AALBC Search
K’wan
K’wan 0000000417519140 K'wan Foye, born to a poet and painter, faced numerous rejections before his debut novel, Gangsta, was published in 2002. His subsequent novels caught the attention of St. Mart...
K’wan and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson
K’wan and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson MULTIPLE K'wan and 50 Cent are renowned authors known for their contributions to literature, with K'wan being a best-selling urban fiction writer and 50 Cent a rapp...
Tracy Brown, K’wan and Angel Mitchell
Tracy Brown, K’wan and Angel Mitchell MULTIPLE Tracy Brown, K'wan, and Angel Mitchell are prominent authors known for their captivating storytelling. Their works encompass a range of genres, offering...
K’wan, J.M. Benjamin, Terry L. Wroten, Randy Thompson, and J-Rod Nider
K’wan, J.M. Benjamin, Terry L. Wroten, Randy Thompson, and J-Rod Nider MULTIPLE K'wan, J.M. Benjamin, Terry L. Wroten, Randy Thompson, and J-Rod Nider are accomplished authors, each bringing unique s...
Danzy Senna
Danzy Senna 0000000121437007 “Is Danzy Senna Black?” Danzy Senna, a celebrated novelist and essayist, focuses on identity, motherhood, race, and gender in her work. A Stanford BA and UC Ir...
Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Dolen Perkins-Valdez 0000000074479879 Dolen Perkins-Valdez, a Memphis-born novelist, is renowned for her New York Times bestselling novel 'Wench.' A Harvard graduate and former University of Californ...
Byron Pitts
Byron Pitts 0000000039302138 Byron Pitts is a renowned American journalist and author with ABC News. A multiple Emmy award winner, Pitts has over 20 years of experience, covering significant events l...
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Raymond Obstfeld
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Raymond Obstfeld MULTIPLE Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a retired NBA player, known for his record-breaking career with the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers, and inventing the ...
KR Bankston
KR Bankston NONE KR Bankston is an accomplished Fiction Novelist, Publishing Consultant, and CEO of Kirabaco Media Group. Known for her commercial publishing debut, 'A Deadly Encounter' in 2008, she ...
Ben Okri
Ben Okri 0000000121401864 Ben Okri, an award-winning poet and novelist, was born to an Igbo mother and Urhobo father in Nigeria. He had his early education in London, furthered his studies in England...
Charles Johnson
Charles Johnson 0000000000042498 Charles Richard Johnson, a novelist, essayist, and cartoonist from Evanston, Illinois, is renowned for his balanced mix of philosophy and folklore. His novel, Middle ...
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o and Timothy J. Reiss
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o and Timothy J. Reiss MULTIPLE Ngugi wa Thiong’o, born in Kenya 1938, is a leading East African novelist, educated in Kenya, Uganda, and Britain. A recipient of seven Honorary Doctor...
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o 0000000109301051 AALBC Mourns the passing of Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o May 28, 2025 Kenyan-born Ngugi wa Thiong’o was a leading East African novelist, educated in Kenya, ...
Cade Bentley
Cade Bentley NONE Cade Bentley, also known as bestselling authors Abby L. Vandiver and Abby Colette, is a renowned novelist and editor. Apart from writing, she loves spending time with her grandchild...
Jesse Byrd
Jesse Byrd NONE Jesse Byrd, Jr., an award-winning author and former Google project worker, used his basketball skills to fund his education at UC Santa Barbara. Known for his debut novel, King Pengui...
Pearl Cleage
Pearl Cleage 0000000031900424 “The purpose of my writing, often, is to express the point where racism and sexism meet.” Pearl Cleage, born in 1948, is an acclaimed playwright, journalist, ...
Victor McGlothin
Victor McGlothin NONE Victor McGlothin, a bestselling author and filmmaker from Dallas, overcame early reading struggles to complete a Masters degree and leave his banking career for literature. Know...
Lolita Files
Lolita Files 0000000067722180 Lolita Files, an accomplished African-American author, screenwriter, and producer, is known for her bestselling novels like 'Scenes from a Sistah' and 'Child of God'. Wi...
Anika Malone
Anika Malone NONE Anika Malone, author of the acclaimed “10 Minutes Past Too Late”, is celebrated as a fresh voice in contemporary fiction. She has participated in notable book events across the Unit...
Ed Gordon
Ed Gordon 0000000045843168 Ed Gordon is an esteemed journalist with a career spanning various TV networks like BET, NBC, MSNBC, and CBS. Known for hosting shows like Conversation with Ed Gordon, BET ...
Geoffrey Canada
Geoffrey Canada 0000000385378709 Geoffrey Canada, CEO of Harlem Children’s Zone, is recognized for his anti-poverty efforts, notably by President Obama. Featured on 60 Minutes and Good Morning Americ...
Shay Youngblood
Shay Youngblood 0000000066793518 Shay Youngblood is an award-winning novelist and playwright, known for her drama 'Shakin’ the Mess Outta Misery'. Passionate about reading and writing since childhood...
Nora Deloach
Nora Deloach NONE “I use [mysteries] as the opportunity to introduce people to real African-American characters.” Nora DeLoach (1940-2001), a mystery novelist and social worker, saw her de...
Alain Mabanckou
Alain Mabanckou 0000000121422753 Alain Mabanckou is a French-Congolese novelist, poet, journalist, and academic based in the United States, where he is a Professor of Literature. Alain Mabanckou is a...
Tiphanie Yanique
Tiphanie Yanique 0000000071326295 Tiphanie Yanique, a novelist, poet, and professor from Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, is renowned for her numerous awards including the Mary Grant Charles Award ...
Boubacar Boris Diop
Boubacar Boris Diop 0000000121417292 Boubacar Boris Diop is a renowned Senegalese novelist and screenwriter. His acclaimed work, Murambi, The Book of Bones, made it to Africa's 100 Best Books of the ...
Elnathan John
Elnathan John 0000000460091813 Elnathan John is a distinguished Nigerian novelist and satirist known for his short stories, “Bayan Layi” and “Flying,” both shortlisted for the Caine Prize for African...
William Melvin Kelley
William Melvin Kelley 0000000108984997 William Melvin Kelley was a notable American novelist and short-story writer, known for using African American comedy to critique racial attitudes. He taught li...
David Haynes
David Haynes 0000000072463259 David Haynes, a novelist and professor emeritus of English at Southern Methodist University, is the co-founder and board chair of Kimbilio Center for Fiction, serving fi...
Rosalyn McMillan
Rosalyn McMillan NONE Rosalyn McMillan (1953-2017) was a prolific author from Michigan who penned six popular novels. She lived in Memphis, Tennessee with her husband and enjoyed knitting and fishing...
René Maran
René Maran 0000000121258172 René Maran (1887-1960) was a French Guyanese poet and novelist. Notably, he was the first Black writer to win the prestigious Prix Goncourt in 1921. René Maran was...
Nelly Rosario
Nelly Rosario 0000000114903006 Dominican American novelist and creative writing instructor, Nelly Rosario (born 1972), is currently teaching in the MFA Program at Texas State University. Born in the ...
Sassy Sinclair
Sassy Sinclair NONE "Sassy Sinclair is the pen name for acclaimed novelist Pamela Samuels Young, renowned for her captivating storytelling.” Sassy Sinclair is a pseudonym for novelist Pamela Samuels ...
Eva Clark
Eva Clark NONE Eva Clark, a psychologist and award-winning young adult novelist, specializes in mental health, social justice, and sports. Her novels inspire young individuals to discover their best ...
Ivy Claire Pochoda
Ivy Claire Pochoda 0000000058923861 Ivy Claire, a former world-ranked squash champion turned full-time writer, holds a degree in classics. A literary novelist in a parallel life, she resides in Los A...
Annie Matthew
Annie Matthew NONE Annie Matthew, a former professional athlete, is now a renowned novelist and poet residing in Iowa with her dog, Gus. Annie Matthew is a novelist and a poet. In a former life, she ...
Pauline Hopkins
Pauline Hopkins 0000000110597507 Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins (1859-1930) was a distinguished novelist, journalist, historian, and editor, known for pioneering the exploration of social and racial theme...
Albert Murray
Albert Murray 0000000083695821 Albert L. Murray (1916-2013) was a respected critic, novelist, and biographer. Born in Alabama, he divided his time between teaching and serving in the air force before...
John Ridley
John Ridley 0000000114963631 John Ridley is an award-winning American screenwriter, film director, and novelist. Best known for “12 Years a Slave” and the series “American Crime,” his latest work is ...
Melvin Van Peebles
Melvin Van Peebles 000000038553859X Melvin Van Peebles, founding father of Black American cinema, was a multi-talented artist known for directing, writing, and acting in groundbreaking films. He was ...
Andrea Hairston
Andrea Hairston 000000004096098X Andrea Hairston, an Afrofuturist novelist and playwright, is also the L. Wolff Kahn 1931 Professor Emerita at Smith College. With award-winning novels like 'Redwood a...
Portia Cosby
Portia Cosby NONE Portia A. Cosby is a renowned novelist, screenwriter, and poet from Indianapolis, known for her relatable storytelling. With a background in kinesiology and film, she blends her ski...
Anita Doreen Diggs
Anita Doreen Diggs 0000000117054812 Anita Doreen Diggs is a renowned editor, novelist, and lecturer, with experience at Random House, Time Warner Trade Publishing, and Thunder’s Mouth Press. She's a ...
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o and Ngugi Wa Mirii
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o and Ngugi Wa Mirii MULTIPLE Born in Kenya in 1938, Ngugi wa Thiong’o is a leading East African novelist, essayist, playwright, and academic. Educated in Kenya, Uganda, and Britain, ...
D. H. Melhem
D. H. Melhem 0000000083589076 D.H. Melhem, real name Diana M. Vogel (1926-2013), was an esteemed American poet, novelist, and editor. D. H. Melhem is a pseudonym for Diana M. Vogel (1926 – 2013...
Nancy Rawles
Nancy Rawles 0000000032527879 Nancy Rawles is an accomplished playwright, novelist, and educator with a Journalism degree from Northwestern University. She has taught the art of storytelling for over...
Sherley Anne Williams
Sherley Anne Williams 0000000114970321 Sherley Anne Williams was an influential poet, novelist, and professor known for her works portraying her experiences within the African-American community. Bor...
Mika Miller
Mika Miller NONE Mika Miller, from Philadelphia, is a versatile entrepreneur and novelist. Her corporate American experience includes retail and finance. Now a full-time writer at GHETTOHEAT, she bal...
Harold Courlander
Harold Courlander 0000000108696709 Harold Courlander (1908-96) was a renowned novelist and journalist, known for his extensive work on African and African American cultures. He authored over 40 books...
AlTonya Washington
AlTonya Washington NONE AlTonya Washington is an award-winning romance novelist with 12 years of experience. She's won two Romantic Times Magazine Reviewer’s Choice Awards and the Romance Slam Jam EM...
Helon Habila
Helon Habila 0000000109652265 Helon Habila Ngalabak, born in 1967, is a renowned Nigerian novelist and poet. After working as a lecturer and journalist, he moved to England and became an African Writ...
Carlotta Arradondo
Carlotta Arradondo NONE Carlotta Arradondo, a Minneapolis-born novelist, poet, and storyteller, discovered her passion for writing at nine. She is the author of the novel “Yearning” and co-author of ...
Trey Ellis
Trey Ellis 000000011675397X Trey Ellis is a multi-talented writer, novelist, screenwriter, playwright, essayist, and Associate Professor at Columbia University. He's known for his Emmy-nominated HBO ...
Zakes Mda
Zakes Mda 0000000109273150 Zakes Mda is a South African novelist, playwright, and painter, currently a professor at Ohio University. He has won major literary awards in South Africa and the USA, incl...
Penny Mickelbury
Penny Mickelbury 0000000067623801 Penny Mickelbury is a celebrated playwright, journalist, and novelist, known for her work in fiction and script writing. She rose to prominence with her detective no...
Carolivia Herron
Carolivia Herron 0000000063060140 Carolivia Herron, a Harvard scholar and tech associate, is a renowned novelist and multimedia developer specializing in Jewish-African studies. She wrote “Nappy Hair...
Gabriel Okara
Gabriel Okara 0000000109284773 Gabriel Okara, a self-taught Nigerian poet and novelist, is known for his multilingual poetry and award-winning piece 'The Call of the River Nun'. His works, characteri...
Buchi Emecheta
Buchi Emecheta 0000000109363682 “I work toward the liberation of women, but I’m not a feminist I’m just a woman.” Nigerian novelist Buchi Emecheta, born in 1944, is renowned f...
William Wells Brown
William Wells Brown 0000000120314769 William Wells Brown (1814-1884) was a notable African-American abolitionist, novelist, playwright, and historian. He's recognized for 'Clotel' (1853), the first n...
C. S. Lewis
C. S. Lewis 0000000121235691 C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) was a renowned British novelist, poet, academic, and lay theologian. He taught English Literature at Oxford, later becoming the Chair of Medieval a...
Charles Wright
Charles Wright 0000000119446967 Charles Wright (1932-2008) was an American novelist, avid reader, and high school dropout who served in the Army during the Korean War. Moving to New York in his 20s, ...
Tia Williams
Tia Williams 0000000037585947 Tia Williams, hailed as a style insider, is a renowned novelist known for her candid style. She's a veteran beauty editor with experience at top magazines, creator of aw...
Suzan-Lori Parks
Suzan-Lori Parks 0000000115844503 Suzan-Lori Parks, born 1963, is a Pulitzer-winning playwright, screenwriter, and novelist. Notable for her work on Spike Lee’s ‘Girl 6’ and Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo P...
Chinua Achebe
Chinua Achebe 0000000122774961 The novelist Chinua Achebe (November 16, 1930 — March 21, 2013), a fine stylish and an astute social critic, is one of the best-known African writers in the ...
Sarah E. Farro
Sarah E. Farro NONE Sarah E. Farro, a black author born in 1859, wrote 'True Love: A Story of English Domestic Life' in 1891, making her the second known African-American woman novelist of the 19th c...
Clarence Major
Clarence Major 0000000108792602 Clarence Major, born in 1936, is a multifaceted artist: poet, novelist, and painter. With a B.S. from SUNY and a PhD from Union for Experimenting Colleges, he has rece...
Laila Ibrahim
Laila Ibrahim NONE Laila Ibrahim, a full-time novelist, achieved fame with her book, Yellow Crocus, published in ten languages. Previously a preschool teacher and director, a birth doula, and a Direc...
Nate Powell
Nate Powell 0000000078269174 Nate Powell, born in 1978, is a New York Times best-selling graphic novelist known for “March,” the autobiography of John Lewis. A self-publisher from age 14, Powell's aw...
Darryl Pinckney
Darryl Pinckney 0000000063076310 Darryl Pinckney, born in 1953, is an acclaimed American novelist, playwright, and essayist. Educated at Columbia University, he regularly contributes to renowned publ...
Dashawn Taylor
Dashawn Taylor NONE Dashawn Taylor is a contemporary novelist and Rutgers graduate known for his urban edgy style. A former finalist on BET's Ultimate Hustler Show, he's also the author of 'From Pove...
Heru Ptah
Heru Ptah NONE Heru Ptah is a multifaceted writer, known for his work as a poet, novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. He's appeared on HBO's Def Poetry Jam, CNN, and has a novel published by MTV B...
Christopher C. Bell Jr.
Christopher C. Bell Jr. NONE Chris Bell Jr., a Black poet, essayist, educationist, novelist, and retired army Major, holds a Doctorate in Education. Born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia during racial...
Denise Turney
Denise Turney NONE Denise Turney is an experienced novelist, journalist, and editor with over 30 years of writing experience. She hosts an internationally recognized radio program and writes for seve...
Devon Vaughn Archer
Devon Vaughn Archer NONE Devon Vaughn Archer, pseudonym for R. Barri Flowers, is a celebrated mystery novelist, non-fiction author, and criminologist. Renowned for his multicultural romance novels, h...
Angela Jackson
Angela Jackson 0000000035958201 Angela Jackson, born in 1951, is an acclaimed poet, novelist, and playwright from Mississippi. Raised in Chicago, she's a Northwestern and University of Chicago alumna...
Dorothy Koomson
Dorothy Koomson 0000000122756528 Dorothy Koomson, a London-born novelist, started her writing journey at 13. After studying in Leeds and London, she began her career in women's magazines and national...
Douglas S. Reed
Douglas S. Reed NONE Douglas S. Reed wins the 2020 BookLife Fiction Prize Douglas S. Reed, a Brooklyn-based screenwriter/novelist, has vast experience in the motion picture industry, including working...
Marsha Hunt
Marsha Hunt 0000000117741647 Marsha Hunt, born 1946, is a British-based actress, singer, and novelist, best known for her role in the rock musical 'Hair'. She has written autobiographies and novels, ...
Panashe Chigumadzi
Panashe Chigumadzi 0000000454298041 Panashe Chigumadzi is an acclaimed Zimbabwean novelist and essayist, known for her award-winning debut novel, Sweet Medicine. A prominent voice in African literatu...
Chibundu Onuzo
Chibundu Onuzo 0000000369355013 Chibundu Onuzo is a celebrated Nigerian novelist, known for her award-winning debut, The Spider King’s Daughter. Born and raised in Lagos, she holds degrees from King'...
K. Sello Duiker
K. Sello Duiker NONE South African novelist, Kabelo “Sello” Duiker, known for award-winning novels Thirteen Cents & The Quiet Violence of Dreams, also worked in advertising and screenwriting. Raised...
Kwame Anthony Appiah
Kwame Anthony Appiah 0000000121244918 Kwame Anthony Appiah, born in London and raised in Ghana, is the son of a Ghanaian lawyer/politician and an English novelist. He received his education in Ghana ...
Stacey Evans Morgan
Stacey Evans Morgan NONE Stacey Evans Morgan is an LA-based, award-nominated TV producer/writer, director, and known for her work on “The Parkers” and “36th NAACP Image Awards.” She's a motivational ...
Dionne Brand
Dionne Brand 0000000109071487 “The best poetry jolts and shocks, it mines language for what we have not seen, have not heard.” Dionne Brand is an acclaimed poet and novelist, known for win...
Leone Ross
Leone Ross 0000000114886285 Leone Ross is an acclaimed British novelist, short story writer and lecturer. Born in England, raised in Jamaica, her works include “All The Blood Is Red” and “Orange Laug...
Jacob Ross
Jacob Ross 0000000056531848 Jacob Ross, born in Grenada in 1956, is a UK-based poet, playwright, journalist, novelist, and creative writing tutor. He is also the Associate Fiction Editor at Peepal Tr...
Lenrie Peters
Lenrie Peters 000000011469286X Dr. Lenrie Peters (1932-2009) was a renowned Gambian surgeon, educator, novelist, and poet. Known as the 'father' of Gambian literature, he was one of the first authors...
Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison 0000000368636040 Winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Literature Celebrated American novelist Toni Morrison, born Chloe Ardelia Wofford, won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993. A profes...
Tiffany D. Jackson
Tiffany D. Jackson 0000000509603438 Tiffany D. Jackson, a TV professional and novelist, is known for works like Allegedly and Monday’s Not Coming. A graduate of Howard University and the New School, ...
Keely Hutton
Keely Hutton NONE Novelist and former teacher Keely Hutton collaborates with Ricky Richard Anywar, founder of Friends of Orphans and ex-child soldier, to pen her debut novel, “Soldier Boy.” Hutton al...
Fred Beauford
Fred Beauford NONE Fred Beauford is a prolific novelist, essayist, and editor, known for his eight novels, memoir, essay collections, and contributions to notable literary series. He's also the found...
Jamaica Kincaid
Jamaica Kincaid 0000000081560368 Jamaica Kincaid, born as Elaine Potter Richardson in Antigua, is a renowned novelist and essayist. She migrated to the US at 17, worked as an au pair, and later atten...
James W. Lewis
James W. Lewis NONE James W. Lewis, an award-winning novelist and freelance writer, is a managing partner at The Pantheon Collective publishing company. Known for his debut novel 'Sellout', he has re...
Ian Williams
Ian Williams NONE Ian Williams is a renowned Canadian poet, short story writer, and novelist. Recognized by CBC as a writer to watch, he has been shortlisted for prestigious poetry awards and is a Da...
Jean Toomer
Jean Toomer 0000000120198120 Jean Toomer (1894-1967), born as Nathan Pinchback Toomer, was a leading African American poet and novelist of the Harlem Renaissance and Modernism. Born to wealthy parent...
Walter White
Walter White 0000000081462565 “I am a Negro. My skin is white, my eyes are blue, my hair is blond. The traits of my race are nowhere visible upon me.” Explore A.J. Baime's 2022 autobiograp...
Thando Mgqolozana
Thando Mgqolozana 0000000071220474 Thando Mgqolozana, born in 1983, is a renowned South African novelist and Mandela Rhodes Scholar. He authored novels like 'Hear Me Alone' and 'Unimportance' and co-...
Véronique Tadjo
Véronique Tadjo 0000000081825936 Véronique Tadjo, an Ivorian poet, novelist, academic, and artist, holds a doctorate in Black American Literature and Civilization. She served as the head of the Fren...
Quntos Kunquest
Quntos Kunquest NONE Quntos KunQuest is a multifaceted artist born in 1976, currently incarcerated in Louisiana. He is a musician, rapper, visual artist, and novelist. Zachary Lazar, author of six bo...
Breena Clarke and Amy Newmark
Breena Clarke and Amy Newmark MULTIPLE Amy Newmark is the author, editor, and publisher of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Breena Clarke, a distinguished Black scholar and novelist, penned the ...