AALBC Search
Yvette Lisa Ndlovu
Yvette Lisa Ndlovu NONE Yvette Lisa Ndlovu is a Zimbabwean storyteller. Her debut short story collection Drinking from Graveyard Wells was selected for the 2021 UPK New Poetry & Prose Series. Yvette ...
Tramaine Suubi
Tramaine Suubi NONE Tramaine Suubi is a quadrilingual multi-hyphenate Bantu writer hailing from Kampala. They are a graduate of Wheaton College, the Iowa Writers' Workshop, a Yellow Arrow Writer-in-R...
Dawnie Walton
Dawnie Walton NONE Dawnie Walton, a celebrated fiction writer & journalist, explores identity & pop culture. She's an MFA graduate from Iowa Writers' Workshop, a recipient of fellowships from MacDowe...
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...
Wanda M. Morris
Wanda M. Morris NONE Wanda M. Morris, a corporate attorney, is a seasoned presenter and leader with experience in Fortune 100 companies. A former President of the Georgia Chapter of the Association o...
J.M. Holmes
J.M. Holmes NONE J.M. Holmes, a Denver-born, Rhode Island-raised author, won the Burnett Howe Prize at Amherst College. With fellowships to the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and the Napa Valley Writers’ Con...
Camille Acker
Camille Acker NONE Camille Acker, a Washington, DC native, is an esteemed writer and educator. With degrees from Howard University and New Mexico State University, she's been recognized by numerous a...
Tyriek White
Tyriek White 0000000517767141 Tyriek Rashawn White, a Brooklyn-based writer, musician, and educator, serves marginalized communities and leads Lampblack Lit, a literary foundation for Black writers. ...
ZZ Packer
ZZ Packer 0000000079830912 ZZ Packer is a celebrated writer recognized by Book magazine. A Yale, Johns Hopkins, and University of Iowa alumna, she's acclaimed for her short fiction in her debut colle...
Damaris B. Hill
Damaris B. Hill 0000000454814480 DaMaris B. Hill, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Kentucky. Inspired by theories of “rememory” and inclusive history, Hill has ...
Freda Epum
Freda Epum NONE Freda Epum is a Nigerian American writer and artist. She is the cocreator of the Black American Tree Project, an interactive workshop about the legacies of slavery in American society...
Naomi Jackson
Naomi Jackson 000000011074508X Naomi Jackson, author of award-nominated “The Star Side of Bird Hill,” is a recognized writer who studied fiction at the Iowa Writers' Workshop and received an M.A. in ...
Miriam Decosta-Willis
Miriam Decosta-Willis 0000000033083659 Dr. Miriam DeCosta-Willis is a renowned academic, holding degrees from Johns Hopkins and Wellesley College. She made history as the first African American facul...
Yaa Gyasi
Yaa Gyasi 0000000459492214 Yaa Gyasi, a Ghana-born author raised in Alabama, is an Iowa Writers' Workshop graduate. Known for her short stories in African American Review and Callaloo, she debuted he...
Tananarive Due
Tananarive Due 0000000114453527 “The Queen of Black Horror” Tananarive Due, American Book Award-winning author of nine books, holds a B.S. in Journalism and M.A. in English literature. A s...
Toni Asante Lightfoot
Toni Asante Lightfoot NONE Toni Asante Lightfoot, a Cave Canem graduate and writing workshop teacher, is a co-founder of the Modern Urban Griots and a leader in the Blackout Arts Collective. She serv...
Jamel Brinkley
Jamel Brinkley NONE Jamel Brinkley, a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, is known for his stories in A Public Space and Gulf Coast. He has been a fellow at the Wisconsin Institute for Creative W...
Bethany Hegedus
Bethany Hegedus NONE Bethany Hegedus, an award-winning author of children's books and middle-grade novels, is a former educator who loves mentoring young writers. She owns the Writing Barn, a writing...
Nana Nkweti
Nana Nkweti NONE Nana Nkweti, a Caine Prize finalist and Iowa Writers' Workshop alumna, is renowned for her work that has earned fellowships from prestigious institutions. She is currently an English...
Jeff Boyd
Jeff Boyd 0000000083199297 Jeff Boyd, a former Chicago teacher and Iowa Writers' Workshop graduate, is a recipient of the Deena Davidson Friedman Prize for Fiction. He currently resides in Brooklyn, ...
Jacinda Townsend
Jacinda Townsend 0000000420516266 Jacinda Townsend is an award-winning author of “Saint Monkey,” a Harvard and Duke alumni, and a former journalist and lawyer. She received her M.F.A. from the Iowa W...
Aliona L. Gibson
Aliona L. Gibson NONE Aliona L. Gibson is an author and filmmaker with a passion for creativity and service. She published her first book, Nappy, and later the self-published For Black Writers. Inspi...
Askhari Johnson Hodari
Askhari Johnson Hodari NONE Askhari Johnson Hodari, Ph.D. is a Black/Africana Studies practitioner, author, and founder of de Griot Space, an online workshop for Black writers. With a B.A. from Spelm...
Chinelo Okparanta
Chinelo Okparanta 0000000409874206 Nigerian-born author, Chinelo Okparanta, is an accomplished educator and writer with degrees from Pennsylvania State, Rutgers University, and the Iowa Writers' Work...
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...
Eric Payne
Eric Payne NONE Eric Payne, a versatile writer and poet, started his journey in literature at age 7. He graduated from Cornell and Binghamton Universities and is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternit...
Peter Kalu
Peter Kalu NONE Peter Kalu is an award-winning poet, fiction writer, and playwright from the UK. He began his writing career at Manchester's Moss Side Write black writers workshop and has produced ei...
Ayana Mathis
Ayana Mathis 0000000367812022 Ayana Mathis, an Iowa Writers' Workshop graduate and Michener-Copernicus Fellowship recipient, is best known for her NYT best-selling novel 'The Twelve Tribes of Hattie'...
Novuyo Rosa Tshuma
Novuyo Rosa Tshuma 0000000430427881 Novuyo Rosa Tshuma, a Zimbabwe-born author based in Texas, is known for her prizewinning short story collection, Shadows. A graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop,...
Maurice Carlos Ruffin
Maurice Carlos Ruffin NONE Maurice Carlos Ruffin is an award-winning author from New Orleans, noted for his work in various literary reviews and his involvement in the Peauxdunque Writers Alliance. H...
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...
Tola Rotimi Abraham
Tola Rotimi Abraham NONE Tola Rotimi Abraham is a Nigerian writer living in Iowa City, USA. She's a graduate of Iowa Writers’ Workshop, a journalism student, and a writing teacher at the University o...
James Alan McPherson
James Alan McPherson 0000000110837574 1st Black writer to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. James Alan McPherson, born on September 16, 1943, was the first African-American to win the Pulitzer for F...
Monica West
Monica West NONE Monica West, born in Cleveland, is an accomplished author and academic. She earned her BA from Duke University and MA and MFA from New York University and Iowa Writers’ Workshop resp...
Kim Singleton
Kim Singleton NONE Kimberly Singleton is a renowned filmmaker, writer, and poet with a distinguished 20-year career in media. She studied at Howard University and NYU and has won multiple Public Medi...
Diane Oliver
Diane Oliver 000000012330550X Diane Oliver (1943-1966) was a notable author and Managing Editor of The Carolinian. She published seven short stories, won an O. Henry Award, and attended the Universit...
Kleaver Cruz
Kleaver Cruz NONE Kleaver Cruz is a Dominican-American writer, educator, and creator of The Black Joy Project, a platform for Black Joy as resistance featured in numerous publications. They're part o...
Brandon Taylor
Brandon Taylor 0000000510801896 Brandon Taylor, senior editor at Electric Literature and staff writer at Literary Hub, is a celebrated writer with fellowships from Lambda Literary, Kimbilio Fiction, ...
Jennifer Davis Carey
Jennifer Davis Carey NONE A native New Yorker, writer Jennifer Davis Carey has family roots in the Caribbean and American South. She learned a keen ear for and appreciation of language from her ...
Joanne C. Hillhouse
Joanne C. Hillhouse 0000000043655956 Joanne C. Hillhouse’s writing has been described as “honest”, “real”, “poetic”, and “lyrical”. Her Antiguan culture is at the heart of her writing: “Obvious is t...
Tina Andrews
Tina Andrews 0000000003084191 Tina Andrews, an award-winning writer, producer and director, is known for her book “Sally Hemings An American Scandal”, which won the NAACP Image Award and the Memphis ...
Alice Wootson
Alice Wootson NONE Alice Greenhowe Wootson is a retired teacher and acclaimed author of thirteen novels, including romance and romantic suspense. A prize-winning poet, member of various writers' asso...
Eloghosa Osunde
Eloghosa Osunde NONE Eloghosa Osunde is a Nigerian writer and artist. An alumna of the Farafina Creative Writing Workshop, the Caine Prize Workshop, and the New York Film Academy, she has been publi...
Hisani P. Dubose
Hisani P. Dubose NONE “The Best Black Director of 2005” —Kam Williams Hisani DuBose is a Seton Hall University graduate, former dancer and singer turned screenwriter. She's directed ...
Christian Robinson
Christian Robinson 0000000356790294 Christian Robinson is a San Francisco-based illustrator and animator, known for his work with Pixar Animation Studios and The Sesame Street Workshop. He has illust...
Cornelius Eady
Cornelius Eady 0000000025783225 Cornelius Eady is a renowned poet and author of eight books, including award-winning “Victims of the Latest Dance Craze.” He co-founded the Cave Canem workshop for Afr...
A-Dziko Simba Gegele
A-Dziko Simba Gegele NONE A-Dziko Simba Gegele is a prize-winning author, known for her debut novel, “All Over Again” which won the 2014 Burt Award for Caribbean Literature. Born in England of Nigeri...
Jan Etienne
Jan Etienne 0000000121358288 Dr. Jan Etienne, associate lecturer at Birkbeck, University of London, serves as Assistant Programme Director for BSc Social Science and Convenor for the Dissertations Wo...
Milton Allimadi
Milton Allimadi NONE Milton Allimadi, co-founder and editor of The Black Star News, is an experienced journalist who previously worked for The City Sun and The New York Times. A Columbia Journalism S...
Brooke C. Obie
Brooke C. Obie NONE Brooke C. Obie, JD, MFA, is a graduate of Hampton University and Mercer University School of Law. She worked on rapper T.I.'s legal defense team and is a Fulbright Fellowship fina...
Gerren Liles
Gerren Liles NONE Gerren Liles, a Morgan State University graduate and poet, uses his work to promote literacy and self-empowerment among black youth. A finalist for MTV's Real World: Hawaii, his poe...
Nafissa Thompson-Spires
Nafissa Thompson-Spires NONE Nafissa Thompson-Spires, a PhD in English from Vanderbilt University and MFA from the University of Illinois, is a renowned author. Her work featured in notable publicati...
April Gibson
April Gibson NONE April Gibson is a poet, writer, and professor from the South Side of Chicago. She is a winner of The Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Award, a Sustainable Arts Foundation Award, and a Loft L...
Rashid Darden
Rashid Darden NONE Rashid Darden, a renowned novelist, is celebrated for his trilogy telling the story of a gay college student in a black fraternity. His work resonates with the African American, LG...
Loretta Collins Klobah
Loretta Collins Klobah NONE Loretta Collins Klobah is a Caribbean Literature and creative writing professor at the University of Puerto Rico. She's lived in various Caribbean-related locations and ho...
Tiana Clark
Tiana Clark NONE Tiana Clark is the author of the poetry collections Scorched Earth (Washington Square Press/Simon & Schuster, 2025) and I Can’t Talk About the Trees Without the Blood (Universit...
Mikki Arlene Ealey
Mikki Arlene Ealey NONE Mikki Arlene Ealey is a mother, author, CEO, and senior court office assistant. She is dedicated to healing the world and helping others reach their potential through her writ...
Annette Vendryes Leach
Annette Vendryes Leach NONE Annette Vendryes Leach, a Brooklyn author and entrepreneur, transitioned from a successful advertising career to pursue her passion for fiction writing. She founded the Bl...
Heather Covington
Heather Covington NONE Heather Covington, founder and CEO of Disilgold, is a versatile writer and passionate poet inspired by Langston Hughes. Residing in the Bronx, she serves the Disilgold Literary...
Steve Cannon
Steve Cannon 0000000363821597 Steve Cannon (1935-2019) was a key figure in the Black Arts Movement and a prominent Black writer from New Orleans. He moved to NYC in 1962, where he engaged in literary...
Kalamu ya Salaam
Kalamu ya Salaam 0000000067470753 Kalamu ya Salaam is the founder of NOMMO Literary Society and Runagate Press, leader of the WordBand, and a celebrated poet and educator. Born on March 24, 1947, he ...
Ahmad Wright
Ahmad Wright NONE Ahmad Wright is an accomplished writer and assistant professor of English at the University of the District of Columbia Community College. With a rich writing career, his book revie...
Paule Marshall
Paule Marshall 0000000110812465 Watch a Powerful Tribute to Paule Marshall and John A. Williams Paule Marshall, born Valenza Pauline Burke, was a renowned author and educator. She was selected by Lang...
Sylvia Hubbard
Sylvia Hubbard NONE Sylvia Hubbard, a Detroit native and single mother, is a prolific romance author with over 40 books to her name. She founded the Motown Writers Network and co-created The Essence ...
Free Minds Writers
Free Minds Writers NONE "Free Minds Writers” is a collective of creative authors known for their thought-provoking works. Their writings inspire readers to explore new ideas and stimulate free thinki...
Angeli R. Rasbury
Angeli R. Rasbury NONE Angeli R. Rasbury is a versatile writer and attorney who has served as an editor for several major publications. She's a co-editor of a notable book, interviewed distinguished ...
Brenda M. Greene
Brenda M. Greene 000000008095850X Dr. Brenda M. Greene is a respected professor, writer, and scholar, leading the Center for Black Literature and the National Black Writers Conference. She has contri...
Mary Helen Washington
Mary Helen Washington 0000000076894080 Mary Helen Washington is an English Professor at the University of Maryland. She's a former Bunting Fellow at Harvard and has taught at the University of Massac...
Namwali Serpell
Namwali Serpell 0000000369874075 C. Namwali Serpell is a celebrated Zambian writer and University of California, Berkeley professor. Winner of the 2011 Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award and 2015 C...
Marilynn Griffith
Marilynn Griffith NONE Marilynn Griffith is a renowned freelance writer and conference speaker, serving thousands of women yearly through her columns and blogs. She's been the VP of American Christia...
Nichole L. Shields
Nichole L. Shields NONE Nichole L. Shields (1969-2009) was a celebrated poet and essayist, renowned for her impactful story-telling as a black woman. She was a two-time Gwendolyn Brooks poetry winner...
Tara Betts
Tara Betts NONE Tara Betts, a celebrated author and poet, is known for her educational efforts in arts programs and her work with GirlSpeak. She has been featured on HBO's Def Poetry Jam and the Blac...
P.C. Verrone
P.C. Verrone NONE P.C. Verrone’s work has appeared in FIYAH, Nightmare, PodCastle, Strange Horizons, and numerous anthologies, including multiple “best-of-the-year” series. His plays have been devel...
Regina Porter
Regina Porter 0000000477846653 Regina Porter is an award-winning playwright and author of The Travelers, a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel and longlisted for the Orwell Prize fo...
Angela Flournoy
Angela Flournoy 0000000436914613 Angela Flournoy, author of The Turner House, a National Book Award finalist, has been recognized with numerous awards including the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize. A Nat...
Esther Ifesinachi Okonkwo
Esther Ifesinachi Okonkwo NONE Esther Ifesinachi Okonkwo is an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. She received an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and...
Afabwaje Kurian
Afabwaje Kurian NONE Afabwaje Kurian is the author of the novel Before the Mango Ripens, which was a finalist for the 2025 Aspen Words Literary Prize and longlisted for the VCU Cabell First Novelist...
Okwudili Nebeolisa
Okwudili Nebeolisa NONE Okwudili Nebeolisa was born in Kaduna, Nigeria. He is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where he was a Provost Fellow and the winner of the Prairie Lights’ John Legge...
T. Geronimo Johnson
T. Geronimo Johnson 0000000357171620 T. Geronimo Johnson, a New Orleans native, is a bestselling author known for 'Welcome to Braggsville' and 'Hold It 'Til It Hurts'. A finalist for the 2013 PEN/Fau...
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...
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...
Joseph S. Spence
Joseph S. Spence NONE Dr. Joseph S. Spence Sr. is a globally recognized author, poet, educator, and military veteran. He has authored over 200 peer-reviewed articles, ten poetry books, and co-founded...
John Edgar Wideman
John Edgar Wideman 0000000110326512 John Edgar Wideman, born in 1941, is a renowned author and professor hailing from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He completed his B.A. in English from the University of...
Kamau Daa’ood
Kamau Daa’ood NONE Kamau Daa’ood is a Los Angeles-based performance poet, educator, and community arts activist. Known for his award-winning documentary, Life is a Saxophone, he's authored two poetry...
Laura Warrell
Laura Warrell NONE Laura Warrell, a Vermont College of Fine Arts graduate, is an accomplished writer and educator. She's attended prestigious residencies and taught Creative Writing and Literature in...
Louise Meriwether
Louise Meriwether 0000000110768302 Louise Meriwether was a renowned novelist, essayist, journalist, and activist, best known for her children's biographies of significant African Americans. Born in N...
Donika Kelly
Donika Kelly 0000000497770596 Donika Kelly, award-winning author of 'Bestiary', is celebrated for her contributions to poetry with accolades like the 2015 Cave Canem Poetry Prize and 2018 Kate Tufts ...
Regie Gibson
Regie Gibson NONE Regie Gibson is a poet, songwriter, author, workshop facilitator, and educator. Regie has performed, taught, and lectured at schools, universities, theaters and various other ve...
Wallace Thurman
Wallace Thurman 0000000080916692 Wallace Henry Thurman, born in 1902, was an influential figure during the Harlem Renaissance. Known for his realistic portrayals of lower-class black American society...
Sheryl Lister
Sheryl Lister NONE Sheryl Lister is an established author specializing in contemporary, inspirational romance and romantic suspense since 2009. Living in California, she's a dedicated wife, mother, a...
Andrew Salkey
Andrew Salkey 0000000109378518 Felix Salkey was a Panamanian-born author dedicated to Jamaican culture. Raised in Jamaica, he became a prominent figure in the London community of West Indian writers ...
Aminatta Forna
Aminatta Forna 0000000123211415 Aminatta Forna, born in Glasgow and raised in Sierra Leone and the UK, is an acclaimed author with works including The Devil that Danced on the Water, Ancestor Stones,...
Glory Edim
Glory Edim NONE Glory Edim is the founder of Well-Read Black Girl, a platform celebrating Black literature. With over 10 years of experience as a creative strategist, she currently assists writers at...
John Riddick, Jr.
John Riddick, Jr. MULTIPLE John Riddick, Jr., editor of Rhapsody in Black, a quarterly literary magazine, showcased selected national writers and artists' talents. This publication aimed to promote d...
Linda Watkins
Linda Watkins 0000000124240963 Linda Watkins is an accomplished writer and poet, associated with several Black Writers organizations. She contributes to various platforms like AALBC.com, The Opinion ...
Ivor W. Hartmann
Ivor W. Hartmann NONE Ivor W. Hartmann is a Zimbabwean writer, editor, and publisher, known for editing the groundbreaking anthology AfroSF: Science Fiction by African Writers. His work has promoted ...
Miranda Parker
Miranda Parker NONE Davidae Yolanda Stewart, known as Miranda Parker, was an author of comic romance suspense novels. She studied at Agnes Scott College and had diverse roles including journalist, IT...
Natasha Trethewey
Natasha Trethewey 0000000084159051 Trethewey was U.S. Poet Laureate, 2012-2014 Natasha Trethewey, an American poet and winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for her collection “Native Guard,” was inspired...
Sterling D. Plumpp
Sterling D. Plumpp 0000000081297870 “You can not ever get free as a result of legislationHellip;you always have to take freedom.” Sterling Dominic Plumpp, born 1940, is an esteemed poet, e...
Tina McElroy Ansa
Tina McElroy Ansa 0000000116428851 Tina McElroy Ansa (November 18, 1949 – September 10, 2024) stories and essays have appeared in several anthologies. She lived with her husband, Joneé ...