks. I spoke briefly about James Baldwin and Langston Hughes.

There were several more videos created. I’ve posted a seven of my favorite ones; James Baldwin, Langston Hughes, Toni Morrison, Harper Lee, Jack Kerouac, John Steinbeck, and Kurt Vonnegut.

The Book Look on AALBC.com
http://aalbc.com/thebooklook

Please join us in welcoming The Book Look, AALBC.com's newest addition. The Book Look is an engaging and fast-paced video segment that tackles the latest in books and book news relevant to our community. The weekly program is hosted by beautiful book-lover and 2011 Miss Black America-Baltimore, Alexandra Morton. It also features original music by talented and Atlanta-based artist/producer, Zion Birdsong.

With its music, humor and entertainment value, The Book Look is unlike any other show on the Web and remember, episodes will be available here on AALBC.com! So get ready to look at books in a whole different light. 

Blacktrospective 2011 - Kam William's Annual Assessment of the Best in Black Cinema
http://www.aalbc.com/reviews/blacktrospective_2011.html

2011 proved to be another banner year in black cinema, with The Help emerging as the cream of the crop. Even though the adaptation of the Kathryn Stockett best-seller had detractors like Professor Melissa Harris-Perry questioning the historical accuracy of its depiction of African-American maids, there’s no denying that Viola Davis delivered an Oscar-worthy performance as the movie’s lead character, Aibileen Clark. In terms of male leads, Vin Diesel was the best of the bunch, I just hope the ethnically-ambiguous matinee idol doesn’t mind being branded a brother.

A number of excellent films were shot in Africa, most notably Kinyarwanda  and Life, Above All.  Then there’s Pariah, a gritty, New York City, dysfunctional family drama ostensibly inspired by the success of Precious in 2009, and featuring a comedienne (Kim Wayans) playing it very serious as an abusive mother.

Safe House - Rookie and Rogue Agents Make Strange Bedfellows in High Body-Count Spy Thriller
http://www.aalbc.com/reviews/safe_house.html

The movie marks the English-language directorial debut of Sweden’s Daniel Espinosa, who must be credited for coaxing yet another vintage outing from two-time, Academy Award-winner Denzel Washington (for Glory and Training Day). In addition, he simultaneously allowed romantic comedy regular Ryan Reynolds to prove himself capable of playing more the handsome hunk opposite the blonde-of-the-moment.

The talented co-stars not only acquit themselves well in the convincingly-choreographed fight sequences, but their credible chemistry cultivated during downtime enables the audience to forgive the periodic holes in the picture’s Swiss cheese script. They are helped immeasurably in that endeavor by equally-powerful, support performances on the part of several consummate thespians, including Oscar-nominees Vera Farmiga (for Up in the Air) and Sam Shepard (for The Right Stuff) as well as Brendan Gleeson and Ruben Blades.

Likable unlikely buddies enmeshed in a pyrotechnics-driven, political potboiler with more twists than a Chubby Checker concert make for a cinematic experience that’s more than worth the price of admission.

Red Tails - WWII Saga Recounts Heroic Exploits of Tuskegee Airmen
http://aalbc.com/reviews/red_tails.html

Aside from raising the question of the arbitrary color line, the plot reads like a typical, cliché-ridden war flick revolving around a tight-knit, motley crew of colorful characters. Each is based on a simplistically-drawn archetype, like the ill-fated pilot you know isn’t long for this world the moment he’s shown sitting in his cockpit gazing fondly at a picture of his fiancée right before takeoff.

Nonetheless, Red Tails amounts to a worthy, overdue tribute to a group of intrepid, World War II heroes who never let their second-class status diminish their patriotism even one iota.

Pariah - Latent Lesbian Summons Courage in Out-of-the-Closet Drama
http://aalbc.com/reviews/pariah.html

17 year-old Alike (Adepero Oduye) has been hiding a big secret from her parents, namely, that she’s gay. But that fact is becoming more and more difficult for the latent lesbian to suppress, given the raging hormones which have her yearning for a girlfriend.

Is it any wonder then that she might feel like a pariah, a social outcast struggling to find acceptance. Pariah is also the title of this semi-autobiographical, coming-of-age drama directed by Dee Rees. Although the picture does feature a number of superficial parallels to Precious, it is in no way derivative, and addresses a very different theme of equal import to the black community.

Joyful Noise - Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton Co-Star in Gospel-Driven Musical Drama
http://www.aalbc.com/reviews/joyful_noise.html

Joyful Noise, a faith-based mix of modern morality play and musical numbers. The soulful singing performances are the film’s forte, from Dolly Parton and Kris Kristofferson’s heartfelt duet on “From Here to the Moon and Back” to Keke Palmer and Jeremy Jordan’s equally-evocative interpretation of “Maybe I’m Amazed” to Ivan Kelley, Jr.’s spirited rendition of “That’s the Way God Planned It.”

As for the pat plotline, the point of departure finds Vi Rose with her hands full and dividing her time from trying to raise two teenagers alone because her husband (Jesse L. Martin) abandoned the family for the military on account of the lack of local jobs. Their son, Walter (Dexter Darden), is in need of help handling his Asperger’s Syndrome while boy-crazy daughter, Olivia (Palmer), sure could use a more appropriate suitor than the thug (Paul Woolfolk) who’s been courting her lately.

Tyler Perry - The “Good Deeds” Interview
http://aalbc.it/tpgooddeeds

Tyler Perry’s inspirational journey from the hard streets of New Orleans to the heights of Hollywood's A-list is the stuff of American legend. Born into poverty and raised in a household scarred by abuse, Tyler fought from a young age to find the strength, faith and perseverance that would later form the foundations of his much-acclaimed plays, films, books and TV shows.

Obviously, Tyler practices what he preaches, and what he preaches has endeared him to millions of fans drawn by that unique blend of spiritual hope and down-home humor that continues to shape his inspiring life story and extraordinary body of work. Here, he talks about his new film, Good Deeds, a relationship drama which he wrote, directed and stars in opposite an A-list cast which includes Thandie Newton, Gabrielle Union, Phylicia Rashad, Rebecca Romijn, Jamie Kennedy, Beverly Johnson and Brian White.

Cuba Gooding, Jr.: Oscar-Winner Opines on Playing Tuskegee Airman
http://aalbc.com/reviews/cuba_gooding_jr.html

Cuba Gooding, Jr. was born in the Bronx, New York on January 2, 1968, to Shirley and Cuba, Sr., the lead singer of the R&B group The Main Ingredient. After his deadbeat dad abandoned the family in 1974, Jr. and his siblings were raised in L.A. by his struggling single-mom. He ended up attending four different high schools, but was still popular enough to be voted class president at three of them.

A born-again Christian since the age of 13, Cuba married his childhood sweetheart, Sara Kapfer, whom he started dating in high school. They have three kids, Spencer, Mason and Piper. Here, he talks about his latest outing as Major Emanuelle Stance in Red Tails, a World War II epoch about the legendary Tuskegee Airmen.

Ne-Yo: The “Red Tails” Interview
http://aalbc.com/reviews/ne_yo.html

Shaffer Chimere Smith, aka Ne-Yo, was born in Camden, Arkansas, but raised in Las Vegas, Nevada by his mom, a musician of Chinese and African-American descent.

He began making a name for himself as a singer/songwriter in 1999, going on to compose hits for Mary J. Blige, Faith Evans, Christina Milian, B2K, Mario and others, and also to record four solo albums.

In 2006, he added acting to his repertoire, making his screen debut in Save the Last Dance, later appearing in Stomp the Yard and, more recently, in Battle: Los Angeles. Here, he talks about his co-starring opposite Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Terrence Howard as Andrew “Smoky” Salem in Red Tails, a World War II saga recounting the daring exploits of the Tuskegee Airmen in the skies over Europe.

Vernon Davis: The NFL Playoffs Interview
http://aalbc.com/reviews/vernon_davis.html

San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis is a game-changer who embodies the ethos of leadership both on and off the field. Picked 6th overall in the 1st round of the 2006 NFL Draft out of the University of Maryland, Vernon had already been an All-American football star in high school and a multi-award winner setting records for speed, strength and receptions.

A philanthropist off the field, Vernon represented the NFL by traveling to Afghanistan to spend time with U.S. troops on the invitation of the USO. Last year, he traveled with his brother to Uganda and Rwanda on a mission with PROS FOR AFRICA.

With AALBC.comhe talked about life and about his team’s prospects as the 49ers enter the playoffs.

The One by Cheryl Robinson - On sale today - enter The 14 Days of Valentines Contest
http://bit.ly/theonebook

A fateful encounter with a savvy young producer lands aspiring writer Olena Day the role of America’s bachelorette on the new reality show The One. There are just two problems: Olena despises reality TV, and technically she’s not single. What could she possibly hope to gain? A book deal? But Olena’s made it clear; she won’t resort to the stereotypical antics often portrayed by women on reality TV. But ratings rule and the producers have plans of their own to assure the show’s success—even if it means exposing some of Olena’s long-held and most embarrassing secrets.

Step behind the scenes of the highly competitive and unique world of reality dating shows, in this relationship-driven page-turner that keeps delivering surprises.  To learn more and to enter the 14 Days of Valentines Contest, visit the author’s website: www.cherylrobinson.com

Neworld Review
http://neworldreview.com

Neworldreview is an online magazine that reviews books, theater and movies. It also features, memoirs, short stories poems and books."neworldreview is an online magazine that reviews books, theater and movies. It also features, memoirs, short stories poems and books.

Editor-in Chief and Publisher Fred Beauford founded Neworld: The Multi-Cultural Magazine of the Arts, and Black Creation magazine. He also served for eight years as the editor of The Crisis magazine. He has taught at The University of Southern California, UC Berkeley, N.Y.U. and SUNY Old Westbury.

Ujamaa Deals
http://bit.ly/ujammadeals (share the link!)

The Ujamaa Difference for Black-owned Businesses

Lower fees and discounts, so your business makes and keeps more money from each sale

Our subscribers actually care about supporting Black-owned businesses. They're not just looking for a discount.

Rewards program coming soon to encourage repeat customers. 

Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God
http://thegreenespace.org/zora

Celebrate this seminal work from the American literary canon with live theater, conversations and more this season from TThe Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, 44 Charlton Street in SoHo, New York City.  Tickets and information at http://thegreenespace.org/zora

I, Too, Sing America: Langston And Zora’s Unsung Collaboration Host Terrance McKnight explores the music of the era through the lens of Langston Hughes and his close and controversial relationship with Zora Neale Hurston. FRI FEB 24 AT 7 PM

Their Eyes Were Watching God: A Radio Drama Directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson Starring Brandon Dirdon, Phylicia Rashad, Roslyn Ruff, Leslie Uggams and others. Radio drama adapted by Arthur Yorinks. WED FEB 29 AND THU MAR 1 AT 7 PM

A Literary Salon Mix and mingle and enjoy readings from Their Eyes Were Watching God by poet and actor Carl Hancock Rux. WED MAR 14 AT 6 PM

Women Writers on the Horizon A conversation with Alice Walker, Sonia Sanchez and Ruby Dee, moderated by Zora Neale Hurston’s niece, Lucy Anne Hurston. WED MAR 28 AT 7 PM 

The Eleventh National Black Writers Conference - Brooklyn, NY - Thursday, March 29 - Sunday, April 1, 2012
http://www.nationalblackwritersconference.org

As our society becomes increasingly globalized, the themes in the literary texts and literature created by black writers throughout the African diasporic communities of the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Europe are shifting and expanding in varying ways. There is recognition of the importance and value of preserving cultural memory and identity and of cultivating and nurturing cultural and geographical spaces. At the same time, there is also a recognition that politics and popular culture shape what we respond to, what we read, what gets published, what we teach, and what conversations we have in our literary communities, in the media, in our educational institutions, in our work environments, and in our homes.

Through novels, stories, poems, plays, memoirs, and essays, black writers have explored the importance of memory on our concepts of self and family. They have examined the impact of popular culture on our personal lives, belief systems, values, and traditions. And they have chronicled what happens when we neglect and do not nurture our natural environment. In essence, they have used the power of words and the literary arts to stir our imagination and to motivate us to affirm, critique, and reflect on our responses to personal, societal, and environmental issues in our lives. The Eleventh National Black Writers Conference will provide writers, scholars, literary professionals, students, and the general public with a forum for engaging in dynamic and spirited conversations, panel discussions, readings, workshops, and performances on themes related to migration, cultural memory, popular culture, and the natural environment.

Purchase your tickets for The Eleventh National Black Writers Conference today at http://aalbc.it/regnbwc

Writing Workshops Sponsered by African Voices Communications, Inc.
Begin Your Journey Now!

Novel Writing Workshop (8 Sessions Online)
http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2591846282

Enjoy a writing workshop from the convenience of your own home! Get the help you need to begin, revise or complete your novel from a professional editor and published author. Writing a novel requires a solid understanding of all the tools that a fiction writer must use to hold a reader's interest. In this course, you will learn the basics of plot, characterization, point of view, voice, theme, dialogue, pacing and exposition. Using a combination of lecture, exercise and critique from the instructor, you will sharpen your skills and complete the first fifty pages of your book.

Sessions: 8. Registration Fee: $200. Instructor: Anita Diggs. The first online session will begin Monday, March 5, 2012. Please submit writing samples to: writeonclasses@gmail.com.

Online Lecture Dates: 3/5, 3/12, 3/19, 3/26, 4/2, 4/9, 4/16, 4/23.

 

Book Making for Poets (Tuesdays, March 13-May 1, 2012, 6 PM - 8 PM)
http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2704050889

Are you interested in completing a chapbook or publishing your first poetry collection? Through exercises, readings and discussions workshop participants will explore the process of compiling and writing a poetry manuscript. This will be a hands-on workshop with special attention paid to crafting manuscript beginnings and endings and organizing themes and various aspects of creating the poem. Keen attention will be paid to revision. Participants can expect to explore current trends in publishing and self-publishing including the opportunities in digital publishing.

Sessions: 8. Registration Fee: $200. Instructor: Jacqueline Johnson. Please submit writing samples to: writeonclasses@gmail.com.

Dates: 3/13, 3/20, 3/27, 4/3, 4/10, 4/17, 4/24, 5/1

 

Writing for Blogs & Digital Magazines (Thursdays, March 15 - May 3, 2012, 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM)
http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2757741479

A fun, fast-paced workshop designed to introduce you to the fine art of writing for blogs and digital magazines. Whether you want to create a blog to promote your novel or business, this workshop will get you started on the process. Writers in the class will start a group blog and be guided in creating and editing work for digital media. Participants will use all the digital tools at hand to make their work engaging to online readers — this may include using one’s cell phone to include short videos and photos that can be embedded in free blog applications. Learn to build an audience for your writing.

Sessions: 8. Registration Fee: $200. Instructor: Troy Johnson. Workshop hosted and

Course Dates: 3/15, 3/22, 3/29, 4/5, 4/12, 4/19, 4/26, 5/3.

 

Memoir Writing: Telling the World Your Story (Mondays, March 12 - April 30, 2012, 6 PM - 8:30 PM)
http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2757729443

Do you have a story to tell the world? This eight-week workshop is for anyone interested in writing everything from autobiographies to the intimately personal memoir. Research, interviews and soul searching are some of the ingredients that make-up the journey of a good memoir or biography. You will be guided in the process of crafting a well-told story that resonates with readers. Specific writing exercises will be used to help you tap into your creativity and work past writer's block. The workshop's goal is to get you started on working on the first draft of your memoir, create an outline for your book or revise previously written work in a nurturing environment with your peers.

Sessions: 8. Registration Fee: $200. Instructor: Michel Marriot. Please submit writing samples to: writeonclasses@gmail.com.

Course Dates: 3/12, 3/19, 3/26, 4/2, 4/9, 4/16, 4/23, 4/30.

Culture, Race & Economy Discussion Forum - Cynique's Corner
http://aalbc.it/cyniquescorner

The are so many interesting subjects being discussed I decided to just list a few of the more popular conversations. Check out, "Where Are All The Good Single Black Men?", "Occupy Wall Street - Is Real Change Coming?", "The New Film Red Tails Will it be Any Good? Does it Matter?", "Sex and Black Women", and "An Open Letter to the Financial Press [from Russell Simmons]: Is It Because I’m Hip Hop?"

African-American Literature Discussion Forum - Thumper's Corner
http://aalbc.it/aalbctc

A couple of white authors who have written novels with Black characters stop by and introduce their work.  "White author writes novel with mainly African-American characters", and "Another new author with a lot of African characters saying hello".

Visit Daily to Get the Latest News in the World of Books
http://aalbc.com/book_industry_news.php

The Subconscious Shelf by Leah Price
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/13/books/review/the-subconscious-shelf.html

In my college dorm, a volume of Sartre was casually spread-­eagled across the futon when I expected callers. We display spines that we’ll never crack; we hide the books that we thumb to death. Emily Post disapproved: her 1930 home decorating manual compared “filling your rooms with books you know you will never open” to “wearing a mask and a wig.”

Book review: A Slave in the White House, by Elizabeth Dowling Taylor - The Dallas Morning News
Published: 10 February 2012 06:09 PM
http://www.dallasnews.com/entertainment/books/20120210-book-review-a-slave-in-the-white-house-by-elizabeth-dowling-taylor.ece

The former director of education at James Madison’s Montpelier debuts with the biography of Paul Jennings, a slave who grew up with the Madisons, and was with the former president when he died.

Because Jennings for much of his life was considered merely property, Taylor had to be satisfied with a skeleton of fact, which she fleshes out with imaginative and thorough research, careful supposition and heavy contextual description. Jennings himself contributed a slim document, included as an appendix, A Colored Man’s Reminiscences of James Madison, which originally appeared in 1863. Throughout, Taylor reminds us of the moral failures of the Founding Fathers, especially their unwillingness to accept the notion that black people should enjoy the benefits of freedom so eloquently expressed in the nation’s founding documents. 

AALBC.com is Looking for a Magazine Layout Designer
AALBC.com is considering publishing a magazine featuring our most popular content.  If you are or know of someone skilled in magazine layout.  We are offering a 50-50% split on any revenue generated.

A.B.L.E. - The Alliance for Black Literature and Entertainment
Stay tuned for information about this emerging movement.

Ad spaces available run of site bottom of pages with statistics!  Only $49 per month!
http://aalbc.it/buyanad

Visit: http://aalbc.it/buyanad to take advantage tremendous advertising deals on AALBC.com is in the process of completely automating our ad sales process. Two new positions are available; ads appear on every page and cost only $49 per month.

When you purchase an AALBC.com ad through BuySellAds.com, you have the convenience of paying with Paypal, Credit Card or with funds in your Account Balance. In addition to this, you are able to login to your account to see the results of your ad campaigns - how many impressions your ad received, how many clicks it received, etc.

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How do I get my book featured on AALBC.com (for free)?
http://aalbc.com/blog/index.php/2011/08/28/how-do-i-get-my-book-featured-on-aalbc-com-for-free/

"How do I get my book featured on AALBC.com?" is the question most frequently posed to me, in one form or another, by authors, publishers and publicists.

Of course the best and fastest way to obtain prominent placement on AALBC.com is to purchase advertising. However when the above question is posed, subsequent follow up sometimes reveals, the inquirer does not have a budget for advertising. This is fine, because there are many ways one can promote their work, and still reach AALBC.com's large audience -- for free.

AALBC.com's events calendar is also an ideal resource for authors who wish to post their entire tour schedules, or folks who only want to promote a single event.  Because of AALBC.com's popularity, all posted events are quickly indexed by Google and other search engines; making your event easy to find by web surfers and the 100's of thousands of AALBC.com visitors. AALBC.com also selects events from our calendar to include in this which goes out to over 17 thousand subscribers about once a month.

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Where is AALBC.com's founder Troy Johnson speaking next?  Visit: http://aalbc.it/troyspeaks

Happy Valentine's Day,

Troy Johnson
President, AALBC.com, LLC
Toll Free: 866-603-8394
Email: troy@aalbc.com