AALBC Search
Ruha Benjamin
Ruha Benjamin 0000000401943238 Ruha Benjamin is a 2024 MacArthur Foundation’s “Genius” Grant Winner Ruha Benjamin is a renowned sociologist, professor, and author specializing in tec...
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...
J.M. Benjamin
J.M. Benjamin NONE Allow me to introduce you to one of the hardest working hustlers in urban lit: J.M. Benjamin J.M. Benjamin is a successful, powerful and impacting ...
J.M. Benjamin and Randy Kearse
J.M. Benjamin and Randy Kearse MULTIPLE J.M. Benjamin and Randy Kearse are renowned authors, known for their compelling narratives. Their unique perspectives and engaging storytelling have establishe...
Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. and Stacy M. Brown
Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. and Stacy M. Brown MULTIPLE Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. and Stacy M. Brown are notable authors with extensive experience in the literature field. Their works primarily focus on soci...
Benjamin F. Chavis Jr.
Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. NONE Dr. Benjamin Franklin Chavis Jr. is an activist, author, and journalist, currently the president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association. Previously, he s...
Benjamin Brawley
Benjamin Brawley 000000010856022X Benjamin G. Brawley was a prominent author and educator, born in 1882. He earned degrees from Morehouse College, University of Chicago, and Harvard. Brawley taught E...
Benjamin Quarles
Benjamin Quarles 0000000121004017 Benjamin A. Quarles (1904-1996) was a renowned historian and prolific writer, known for his extensive research on black soldiers and abolitionists in the American Re...
Shanna Greene Benjamin
Shanna Greene Benjamin NONE Shanna Greene Benjamin is a biographer and scholar focusing on Black women's literature and intellectual history. She's published in various reviews and also works as a co...
Orchester Benjamin
Orchester Benjamin NONE Orchester Benjamin, a former street player, became a writer and historian of the “Game” at 73. He balances family life, promoting his books, supporting urban literature, and w...
Rich Benjamin
Rich Benjamin 0000000065214377 Rich Benjamin is a cultural anthropologist and the author of Searching for Whitopia. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, and elsewhere, and...
Nellie Y. McKay
Nellie Y. McKay 0000000081108566 Nellie Y. McKay, an influential figure in American literature, co-edited the Norton Anthology of African American Literature. Her work highlighted the scholarly study...
Al Saadiq Banks, Mark Anthony, and Crystal Lacey Winslow, Isadore Johnson, Jm Benjamin
Al Saadiq Banks, Mark Anthony, and Crystal Lacey Winslow, Isadore Johnson, Jm Benjamin MULTIPLE
T. Styles, J.M. Benjamin, Boston George, Danielle Santiago, and Caroline Mcgill
T. Styles, J.M. Benjamin, Boston George, Danielle Santiago, and Caroline Mcgill MULTIPLE
Ben Carson
Ben Carson 0000000110700201 Dr. Benjamin Carson, once a child from a poor, single-parent home, overcame challenges to fulfill his dream of becoming a physician. Now, he's a renowned pediatric neurosu...
Ezra Jack Keats
Ezra Jack Keats 0000000370477827 Ezra Jack Keats (1916-1983) was a pioneering children's book author and illustrator known for introducing multiculturalism into mainstream American literature. Despit...
Richard B. Moore
Richard B. Moore 0000000082432341 Moore was an early advocate for the use of “African American” as opposed to “Negro” or “Black.” Richard Benjamin Moore was an infl...
Ben Jealous
Ben Jealous 0000000417015073 Benjamin Todd Jealous is a notable American civil rights leader and social impact investor. He was the youngest-ever national leader of the NAACP (2008-2013) and ran for ...
Ty Allan Jackson
Ty Allan Jackson NONE Ty Allan Jackson is a celebrated author and publisher, renowned for his children's book 'Danny Dollar Millionaire: The Lemonade Escapade.' Inspired by his son's curiosity about ...
James Mcgrath Morris
James Mcgrath Morris 000000007142934X James McGrath Morris is a renowned author of biographies and narrative nonfiction, including a New York Times Bestseller. With a career spanning journalism, teac...
Ralph Ginzburg
Ralph Ginzburg 0000000115071504 Ralph Ginzburg, born October 28, 1929, was an esteemed author, editor, publisher, and photo-journalist specializing in erotica and art. Infamously convicted in 1963 fo...
Gene Barretta
Gene Barretta NONE Gene Barretta is an acclaimed children's book author and illustrator, known for titles like “Lincoln and Kennedy: A Pair to Compare.” He has won the Carolyn W. Field Award and Bank...
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...
Derek Tyler Attico
Derek Tyler Attico NONE Derek Tyler Attico is an American speculative fiction author, essayist and award-winning photographer. He is a two-time winner of the Star Trek “Strange New Worlds” short-sto...
J. Everett Prewitt
J. Everett Prewitt NONE J. Everett Prewitt, a distinguished alumnus and Vietnam veteran, has received numerous awards for his novels, including “Snake Walkers” and “A Long Way Back.” His works have b...
Julian Winters
Julian Winters NONE Julian Winters is the author of the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Gold Award-winning Running With Lions; the Georgia Peach Award-nominated Right Where I Left You; Junior Library Guild S...
Clarence B. Jones
Clarence B. Jones 0000000036182118 AALBC mourns the passing of Clarence B. Jones Dr. Clarence Benjamin Jones (January 8, 1931 – May 22, 2026) the lawyer who served as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s pe...
Randal Maurice Jelks
Randal Maurice Jelks 0000000035838680 Dr. Randal Maurice Jelks is a Professor at the University of Kansas, specializing in American and African American Studies. He has authored two award-winning boo...
Gail Milissa Grant
Gail Milissa Grant NONE Gail Milissa Grant (1949–2024) was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri at the cusp of the modern civil rights movement. She is currently a writer and public speaker,...
Nikky Finney
Nikky Finney 0000000358800804 Nikky Finney, a South Carolina-born poet, is renowned for her first-person literary accounts of significant American historical events. She debuted with “On Wings Made o...
Naleighna Kai, Renee Bernard, J.L. Woodson, Joyce A Brown, D. J. McLaurin, Candy Jackson, Janice Pernell, Valarie Prince, Martha Kennerson, Susan D. Peters, Tanishia Pearson-Jones, and L. A. Lewis
Naleighna Kai, Renee Bernard, J.L. Woodson, Joyce A Brown, D. J. McLaurin, Candy Jackson, Janice Pernell, Valarie Prince, Martha Kennerson, Susan D. Peters, Tanishia Pearson-Jones, and L. A. Lewis MUL...
Ibi Zoboi, Tracey Baptiste, Coe Booth, Dhonielle Clayton, Brandy Colbert, Jay Coles, Lamar Giles, Leah Henderson, Justina Ireland, Varian Johnson, Kekla Magoon, Jason Reynolds, Nic Stone, Renée Watson, Rita Williams-Garcia, and others
Ibi Zoboi, Tracey Baptiste, Coe Booth, Dhonielle Clayton, Brandy Colbert, Jay Coles, Lamar Giles, Leah Henderson, Justina Ireland, Varian Johnson, Kekla Magoon, Jason Reynolds, Nic Stone, Renée Watso...
E. N. Joy
E. N. Joy NONE BLESSEDselling Author E.N. Joy, previously known as Joylynn M. Jossel, is an Essence Magazine Bestselling Author known for her “Soap Operas in Print” Divas series. The author, who has ...
Mark Doty, Martin Espada, Joy Harjo, Marilyn Nelson, Ishmael Reed, Sonia Sanchez, Yusef Komunyakaa, Afaa Michael Weaver, and Rita Dove
Mark Doty, Martin Espada, Joy Harjo, Marilyn Nelson, Ishmael Reed, Sonia Sanchez, Yusef Komunyakaa, Afaa Michael Weaver, and Rita Dove MULTIPLE Prominent authors Mark Doty, Martin Espada, Joy Harjo, ...
Naleighna Kai, Pat G’Orge Walker, Lisa Watson, Martha Kennerson, Michelle D. Rayford, Janice Pernell, J. L. Campbell, Kisha Green, and Terri Ann Johnson
Naleighna Kai, Pat G’Orge Walker, Lisa Watson, Martha Kennerson, Michelle D. Rayford, Janice Pernell, J. L. Campbell, Kisha Green, and Terri Ann Johnson MULTIPLE "Naleighna Kai, Pat G’Orge Walker, Li...
Brian W. Smith
Brian W. Smith NONE Brian W. Smith, an award-winning author of 15 novels and former U.S. Army member, turned full-time author after being laid off. His personal trauma inspired his first novel, leadi...
Ronda Racha Penrice
Ronda Racha Penrice NONE Ronda Racha Penrice, an expert in African American history and culture, studied at Columbia University and NYU, focusing on African American literature. She contributed to Th...
Balogun Ojetade
Balogun Ojetade NONE Balogun Ojetade, the Technical Director of Afrikan Martial Arts Institute, is a best-selling author renowned for his work in Afroretroism. He has written 18 novels and gamebooks,...
Ronald Fair
Ronald Fair 0000000116782340 Chicago-born African-American author, Ronald L. Fair, inspired by Richard Wright, carved his own literary path. Born in 1932, Fair served in the U.S. Navy before becoming...
Malaika Adero
Malaika Adero 0000000384232281 Malaika Adero runs a literary agency, Adero's Literary Tribe, where she works with publishers and individual clients. She is the author of several books including “Up S...
William Loren Katz
William Loren Katz 0000000115886981 Bill Katz (1927-2019) was a prolific author and lecturer, known for his contributions to African American history. A graduate of Syracuse University and New York U...
S.L. Jennings, Naleighna Kai, J.D. Mason, Shakir Rashaan, London St. Charles, Sierra Kay, Karen D. Bradley, Anita L. Roseboro, and MarZé Scott
S.L. Jennings, Naleighna Kai, J.D. Mason, Shakir Rashaan, London St. Charles, Sierra Kay, Karen D. Bradley, Anita L. Roseboro, and MarZé Scott MULTIPLE "S.L. Jennings, Naleighna Kai, J.D. Mason, Shak...
Valerie Bolling and Kailei Pew
Valerie Bolling and Kailei Pew MULTIPLE Valerie Bolling, an award-winning author and educator, is committed to creating diverse literature for children. Kailei Pew, author of children's books like Ki...
Michelle Lindo-Rice
Michelle Lindo-Rice NONE Michelle Lindo-Rice, bestselling author of the 'Able to Love' and 'On the Right Path' series, focuses on themes of faith, friendship, family, and forgiveness. She was nominat...
Nick Chiles
Nick Chiles 0000000034375194 Nick Chiles is a renowned author and journalist, specializing in African-American culture and celebrity. Co-author of the NAACP Image Awards finalist book 'Justice While ...
Shelia P. Moses
Shelia P. Moses 000000004377316X Shelia P. Moses, a North Carolina-born poet, author, playwright, and producer, is best known as the co-author of Dick Gregory's memoir and the award-winning author of...
Brenda Jackson
Brenda Jackson 0000000117535931 Jackson is New York Times bestselling with of 150 romance novels. Brenda Jackson, a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author, has written over 150 novels and nov...
Naleighna Kai
Naleighna Kai NONE Naleighna Kai is a national bestselling author known for her works such as “Every Woman Needs a Wife” and “Open Door Marriage.” She began writing in 1999 and has acquired deals wit...
Zuri Day
Zuri Day NONE Zuri Day is a successful author and hopeful romantic, known for her contributions to the romance genre. Inspired by her love for Harlequin romances, she's now a full-time author, dividi...
Randy Ross, Octavia E. Butler, Erin Aubry Kaplan, Eric Jerome Dickey, and Jervey Tervalon
Randy Ross, Octavia E. Butler, Erin Aubry Kaplan, Eric Jerome Dickey, and Jervey Tervalon MULTIPLE "Explore the works of authors Randy Ross, Wanda Coleman, Stanley Crouch, Gary Phillips, Octavia Butl...
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...
Pearl Cleage, Omar Tyree, Margaret Johnson-Hodge, Timmothy B. McCann, Brandon Massey, Kambon Obayani, Earl Sewell, and Maxine Thompson
Pearl Cleage, Omar Tyree, Margaret Johnson-Hodge, Timmothy B. McCann, Brandon Massey, Kambon Obayani, Earl Sewell, and Maxine Thompson MULTIPLE "Pearl Cleage, Omar Tyree, Margaret Johnson-Hodge, Timm...
Sheila L. Jackson
Sheila L. Jackson NONE Sheila L. Jackson, an author, inspirational speaker, and teacher from Shreveport, Louisiana, empowers women through God’s word. As a clinical laboratory scientist, published an...
Richard Wright, Lorraine Hansberry, Nikki Giovanni, Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, and Gwendolyn Brooks
Richard Wright, Lorraine Hansberry, Nikki Giovanni, Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, and Gwendolyn Brooks MULTIPLE Prominent authors including Richard Wright, Lorraine Hansberry, Nikki Giovanni, ...
L.A. Lewis
L.A. Lewis NONE Bestselling author L.A. Lewis from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is known for her Dirty Little Secrets series. She's a contributing writer for Motherhood Diaries and a member of M-LAS writi...
Brenda Lane Richardson
Brenda Lane Richardson NONE Brenda Lane Richardson is an award-winning author and trained minister known for her books like Story Power, Chesapeake Song and more. A former Oakland Tribune columnist, ...
Dudley Randall
Dudley Randall 0000000114554651 Dudley Randall (1914-2000), a prominent Detroit poet and publisher, began his career at 13 with his first publication. He founded Broadside Press in 1965, promoting Af...
Tracy Price-Thompson and TaRessa Stovall, with Pearl Cleage, Donna Hill, Parry Brown, Omar Tyree
Tracy Price-Thompson and TaRessa Stovall, with Pearl Cleage, Donna Hill, Parry Brown, Omar Tyree MULTIPLE Explore the works of acclaimed authors Tracy Price-Thompson, TaRessa Stovall, Pearl Cleage, D...
Dana Canedy, Darcy Eveleigh, Damien Cave, and Rachel L. Swarns
Dana Canedy, Darcy Eveleigh, Damien Cave, and Rachel L. Swarns MULTIPLE Darcy Eveleigh, a photo editor at The New York Times, is the creator of “The Lively Morgue” blog. Dana Canedy, former senior ed...
Regena Bryant
Regena Bryant NONE Author Regena Bryant honored a pact with her nephew, resulting in three contemporary women's fiction novels with romantic elements. Her works explore the complexity of love in mode...
J.L. Woodson
J.L. Woodson NONE J.L. Woodson is an award-winning author and graphic designer from Chicago. He started his literary career at 16 and later shifted to graphic design, creating book covers and marketi...
Alexander Smalls with Veronica Chambers
Alexander Smalls with Veronica Chambers MULTIPLE Alexander Smalls is a renowned American chef, former owner of NYC restaurants including the award-winning Cecil, and a Grammy and Tony-winning opera s...
Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon
Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon MULTIPLE Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Y...
Kevin M. Weeks
Kevin M. Weeks NONE Kevin M. Weeks is an acclaimed self-published Urban Fiction author known for his debut, The Street Life Series. Honored as the Best New Urban Author of 2007, his fresh approach te...
Tamika Newhouse
Tamika Newhouse NONE Tamika Newhouse is a self-published author and founder of Delphine Publications. Recognized as Self Published Author of the Year in 2009 and 2011, she also received an award for ...
Valerie Wilson Wesley
Valerie Wilson Wesley 0000000108586470 Valerie Wilson Wesley, author of the Tamara Hayle mystery series, has also written adult-themed novels, children's books, and various fiction and non-fiction wo...
Charles R. Smith Jr.
Charles R. Smith Jr. NONE Charles R. Smith Jr. is an acclaimed author, poet, and photographer with over 30 books. He's a recipient of the Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration and Honor Author Aw...
Alice Randall and Caroline Randall Williams
Alice Randall and Caroline Randall Williams MULTIPLE Alice Randall, a New York Times bestselling author and Harvard graduate, resides in Nashville where she's a songwriter and Writer-in-Residence at ...
Walter Mosley, Christopher Chambers, Michael A. Gonzales, Gar Anthony Haywood, Ron Fortier, Joe R. Lansdale, Gary Phillips, Mel Odom, Tommy Hancock, D. Alan Lewis, Derrick Ferguson, and Kimberly Richardson
Walter Mosley, Christopher Chambers, Michael A. Gonzales, Gar Anthony Haywood, Ron Fortier, Joe R. Lansdale, Gary Phillips, Mel Odom, Tommy Hancock, D. Alan Lewis, Derrick Ferguson, and Kimberly Richa...
Sharon Bell Mathis
Sharon Bell Mathis 0000000063330251 Sharon Bell Mathis, initially a teacher, became an acclaimed author known for her middle-grade novels and picture books. Her works such as 'Sidewalk Story', 'Tea C...
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...
MK Asante
MK Asante NONE MK Asante, Jr., a bestselling author, award-winning filmmaker, and professor, uses his talent for storytelling to overcome personal struggles. Known for his memoir 'Buck,' Asante's wor...
Matt De La Peña
Matt De La Peña 0000000439804364 Matt de la Peña, a New York Times Bestselling author, has written six young adult novels and award-winning picture books. He received his MFA in creative writing fro...
Charmaine R. Parker
Charmaine R. Parker NONE Charmaine R. Parker, author of 'The Trophy Wives' and 'The Next Phase of Life', is a journalist turned publishing director for Strebor Books under Atria/Simon & Schuster. Ori...
Chigozie Obioma
Chigozie Obioma 000000007886845X “the heir to Chinua Achebe” (New York Times) Chigozie Obioma, born in Nigeria, is an award-winning author and professor of English at the University of Neb...
Delores Thornton
Delores Thornton NONE Indianapolis author Delores Thornton, celebrated for her novels “Ida Mae” and its sequel, is a member of the International Women’s Writing Guild and the African-American Online ...
Pat Simmons
Pat Simmons 0000000055458378 Pat Simmons, a seasoned author with 10 years of experience and 30+ titles to her name, is a passionate genealogy sleuth who often casts her ancestors in her novels. She h...
Valerie Boyd
Valerie Boyd 000000011658992X Valerie Boyd was a notable American author, journalist, and educator, celebrated for her contributions to African American literature. She's best known for her acclaimed...
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...
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 ...
Derrick Barnes
Derrick Barnes 0000000036217464 Derrick D. Barnes, a Kansas City native and Jackson State University graduate, is a celebrated author known for children's books like “Stop Drop and Chill” and “The Lo...
Suheir Hammad
Suheir Hammad 0000000084052510 Suheir Hammad, born October 25, 1973, is a Palestinian-American poet, author, performer, and activist renowned for her work in the spoken-word scene. She's had success ...
Joy Deja King, Electa Rome Parks, Cheryl Robinson, and Meta Smith
Joy Deja King, Electa Rome Parks, Cheryl Robinson, and Meta Smith MULTIPLE Joy King, Electa Rome Parks, Cheryl Robinson, and Meta Smith are renowned authors known for their significant contributions ...
N. K. Jemisin
N. K. Jemisin 0000000107503776 Jemisin, in 2018, Became the Only Writer to Win 3 Best Novel Hugo Awards in Consecutive Years (note) Nora K. Jemisin, born in 1972, is a renowned speculative fiction aut...
Morgan E. Taylor
Morgan E. Taylor NONE Morgan E. Taylor, a child author and entrepreneur, co-wrote a book with her father, G. Todd Taylor, titled 'Daddy’s Little Princess'. The book challenges societal perceptions, e...
Gail L. Thompson
Gail L. Thompson NONE Dr. Gail L. Thompson is an esteemed author, researcher, former teacher, and ex-Endowed Professor of Education. She established the Black Men Teaching (BMT) Program and led an af...
Beauty Bragg
Beauty Bragg 0000000125620829 Beauty Bragg is a Professor of African American Literature at Georgia College with a BA from USC and a MA and Ph.D from UT Austin. She authored a book exploring black wo...
T.R. Simon
T.R. Simon NONE T.R. Simon is an acclaimed author renowned for “Zora and Me: The Cursed Ground” and co-author of award-winning “Zora and Me” with Victoria Bond. Also co-authored “Oskar and the Eight ...
Todd Steven Burroughs
Todd Steven Burroughs 0000000140773292 Todd Steven Burroughs is a journalist, historian, and author with a Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Maryland. He has co-authored and contributed t...
Melanie S. Hatter
Melanie S. Hatter NONE Melanie S. Hatter, award-winning author of “Malawi’s Sisters” and “The Color of My Soul”, also penned the short fiction collection “Let No One Weep for Me.” She's actively enga...
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 ...
Nina Crews
Nina Crews 0000000063939702 Nina Crews is a Brooklyn-based children's book author and illustrator, known for her unique photographic collage style. She's been recognized by numerous organizations for...
Gary Phillips, Kimberly Richardson, Joe R. Lansdale, Michael A. Gonzales, Milton J. Davis, Balogun Ojetade, D. Alan Lewis, A. K. Kuykendall, Sean Taylor, and Christopher Chambers
Gary Phillips, Kimberly Richardson, Joe R. Lansdale, Michael A. Gonzales, Milton J. Davis, Balogun Ojetade, D. Alan Lewis, A. K. Kuykendall, Sean Taylor, and Christopher Chambers MULTIPLE Gary Phill...
Farrah Rochon
Farrah Rochon NONE Farrah Rochon, a Louisiana native and award-winning author, launched her writing career at Xavier University. She's known for her Holmes Brothers series, starting with her debut no...
Lisa Washington
Lisa Washington NONE Lisa Washington is a bestselling Christian Fiction author, honored with the 2020 Author Elite Award and the 2018 African-American Literary Show Award. A U.S. Navy veteran and alu...
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...