AALBC Search
Stanley G. Robertson
Stanley G. Robertson NONE Stanley G. Robertson is a professor of business and law at DeVry University in Chicago. He is the host and producer of the television show titled, The Ink Spot, on CA...
Martin R. Delany
Martin R. Delany 0000000080985970 Martin Delany (1812-1885) was a pioneering African American abolitionist and the first African American Field Officer in the U.S Army. Post-Reconstruction, he promot...
Keith Knight
Keith Knight 0000000036407698 “Well, you know… cats have better representation in the comics than Black people.” Keith Knight, a Boston-born cartoonist, is recognized for his unique...
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 ...
Jael Richardson
Jael Richardson NONE Jael Ealey Richardson is a Toronto-based author and educator with an MFA in Creative Writing. Known for her memoir and children's book, both titled The Stone Thrower, her work re...
Zuksiwa Wanner
Zuksiwa Wanner NONE Zukiswa Wanner, born to South African and Zimbabwean parents in Zambia, is a celebrated author known for award-nominated novels like “Men of the South.” As an essayist, she focuse...
Toni Blackman
Toni Blackman 0000000036920264 Toni Blackman, an international champion of hip-hop culture, is known for her captivating performances and powerful presence. She's the first hip-hop artist to work as ...
Donna M. Gray-Banks
Donna M. Gray-Banks NONE Donna M. Gray-Banks, founder of F.R.E.S.H. Book Festival, is a successful author known for her suspense erotic trilogy and a guest columnist for various outlets. She hosts tw...
Patricia Williams Dockery
Patricia Williams Dockery NONE Dr. Patricia Williams Dockery is a renowned writer, scholar-activist, and international commentator, known for her expertise in diversity, equity, and inclusion. She's ...
Kwoya Fagin Maples
Kwoya Fagin Maples NONE Kwoya Fagin Maples, a renowned writer from Charleston, South Carolina, teaches creative writing at the Alabama School of Fine Arts. She has an MFA from the University of Alaba...
Autumn J. Bright
Autumn J. Bright NONE Autumn J. Bright is an acclaimed American fiction writer, known for her debut novel 'Love Sick'. She enjoys family time in Charleston, SC and travelling when not creating recomm...
Ava DuVernay
Ava DuVernay 000000035624500X Ava DuVernay is an award-winning writer, producer, and director in independent film. She founded DVA Media + Marketing and the African-American Film Festival Releasing M...
Kevin Sack
Kevin Sack NONE Kevin Sack is a veteran journalist who has written broadly about national affairs for more than four decades and has shared in three Pulitzer Prizes. Sack spent 30 years on the staff...
Lola Shoneyin
Lola Shoneyin 0000000041835603 Lola Shoneyin is a renowned Nigerian poet and author, best known for her debut novel, “The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives.” Identified as a promising African writer ...
Darlene Williams
Darlene Williams NONE Darlene Williams is an award-winning businesswoman, adjunct lecturer, bestselling author, and nationally recognized youth and literacy advocate. She serves as President of the ...
Rose Brock
Rose Brock 0000000107888362 Rose Brock, a professor at Sam Houston State University, is renowned for inspiring youth to love books. In addition to her career as a librarian and educator, she co-found...
Souleymane Bachir Diagne and Chike Jeffers
Souleymane Bachir Diagne and Chike Jeffers MULTIPLE Souleymane Bachir Diagne, a Philosophy professor at Columbia University, has contributed to African studies and written books like The Ink of the S...
Souleymane Bachir Diagne
Souleymane Bachir Diagne 0000000121380637 Souleymane Bachir Diagne is a philosophy professor and Director of African Studies at Columbia University. His notable works include 'The Ink of the Scholars...
Cheryl Clarke
Cheryl Clarke 0000000383377198 Cheryl L. Clarke, born in 1947, is a lesbian poet, essayist, and a Black feminist activist. Her work emphasizes African-American women's literature and black lesbian fe...
Matthew A. Cherry
Matthew A. Cherry 0000000500418922 Former NFL wide receiver, Matthew A. Cherry, transitioned into filmmaking after his retirement in 2007. He's known for directing over 20 music videos, his feature f...
Brenda L. Thomas
Brenda L. Thomas 0000000038393998 Brenda L. Thomas, a Philadelphia-based marketing professional, has extensive experience in the basketball industry. Formerly with IBM and AND 1, she also founded Adm...
Donyae Coles
Donyae Coles NONE Donyae Coles is a speculative writer and visual artist, blending real-life issues with sci-fi, fantasy, and horror elements. Her work is featured in various magazines and she specia...
Hannibal B. Johnson
Hannibal B. Johnson NONE Harvard Law graduate Hannibal B. Johnson is an esteemed author, attorney, and consultant specializing in diversity and human relations. He's taught at prestigious universitie...
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-...
Patricia A. Saunders
Patricia A. Saunders NONE Patricia A. Saunders, an author from Connecticut, now based in San Francisco, began her writing journey after her mother's passing. She released her first book in 2012 and i...
Melica Niccole
Melica Niccole NONE Melica Niccole, a Columbus-native author, poet, and Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, has a passion for writing which she uses to explore various subjects. She created an annua...
Quintard Taylor
Quintard Taylor 0000000114391610 AALBC Truly Mourns the Lost of Quintard Taylor Quintard Taylor, a Professor of American History, specializes in African American history with over three decades of exp...
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...
Kellie Magnus
Kellie Magnus 0000000114740104 Kellie Magnus is a Jamaican children's author and media writer. An alumna of Harvard and Columbia Universities, she's the Chair of the Kingston Book Festival and serves...
Halima Taha
Halima Taha NONE Halima Taha is a renowned advocate for African and African-American art, known for her educational initiatives and influential writings. Her contributions have spearheaded recognitio...
Esther Phillips
Esther Phillips 0000000073657506 Esther Phillips, founder of The Bim Literary Festival & Book Fair and editor of Bim magazine, is a highly decorated poet with an MFA in Creative Writing. She's won pr...
Gwen Richardson
Gwen Richardson NONE Gwen Richardson, co-founder of Cushcity.com, the largest African-American internet retailer, is a successful entrepreneur and writer with a marketing degree from Georgetown Unive...
Colette Bancroft
Colette Bancroft NONE Colette Bancroft is the book editor for the Tampa Bay Times since 2007, directs the annual Festival of Reading, and served on the National Book Critics Circle board. She holds E...
justin a. reynolds
justin a. reynolds NONE Justin A. Reynolds is an acclaimed author renowned for his debut YA novel, “Opposite of Always,” and second novel “Early Departures.” His work includes a Marvel graphic novel ...
David Washington
David Washington NONE Dr. David Washington decision to write a graphic novel stemmed from his dissatisfaction with the lack of diversity in the superhero genre. He hoped to provide his children with ...
Indigo Moor
Indigo Moor NONE Indigo Moor, Sacramento's Poet Laureate, is a multi-talented writer with works ranging from poetry to plays. His award-winning books include Tap-Root and Through the Stonecutter’s Wi...
Vashti Harrison
Vashti Harrison 0000000476987403 Vashti Harrison, born in 1988, is a Virginia-based author, illustrator, and filmmaker with a passion for storytelling. She has degrees in Media Studies, Studio Art, F...
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...
Beverly Jenkins
Beverly Jenkins 000000011691928X Beverly Jenkins, a USA TODAY bestselling author, is renowned for her African-American historical romance fiction, mainly set in the 19th century. With over thirty nov...
Terrence L. Johnson
Terrence L. Johnson NONE Terrence L. Johnson is the Charles G. Adams Professor of African American Religious Studies, Professor of African and African American Studies (FAS), Director of Religion and...
Alberto O. Cappas
Alberto O. Cappas NONE Alberto O. Cappas, a Puerto Rican-born poet, writer, and community activist, is known for his work in economic development, literature, and advocacy in New York and Buffalo. He...
Louis Edwards
Louis Edwards 0000000028382400 Louis Edwards, a Guggenheim Fellowship and Whiting Award-winning author, has written four novels including Ramadan Ramsey and Ten Seconds. Louisiana-born Edwards is als...
Biyi Bandele
Biyi Bandele 0000000120964833 Biyi Bandele-Thomas (1967-2022) was a renowned Nigerian novelist, playwright, director, and photographer. He was celebrated as one of Africa's top 50 artists. Bandele's ...
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...
Glodean Champion
Glodean Champion NONE Glodean Champion is a multifaceted artist, educator, and coach based in Monterey, CA. She is a published author, whose work explores themes of sexuality, gender, and African Ame...
My Haley
My Haley NONE Myran “My” Haley, a PhD graduate from The Ohio State University, is a renowned writer who collaborated with her late husband, author Alex Haley, on projects including the book and minis...
Yani
Yani 0000000118166410 Yani, an Amazon Best Selling Author from Philadelphia, is renowned for her six novels and unique storytelling style. She's celebrated in genres like African American Fiction-Ur...
Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. MULTIPLE Dr. Henry “Skip” Louis Gates Jr., a distinguished Harvard professor, is widely recognized for his contribution to African and African American research. As editor in c...
Tre’vell Anderson
Tre’vell Anderson NONE Tre’vell Anderson (they/them) is an award-winning journalist, podcast host, and author whose work explores culture, identity, and social change. They are the founder and Chief...
Tiya Miles
Tiya Miles 0000000114701869 Tiya Alicia Miles is a historian and professor at the University of Michigan. Specializing in African American and Native American histories, she's the author of award-win...
Nancy Churnin
Nancy Churnin NONE Nancy Churnin is a celebrated children's book author, known for inspiring kids to be heroes through her stories. She's a Eureka Silver Award winner and has been recognized with the...
Gil Robertson
Gil Robertson NONE Gil L. Robertson IV is a renowned authority on African-American pop culture. A journalist, author, lecturer, and media consultant, he provides platforms for social change through h...
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...
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...
Vincent Brown
Vincent Brown 0000000114674784 Vincent Brown is the Charles Warren Professor of American History and Professor of African and African American Studies at Harvard University. He is the author of Tacky...
Clyde R. Taylor
Clyde R. Taylor NONE Clyde Russell Taylor was a vital figure in African American studies, known for his influential work in film and cultural criticism. He focused on the portrayal of Black people in...
Kadija Sesay
Kadija Sesay NONE Kadija George is a renowned literary activist, poet, and publisher of Sierra Leonean descent. She's known for her debut poetry collection, Irki, and has edited numerous anthologies....
M.E. Waters
M.E. Waters NONE M.E. Waters is an author, speaker, and business etiquette consultant with a master's degree in business management. Inspired by authors like Maya Angelou, she writes women's business...
Charles S. Finch III
Charles S. Finch III NONE AALBC Mourns the passing of Dr. Finch January 17, 2026 Dr. Charles S. Finch III is a renowned African-American physician, author, and cultural historian. Known for his health...
Marcia Wilson
Marcia Wilson NONE Marcia E. Wilson, a British-born photographer, has extensively documented poets, writers, and literary events of the African Diaspora since 1995. Her work, featured in major print ...
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 ...
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 ...
Alice Childress
Alice Childress 0000000111037368 Alice Childress, born in 1916, was a Tony-nominated actress and renowned writer from Harlem. Known for the play “Trouble in Mind” and the YA novel “A Hero Ain’t Nothi...
E. Franklin Frazier
E. Franklin Frazier 0000000110444690 Edward F. Frazier (1894-1962) was a renowned American sociologist and author. His influential work, “The Negro Family in the United States,” won the 1940 Anisfiel...
Justin Phillip Reed
Justin Phillip Reed 0000000497688533 Justin Phillip Reed is a South Carolina-born author, known for his work in various publications and his MFA in poetry from Washington University. Recognized for h...
Monda Raquel Webb
Monda Raquel Webb NONE Born in 1968, Monda Raquel Webb is an avid reader and writer who was influenced by notable authors like Zora Neale Hurston and James Baldwin. Raised in multiple states, she gra...
Souleymane Bachir Diagne and Jean-Loup Amselle
Souleymane Bachir Diagne and Jean-Loup Amselle MULTIPLE Souleymane Bachir Diagne, Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Institute of African Studies at Columbia University, is renowned for his ...
Fenton Johnson
Fenton Johnson 0000000038623095 Fenton Johnson (1888-1958) was an African American poet, essayist, and editor who significantly contributed to the Harlem Renaissance. His work, including his well-kno...
Cathy Finch White
Cathy Finch White NONE Cathy Finch White, a former medical professional turned author, advocates for child education through reading. She has written four award-winning books, including “Anna Learn's...
Wanjiku Wa Ngugi
Wanjiku Wa Ngugi NONE Wanjikũ Wa Ngũgĩ, author of 'The Fall of Saints', is a former director of the Helsinki African Film Festival. Her short stories and essays are featured in various publications i...
Eden Royce
Eden Royce NONE Eden Royce is a writer from Charleston, South Carolina now living in Southeast England. She’s a Shirley Jackson Award winner and a Bram Stoker Award finalist for her adult fiction, w...
Nikki Boyd
Nikki Boyd NONE Nikki Boyd is a professional organizer and founder of athomewithnikki.com where she helps bring beautiful order in homes around the world with her business, blog and YouTube channel....
Catherine Mann
Catherine Mann 0000000121252993 Catherine Mann is a USA Today bestselling author and RITA Award winner who has written over 60 contemporary romance books. A former theater school director with degree...
Kardea Brown
Kardea Brown NONE Kardea Brown is a contemporary Southern Chef, author of the New York Times bestseller The Way Home, and the creator of the New Gullah Supper Club pop-up, where her menu pays homage...
Remi Adeleke
Remi Adeleke NONE Remi Adeleke, author of 'Transformed', is a former Navy SEAL turned business consultant and filmmaker. Born in Africa and raised in the Bronx, his journey from regrettable decisions...
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 ...
Arthur R. Flowers
Arthur R. Flowers NONE Arthur Flowers, a Vietnam veteran, blues singer, and Memphis native, is a co-founder of the New Renaissance Writer's Guild and a notable performance poet. He teaches at Syracus...
Jacquelin Thomas
Jacquelin Thomas NONE Award-winning author Jacquelin Thomas has published over 50 titles across romance, women’s fiction, inspirational, and young adult genres. She's received multiple awards includi...
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'...
Randy Weston
Randy Weston 0000000081037964 Randy Weston, born April 6, 1926, was a renowned jazz musician whose career spanned over six decades. Known for his unique fusion of African rhythms and jazz improvisati...
National Museum of African American History and Culture
National Museum of African American History and Culture MULTIPLE The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), established by Congress in 2003, is devoted to documenting Afric...
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...
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...
William Byrd
William Byrd 0000000109367704 Dr. William “Super” Byrd, a Newark native, is an acclaimed author and educator specializing in Sports Education. A holder of multiple degrees and professional licenses, ...
Sharon M. Draper
Sharon M. Draper 0000000374578086 Sharon M. Draper, acclaimed author of the Sassy series and numerous teen novels, is a New York Times bestseller and multiple Coretta Scott King Award winner. A forme...
Shane W. Evans
Shane W. Evans 0000000038504360 Shane Evans is a renowned illustrator, artist and designer whose work has been recognized by The Boston Globe-Horn Book Award and The Orbis Pictus Award. His illustrat...
Olive Senior
Olive Senior 0000000110714769 Jamaican-born Olive Senior is an accomplished scholar, journalist, and editor. Educated at Carleton University and the Thomson Foundation, she's held roles at the Daily ...
V. Brooks Dunbar
V. Brooks Dunbar NONE Dr. V. Brooks Dunbar is a renowned author, speaker, and leadership consultant. Known as the Confidence Commander, she empowers individuals and organizations to unlock their pote...
Tamiya Davis
Tamiya Davis NONE Tamiya Davis, a Virginia native, is a longshoreman, fashion entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker. Her achievements include running a rights restoration chapter, owning a f...
Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor
Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor 0000000049060048 Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor is a renowned Kenyan writer, recognized for her contribution to literature and arts in Kenya. She won the 2003 Caine Prize for her story “...
Willard Jenkins
Willard Jenkins 0000000114808113 Willard Jenkins, born in 1949, is an influential figure in jazz, serving as Artistic Director of the DC Jazz Festival, arts consultant, producer, educator, and journa...
Max Rodriguez
Max Rodriguez NONE Max Rodriguez is the founder and publisher of QBR/The Black Book Review, one of the nation’s premier publications dedicated to books by and about people of African descent. ...
Davida Siwisa James
Davida Siwisa James NONE Davida Siwisa James, a globe-trotting author with roots in Philly and Harlem, has experience as a freelance journalist and has several published works, including an award-win...
Keith Gilyard
Keith Gilyard 0000000084094091 Raymond Keith Gilyard is a renowned American professor and writer specializing in rhetoric, composition, literacy studies, sociolinguistics, and African American litera...
Bettye Collier-Thomas
Bettye Collier-Thomas 0000000122788183 Dr. Bettye Collier-Thomas is professor of American history at Temple University. Her scholarship includes American social and cultural history, African American...
Tamkara Adun
Tamkara Adun NONE Tamkara Adun is a Nigerian author, researcher, and historian specializing in indigenous African history. She founded ỌdúnìfẹÌ, a platform for teaching African history and lan...
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...
Molefi Kete Asante
Molefi Kete Asante 0000000108973825 Dr. Molefi Kete Asante is Professor and Chair, Department of African American Studies at Temple University. Considered by his peers to be one of the most distingu...
Kevin Coval
Kevin Coval 0000000053723529 Kevin Coval, author of ALA “Book of the Year†finalist Slingshots: A Hip-Hop Poetica, is the Artistic Director of Louder Than a Bomb: The Chicago Teen Poetry Festival...
Patricia Spears Jones
Patricia Spears Jones 0000000031494569 Patricia Spears Jones, born in Arkansas, is the 2024 New York State Poet Laureate, a Jackson Poetry Prize laureate, and a cultural activist. An esteemed poet, p...