AALBC Search
LaKesa Cox
LaKesa Cox NONE LaKesa Cox is an award-winning author and screenwriter with over 20 years of experience. She has published four novels and has contributed to two anthologies. She was acknowledged as ...
Lynn Nottage
Lynn Nottage 0000000080050112 Congrats to Lynn Nottage: Winner 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama Lynn Nottage, a distinguished playwright and lecturer, is celebrated for her outstanding plays and awarded ...
Michael R. Jackson
Michael R. Jackson 0000000023302176 Michael R. Jackson, a BFA and MFA graduate from NYU Tisch School of the Arts, is a renowned songwriter and playwright. Known for his work on musicals like 'Teeth',...
Shirley Chisholm
Shirley Chisholm 0000000021812965 Shirley Anita Chisholm January 3, 1977 – January 3, 1981 was the first black woman elected to the U.S. Congress in 1969 and was re-elected six times until she...
Hilton Als
Hilton Als 0000000106528066 Congrats to Hilton Als: Winner 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism Hilton Als, an associate professor of writing at Columbia University, is an award-winning author and critic...
Tyehimba Jess
Tyehimba Jess 0000000044353175 Congrats to Tyehimba Jess: Winner 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry Tyehimba Jess, a Detroit native, is an award-winning poet and professor. His first book, Leadbelly, won ...
Barbara Fant
Barbara Fant 0000000114483152 Barbara Fant is an acclaimed poet who has been writing and performing for over fifteen years. She has competed in nine National Poetry Slam competitions and placed 8th ...
Chanelle Benz
Chanelle Benz 0000000498007138 Chanelle Benz is a recognized author, known for her short stories published in various outlets. She won the O. Henry Prize and her 2017 collection was hailed as one of ...
Phillip B. Williams
Phillip B. Williams 0000000528725828 Phillip B. Williams, acclaimed author of 'Thief in the Interior', winner of the 2017 Kate Tufts Discovery and Lambda Literary awards, is a literature and creative...
Mercy B.
Mercy B. NONE Mercy B. Carruthers, acclaimed author, won the 2017 AAMBC “Female Author of the Year” and “Romance Author of the Year” awards. Mercy B. Carruthers Mercy B. was the winner of the 2017 A...
Jay-Z
Jay-Z 0000000118335528 Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter, born December 4, 1969, is a highly influential rapper with a net worth over $1B. He founded Roc Nation, an entertainment company launching a new publishin...
Tracy K. Smith and Kevin Young
Tracy K. Smith and Kevin Young MULTIPLE Tracy K. Smith is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author of four poetry books, including 'Life on Mars', and the upcoming 'Such Color: New and Selected Poems'. She ha...
Kiley Reid
Kiley Reid 000000048512903X Kiley Reid, Iowa Writers' Workshop MFA graduate and Truman Capote Fellow, teaches creative writing with a focus on race and class. Her short stories are featured in variou...
Kuwasi Balagoon
Kuwasi Balagoon 0000000050075212 Kuwasi Balagoon (1946-1986) was a key figure in the Black Liberation struggle and a member of the Black Panther Party. Known for his unique blend of anarchism and Bla...
Colson Whitehead
Colson Whitehead 0000000109128041 Congrats to Colson Whitehead: Winner 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction Colson Whitehead, born in 1969, is an acclaimed writer who began his career at the Village Voice....
Ebony Glenn
Ebony Glenn NONE Ebony Glenn is an Atlanta-based illustrator known for whimsical art that brings joy and magic. She illustrated award-winning books like Mommy’s Khimar, Not Quite Snow White, Beacon t...
Bernice L. McFadden
Bernice L. McFadden 0000000079269539 Bernice L. McFadden is an author who also writes under the pseudonym, Geneva Holliday. Here you will find a list of published books, videos, and more. Bernice L....
William Demby
William Demby 000000011041394X William Demby was a prominent author born on December 25, 1922, and passed away on May 23, 2013. William Demby (December 25, 1922 – May 23, 2013) was an African-A...
Mariana Llanos
Mariana Llanos 0000000037617355 Mariana Llanos, a Peru-born author, studied theater in Lima before moving to Oklahoma in 2002. She self-published her first book, Tristan Wolf, in 2013 and has since p...
Lowell Hawthorne
Lowell Hawthorne NONE Lowell Hawthorne, born in Jamaica, moved to the U.S. in 1981 and worked as an accountant while studying at Bronx Community College. In 1989, he, his wife, and siblings establish...
Patricia C. Mckissack
Patricia C. Mckissack 0000000108593937 Patricia L'Ann Carwell McKissack (1944-2017) was a renowned children's author who wrote over 100 books highlighting African American history and Southern folklo...
Alexandre Dumas
Alexandre Dumas 0000000121012885 “My father was a mulatto, my grandfather was a Negro, and my great-grandfather a monkey. You see, Sir, my family starts where yours ends.” Alexandre Dumas,...
Jennifer Baker
Jennifer Baker NONE Jennifer Baker is a publishing professional, host of the Minorities in Publishing podcast, and contributing editor to Electric Literature. She advocates for diversity in the indus...
W. Kamau Bell
W. Kamau Bell 0000000478245710 W. Kamau Bell, Emmy-nominated host of CNN's United Shades of America, is a socio-political comedian renowned for his FX comedy series Totally Biased. Also an NAACP Imag...
Devin Allen
Devin Allen NONE Devin Allen is a self-taught artist from Baltimore. He's known for his powerful photographs published on Time magazine covers, notably during the Baltimore Uprising and BlackTrans Li...
Patrisse Khan-Cullors
Patrisse Khan-Cullors 0000000486461392 Patrisse Khan-Cullors, an LA-based artist and freedom fighter, is known for co-founding Black Lives Matter and Dignity and Power Now. A Fulbright scholar and NA...
Mia P. Manansala
Mia P. Manansala NONE Mia P. Manansala, a Chicago-based writer, uses humor and murder to explore Filipino diaspora, queerness, and pop culture. She's an award-winning author with accolades including ...
Cheryl Woodruff-Brooks
Cheryl Woodruff-Brooks NONE Cheryl Woodruff-Brooks, a legislative assistant at the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, is a passionate writer and author of the 2017 book “Chicken Bone Beach.” She ...
D. Amari Jackson
D. Amari Jackson 0000000530897506 D. Amari Jackson is an accomplished creator, award-winning journalist, and author known for his middle grade novel, Jelani's Key. His portfolio includes TV/web/film ...
Kirby Howell-Baptiste
Kirby Howell-Baptiste NONE Kirby Howell-Baptiste is a London-born actress, known for roles in Killing Eve, The Good Place, Barry, Why Women Kill, Veronica Mars and the 2021 films Cruella and Queenpin...
Tessa Gratton
Tessa Gratton 0000000121682336 Tessa Gratton, an acclaimed author of adult and YA SFF novels, is known for her dark queer fairy tales and Shakespearean retellings. Her works, translated into 22 langu...
Chris Washburn
Chris Washburn NONE "Ex-high school basketball star, Chris Washburn, shares his journey from NBA fame to losing everything due to a 14-year crack addiction in his upcoming memoir. His redemptive stor...
Andre Ward
Andre Ward NONE Andre Michael Ward, born 1984, is a retired American boxer with an untarnished record. He was a multi-time world champion in two weight categories from 2004-2017. Recognized by The Ri...
Aracelis Girmay
Aracelis Girmay 0000000038001720 Aracelis Girmay, born December 10, 1977, is a renowned poet, author of multiple books including 'Teeth' and 'Kingdom Animalia', and a finalist for several awards. She...
Joy-Ann Reid
Joy-Ann Reid 0000000038365962 Joy-Ann M. Lomena-Reid, born in 1968, is a renowned TV host and political commentator on MSNBC. Hosting “The ReidOut” since 2011, she covers political issues, current ev...
Nikki Giovanni
Nikki Giovanni 0000000114678830 Nikki Giovanni (June 7, 1943 to December 9, 2024 was an American poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator. Yolande Cornelia “Nikki” Giovanni (June 7, 1943 &n...
Akosua Busia
Akosua Busia 000000039920884X Akosua Busia, born on December 30, 1966, is an actress known for roles in The Color Purple and Tears of the Sun. She's also a Ghanaian princess and the daughter of forme...
Claudette Colvin
Claudette Colvin 0000000448828317 Claudette Colvin is a civil rights activist whose refusal to give up her bus seat led to the Montgomery bus boycott and helped bring an end to segregation on buses t...
Thomas Sankara
Thomas Sankara 0000000109098487 “There is no true social revolution without the liberation of women.” Thomas Sankara, born in 1949, was a central figure in Burkina Faso's democratic revolu...
Amy Jacques Garvey
Amy Jacques Garvey 0000000078290141 Amy Euphemia Jacques Garvey was a Jamaican-born journalist, activist and wife of Marcus Garvey. Born on December 31, 1895, she was one of the 20th century's pionee...
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela 0000000121447715 Nelson Mandela, born July 18, 1918, was South Africa's first black President from 1994-1999, and ANC party President from 1991-1997. After 27 years in prison, he was r...
Eslanda Goode Robeson
Eslanda Goode Robeson 0000000064047052 Eslanda Goode Robeson was an anthropologist, author, actress, and civil rights activist. She was the wife and business manager of performer Paul Robeson. Esland...
Kendra Allen
Kendra Allen NONE Kendra Allen, a Dallas native and current MFA candidate at the University of Alabama, is a published author with works in Brevity, December Magazine, and the Rumpus. Kendra Allen is...
Richard Pryor
Richard Pryor 0000000108802241 Richard Pryor December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005 Before ...
Stanley Lane-Poole
Stanley Lane-Poole 0000000123213357 Stanley Lane-Poole (1854-1931) was a London-born scholar who worked at the British Museum, researched Egyptian archaeology in Egypt, and later served as a Professo...
Mark Millar
Mark Millar 0000000109178591 Mark Millar, born December 24, 1969, is a renowned Scottish comic book writer, best known for his work on the superhero series, The Authority, by DC Comics. Mark Millar w...
Timbaland and Veronica Chambers
Timbaland and Veronica Chambers MULTIPLE Timothy Z. Mosley, known as Timbaland, is a renowned music producer, part of hip-hop duo Timbaland & Magoo, and CEO of Mosley Music Group. Veronica Chambers, ...
Tracy K. Smith and John Freeman
Tracy K. Smith and John Freeman MULTIPLE Tracy K. Smith is a Pulitzer-winning poet, author of four books, including 'Life on Mars', and editor of 'American Journal'. She served as the US Poet Laureat...
Brittney Cooper
Brittney Cooper 0000000495530628 Brittney Cooper, born in 1980, is a renowned author and Rutgers University professor specializing in Women's and Gender Studies, and Africana Studies. Known for her m...
Matt Forté
Matt Forté NONE Matthew Garrett Forté, born in 1985, is a retired NFL player best known as a running back for the Chicago Bears. He was recognized for his versatility, amassing over 9,000 rushing an...
Rita Daniels
Rita Daniels NONE Rita Daniels is the great-great-great grandniece of Harriet Tubman, is the President and Founder of the Harriet Tubman Learning Center. Rita Daniels, the great-great-great grandnie...
Helene Cooper
Helene Cooper 0000000045708150 Helene Cooper, born in Liberia, is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist for The New York Times. She has served as a Pentagon Correspondent, diplomatic correspondent, and...
Ashley C. Ford
Ashley C. Ford NONE Ashley C. Ford is a renowned writer, host, and educator based in Indianapolis. She's hosted popular podcasts and shows like The Chronicles of Now, Lovecraft Country Radio, 112BK, ...
T. Friday
T. Friday NONE T. Friday, a Detroit native and mother of five, found her passion for reading at an early age. After a life-altering event in 2016, she pursued her dream of writing. Now an author of o...
Mari Evans
Mari Evans 0000000108875002 Mari Evans, born July 16, 1919, was a significant figure in the 1960s Black Arts Movement. She was a distinguished writer and educator, teaching at institutions like Corne...
Ladee Hubbard
Ladee Hubbard 0000000496785892 Ladee Hubbard, born in Massachusetts and raised in Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands, is a Princeton-educated author, mentor to Toni Morrison, and professor at Tulane...
Stacey Abrams aka Selena Montgomery
Stacey Abrams aka Selena Montgomery NONE Selena Montgomery is the pseudonym of Stacey Abrams, born Dec 9, 1973, former Georgia House Representative and first Black female major party gubernatorial no...
Patricia Hruby Powell
Patricia Hruby Powell 0000000045698001 Patricia Hruby Powell, former dancer and now acclaimed children's author, is known for her books such as “Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker”, whic...
Christine Pauls
Christine Pauls NONE Christine Pauls, from Wilmington, DE, is an accomplished author of novels including her latest release “One Good Thing” (2017). Besides being a writer, she's an accountant in the...
Cicely Lewis
Cicely Lewis NONE Cicely Lewis, a Georgia-based school librarian, is passionate about fostering reading habits. She initiated the Read Woke challenge in 2017, addressing social issues and literature ...
Olivia Duchess
Olivia Duchess NONE Olivia Duchess is an illustrator and creator of picture books. She was shortlisted for the 2020 World Illustration Award and received honorable mention for the FAB Prize 2017-2020...
Daina Ramey Berry and Kali Nicole Gross
Daina Ramey Berry and Kali Nicole Gross MULTIPLE Daina Ramey Berry, a History Professor and associate dean at the University of Texas, and Kali Nicole Gross, Martin Luther King Jr. Professor of Histo...
Alyssa Cole
Alyssa Cole NONE Alyssa Cole is an award-winning author known for her historical, contemporary, and SFF romances. Her notable work, AN EXTRAORDINARY UNION, won the RT Reviewers’ Choice Award's Best B...
Latina McIntyre
Latina McIntyre NONE Latina Sharmain McIntyre, born in North Carolina and raised in New York, is a dedicated wife, mother, Air Force Veteran, and educator. She founded the non-profit “Super Smart Gir...
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...
Charly Palmer
Charly Palmer 0000000036783693 Charly “Carlos” Palmer is a renowned artist, illustrator, and educator. Born in Alabama and trained in Chicago, he's famous for running a successful design studio and t...
Brandy Colbert
Brandy Colbert 0000000409932699 Brandy Colbert is an award-winning author hailing from Missouri. Her work primarily focuses on young adult and children's literature, with titles such as “Little & Lio...
Kisha Green
Kisha Green NONE Kisha Green is a multi-talented literary consultant and promoter dedicated to turning authors' dreams into published realities. Since 2006, she's written novels, hosted award-winning...
Lynell George
Lynell George NONE Lynell George Lynell George is a journalist and essayist. After/Image: Los Angeles Outside the Frame is her first book of essays and photography, exploring the city where she grew ...
Tiffany Haddish
Tiffany Haddish 0000000475934019 Tiffany Sarac Haddish is a pioneering black female stand-up comedian, popularly known for hosting SNL and her role in 'Girls Trip'. She's also a successful author, wi...
Tarana Burke
Tarana Burke NONE Tarana Burke, founder of the “me too” movement, is dedicated to combating sexual violence and systemic issues affecting marginalized communities. She started her activism in the 198...
Margaret Wilkerson Sexton
Margaret Wilkerson Sexton 0000000475938968 Margaret Wilkerson Sexton, a New Orleans native, is a Dartmouth and UC Berkeley School of Law graduate. She's a Lombard fellowship recipient and author whos...
Porsha Williams
Porsha Williams NONE Porsha Williams is an American TV personality and actress, best known for her roles in The Real Housewives of Atlanta and Dish Nation. She also competed on The New Celebrity Appr...
Jarrett Adams
Jarrett Adams NONE Jarrett Adams, a Juris Doctorate from Loyola University, served a fellowship with Judge Ann Claire Williams and clerked in the U.S. District Court. After working for the Innocence ...
Micah L. McCreary
Micah L. McCreary NONE Rev. Dr. Micah L. McCreary, from Detroit, Michigan, is the 12th president of New Brunswick Theological Seminary since 2017. He has degrees in Engineering, Divinity, and Counsel...
Clay Cane
Clay Cane NONE Clay Cane is an award-winning journalist, author, and radio host known for his challenging discussions on SiriusXM and insightful books. Creator of the acclaimed documentary, Holler If...
John Conyers Jr.
John Conyers Jr. 0000000025669916 John Conyers Jr. was a long-serving Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan, representing Detroit and its surrounding areas from 1965 t...
Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz 0000000082809671 Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz is an Oklahoma-born author and activist known for her commitment to social justice and the Indigenous movement. Winner of the 2017 Lannan Cu...
Donna Drew Sawyer
Donna Drew Sawyer NONE Donna Drew Sawyer, author of Provenance, has a rich background in arts administration, advertising, and public relations. A New Yorker with over three decades of experience in ...
April Ryan
April Ryan 0000000437119582 April Ryan is a White House correspondent for American Urban Radio Networks since the Clinton era and a CNN political analyst. She has been featured in numerous renowned p...
Yvonne Battle-Felton
Yvonne Battle-Felton NONE Yvonne Battle-Felton, born in Pennsylvania and educated at Johns Hopkins and Lancaster University, is a lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University. A writer of fiction and non-...
Lakita Wilson
Lakita Wilson NONE Lakita was born in Washington, DC, and grew up in Prince George's County, Maryland. A 2017 recipient of SCBWI's Emerging Voices Award, Lakita received her MFA in writing for childr...
Tracy K. Smith
Tracy K. Smith 0000000049042106 Smith was U.S. Poet Laureate, 2017-2019 Tracy K. Smith, born 1972, is a Pulitzer-winning poet and educator. She has published three poetry collections and teaches creat...
De’Shawn Charles Winslow
De’Shawn Charles Winslow NONE De'Shawn Charles Winslow, a North Carolina native, is a Brooklyn-based author and 2017 Iowa Writers’ Workshop graduate. He holds a BFA in creative writing and an MA in E...
Daniel R. Day
Daniel R. Day NONE Daniel R. Day, also known as “Dapper Dan,” is a renowned artist with work displayed in global museums including the Smithsonian and MoMA. He owned a boutique from 1982-1992, reopen...
Renee Gladman
Renee Gladman 0000000038222494 Renee Gladman is a renowned writer and artist, known for her exploration of poetry, prose, and architecture. Her prolific work includes a popular novel series set in th...
Elona Washington
Elona Washington NONE Elona Washington, a DC native and best-selling author, is a sexual assault survivor turned advocate who has worked with RAINN since 2011. A successful publisher, TV host, and bl...
Joe Parkinson & Drew Hinshaw
Joe Parkinson & Drew Hinshaw MULTIPLE Joe Parkinson and Drew Hinshaw, Pulitzer Prize finalists and experienced Wall Street Journal correspondents, have covered Nigeria extensively. Parkinson, the Afr...
papi kymone freeman
papi kymone freeman NONE Papi Kymone Freeman is a renowned writer, activist, and entrepreneur known for his award-winning plays and debut fiction novel, NINEVEH. He co-founded We Act Radio, a progres...
Javon Johnson
Javon Johnson NONE Javon Johnson is an assistant professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and director of African diaspora studies. He authored 'Killing Poetry' (2017) and is a renowned spok...
Camonghne Felix
Camonghne Felix NONE Camonghne Felix, M.A., is a poet, political strategist, and cultural worker with degrees from NYU and Bard College. She's a recipient of multiple fellowships and a 2012 Pushcart ...
Jay Bernard
Jay Bernard 0000000068355829 Jay Bernard is an acclaimed author, known for works like 'Your Sign is Cuckoo, Girl' and 'The Red and Yellow Nothing,' shortlisted for the 2017 Ted Hughes Award. They als...
Scholastique Mukasonga
Scholastique Mukasonga 0000000073708975 Scholastique Mukasonga, born in Rwanda in 1956, experienced ethnic conflicts and genocide, which claimed 37 of her family members. She later settled in France....
Jean Alicia Elster
Jean Alicia Elster NONE Jean Alicia Elster, a 2017 Kresge Artist Fellow and former attorney, is an acclaimed author of children's novels. Her book, The Colored Car, was a 2014 Michigan Notable Book a...
Ursula M. Burns
Ursula M. Burns 0000000445332455 Ursula M. Burns is a pioneering American businesswoman, the first black woman to become a Fortune 500 CEO at Xerox, where she served from 2009-2016. She was also Chai...
Nichole Perkins
Nichole Perkins NONE Nichole Perkins, a writer from Nashville, explores pop culture, race, sex, gender, and relationships. She's a recognized fellow from various institutions and a former co-host of ...
Michaela Coel
Michaela Coel 0000000434604582 Michaela Coel, a Ghanaian-British actress, screenwriter, director, and producer, is renowned for her BAFTA-winning roles in “Chewing Gum” and “I May Destroy You.” She m...
Deborah Lefalle
Deborah Lefalle NONE Deborah LeFalle, Ph.D., is a retired educator and published poet based in Northern California. She enjoys writing, particularly poetry and children's stories, often inspired by p...
Chinedu Achebe
Chinedu Achebe NONE Chinedu W. Achebe, a Nigerian American author, published his first book in 2012 and its sequel in 2017. He's contributed to the Huffington Post, Medium, and Bella Naija. A Univers...
Ama Codjoe
Ama Codjoe NONE Award-winning author, recognized by Cave Canem, Saltonstall, Jerome, and Robert Rauschenberg Foundations. Recipient of 2017 Rona Jaffe Writer’s Award, 2018 Loraine Williams Poetry Pri...