AALBC Search
Carolina Maria de Jesus
Carolina Maria de Jesus 0000000083875208 Carolina Maria de Jesus, born in 1914, was a Brazilian writer who highlighted life in favelas through her diaries. Despite facing extreme poverty and social o...
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...
Ron Kavanaugh
Ron Kavanaugh NONE Ron Kavanaugh is a literary activist who founded Mosaic Books and the Literary Freedom Project (LFP), a non-profit supporting the literary arts. Through LFP, he launched Mosaic Lit...
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...
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...
Timothy B. Tyson
Timothy B. Tyson 0000000110713432 Timothy B. Tyson, born in 1959, is a renowned North Carolina author and historian specializing in Civil Rights Movement topics. He holds appointments at Duke Univers...
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 ...
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
Carolina Búzio
Carolina Búzio NONE Carolina Búzio, a freelance illustrator and animator based in Berlin, works with international clients. Originally from Porto, Portugal, she studied Communication Design at the F...
Randall Kenan
Randall Kenan 0000000108991919 Randall Kenan (1963-2020) was a notable author and professor born in Brooklyn and raised in North Carolina. He has taught at numerous esteemed universities and is known...
J.T. Smith
J.T. Smith 0000000117420835 J.T. Smith, a New Jersey-born author, developed a passion for reading and history at an early age. His interest in Black History and the Harlem Renaissance influenced his ...
Neal Shirley and Saralee Stafford
Neal Shirley and Saralee Stafford MULTIPLE Neal Shirley and Saralee Stafford are active North Carolina residents involved in anti-prison initiatives, publishing projects, and advocating for street or...
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 ...
Lenard D. Moore
Lenard D. Moore 0000000079037447 Lenard D. Moore is a celebrated poet, anthologist, and U.S. Army Veteran, known globally for his works published in 15+ countries and translated into multiple languag...
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
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 ...
Joy Deja King
Joy Deja King NONE Joy Deja King, raised in various states across the US, is a modern author known for her young and edgy street-life novels. A journalism graduate from North Carolina Central Univers...
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....
Valjeanne Jeffers
Valjeanne Jeffers NONE Valjeanne Jeffers, a graduate of Spelman College and North Carolina Central University, is a member of the Carolina African American Writer’s Collective. She is a published poe...
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...
Lisa Michelle Bradley
Lisa Michelle Bradley NONE Lisa Michelle Bradley, from Bishopville, South Carolina, is a graduate of Central Carolina Technical College and Morris College. Currently, she's pursuing a Master's degree...
Yemi Toure
Yemi Toure NONE Yemi Touré, born Ronald Leroy Finney in 1948, was a renowned book editor and freelance writer. Raised in South Carolina, he moved to Los Angeles in his teenage years. He is well-know...
Cecil Brown
Cecil Brown 0000000081696206 Cecil Brown, born 1943, is a North Carolina native and accomplished author with degrees from North Carolina A&T State University and UC Berkeley. Known for his novels, sh...
Issac J. Bailey
Issac J. Bailey NONE Issac J. Bailey is a seasoned journalist with a psychology degree from Davidson College. Trained at Poynter Institute, he has taught ethics at Coastal Carolina University and jou...
DéLana R. A. Dameron
DéLana R. A. Dameron NONE AALBC Mourns the Passing of DéLana R. A. Dameron DéLana R. A. Dameron is a renowned artist and storyteller, with an MFA in Poetry from NYU and a BA in History from UNC Chapel...
Stephanie Powell Watts
Stephanie Powell Watts 0000000123378514 Stephanie Powell Watts, a former Jehovah’s Witness minister and factory worker, is a celebrated writer and teacher of fiction and creative nonfiction. With a B...
Jason Mott
Jason Mott 0000000077544509 Jason Mott, an author from North Carolina, holds a BFA in Fiction and an MFA in Poetry. His works have been featured in literary journals and he was a 2009 Pushcart Prize ...
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...
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-...
Colin Channer
Colin Channer 0000000066632589 Colin Channer, born in Jamaica, is a celebrated author and editor known for his poetry collection 'Providential' and bestselling novel 'Waiting in Vain'. He's also the ...
Kwame Dawes
Kwame Dawes 0000000073665848 Ghana-born Kwame Dawes, a poet significantly influenced by Jamaican rhythms and reggae music, is the author of numerous poetry collections, novels, and non-fiction works....
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...
Hafizah Augustus Geter
Hafizah Augustus Geter NONE “Hafizah Augustus Geter is a genuine artist, not bound by genre or form…”— Hafizah Augustus Geter, a Nigerian American writer, poet, and literary a...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 ...
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 ...
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...
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...
Clarence V. Reynolds
Clarence V. Reynolds NONE Clarence V. Reynolds is an independent editor and journalist, former director of Literary Programs at the Center for Black Literature and editor-in-chief of the Killens Revi...
Cris Freese
Cris Freese NONE Cris Freese is a technical editor, writer, and literary intern for Corvisiero Literary Agency. He was previously the managing editor of Writer’s Digest Books, where he worked with no...
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...
Patrick Diamond
Patrick Diamond 0000000109595758 Patrick Diamond, born in Frog Town, South Carolina, holds degrees from Boston University. He has managed at NCNB (now Bank of America), Duke Energy, and the City of C...
E. D. Arrington
E. D. Arrington NONE E.D. Arrington, also known as Lois, was raised by her grandparents in Greene County, North Carolina. After a successful career at the National Education Association, she turned t...
G. Todd Taylor
G. Todd Taylor NONE G. Todd Taylor is a family man, author, and entrepreneur. He owns Uplift Comprehensive Services, a North Carolina-based organization providing behavioral health services to at-ris...
Eboni K. Williams
Eboni K. Williams NONE Eboni K. Williams, born in 1988, is a seasoned media personality and legal expert. She has served key roles in Fox News, CBS News, and HLN. A graduate of UNC and Loyola Univers...
Judy Allen Dodson
Judy Allen Dodson NONE Judy Allen Dodson is an award-winning librarian, archivist, and children's author dedicated to teaching Black History through stories of unsung heroes. She serves as a regional...
Jeffery Boston Weatherford
Jeffery Boston Weatherford NONE Jeffery Boston Weatherford, an illustrator and poet, founded Triiibe Worldwide. His debut book, You Can Fly: The Tuskegee Airmen, acclaimed by several organizations, e...
Tracy Deonn
Tracy Deonn NONE Tracy Deonn, a North Carolina-based writer and fangirl, combines her love for fantasy and Southern culture in her works. With a master's degree from UNC Chapel Hill, she has experien...
K. Elliott
K. Elliott NONE K. Elliott, raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, overcame a difficult early life involving poverty, the drug trade, and jail. Encouraged by a professor, he pursued writing, excelling ...
Augustus G. Parker III
Augustus G. Parker III NONE Dr. Augustus Garland Parker III is a renowned obstetrician from Columbus, Ohio. He has served both Ohio and North Carolina communities, contributing significantly to women...
Brendan Slocumb
Brendan Slocumb NONE Brendan N. Slocumb, a music educator from North Carolina, is an accomplished violin and viola player who has performed with various orchestras. He's also an author, currently wor...
Emily Meggett
Emily Meggett NONE Emily Meggett, 87, is a prominent figure in South Carolina's Gullah community, featured by PBS, Food Network, and NPR. Raised in a 19th-century slave cabin, now a central Smithsoni...
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...
Victoria Scott-Miller
Victoria Scott-Miller NONE Victoria Scott-Miller is an acclaimed entrepreneur, author, and owner of North Carolina's first black-owned children's bookstore. She's notable for creating 'The Museum Liv...
James A. Forbes
James A. Forbes 0000000384654492 Reverend Dr. James Alexander Forbes, Jr., born in 1935, is the first African American leader of the Riverside Church, NY. Despite facing racial discrimination, he com...
Ronald Kaye Rawlings
Ronald Kaye Rawlings NONE "Ronald K. Rawlings is a retired North Carolina State Trooper and District First Sergeant, with a 26-year tenure following service as a Clayton Police Officer and Military P...
Sarah Bird
Sarah Bird 000000011726115X Sarah Bird, acclaimed author of ten novels, is recognized for her literary contributions through awards like Texas Writer of the Year and the Texas Institute of Letters Li...
Zelda Lockhart
Zelda Lockhart 0000000053635692 Zelda Lockhart, Associate Professor of Creative Writing and African American Literature at North Carolina Central University, is a distinguished author and educator. K...
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...
Patrick M. Oliver
Patrick M. Oliver NONE Patrick Oliver is a program manager and literary consultant promoting literacy as empowerment. He hosts Literary Nation Talk Radio, is a publisher and editor, and has worked in...
Ernest Morris
Ernest Morris 0000000071824075 EJ Morris, known as “The Urban Fiction Literary Guru,” debuted in the literary world in 2014 with his novel, Flippin Numbers. Raised on the tough streets of Pennsylvani...
Richard Ellmann and Robert O’Clair
Richard Ellmann and Robert O’Clair MULTIPLE Richard Ellmann, an influential literary critic and biographer, and Robert O’Clair, a scholar specializing in modern poetry, were key contributors to the s...
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...
January Gill O’Neil
January Gill O’Neil NONE January Gill O’Neil, author of Rewilding, Misery Islands, and Underlife, is a former executive director of Massachusetts Poetry Festival and ex-Grisham Writer-in-Residence. C...
Keela Buford
Keela Buford NONE Keela Buford, a content strategist and author of 'Pride, and Joy,' is recognized in film and screenplay festival circuits. Her work ranges from science fiction to contemporary, with...
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...
Camille A. Collins
Camille A. Collins NONE Camille A. Collins, an MFA graduate from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, is a renowned writer, recognized by the South Carolina Arts Commission. She contributes to...
Kelly Starling Lyons
Kelly Starling Lyons NONE Kelly Starling Lyons is a children's book author from Pittsburgh. Inspired by her mother's storytelling and her grandparents' creativity, she started writing at a young age....
Malika J. Stevely
Malika J. Stevely NONE Malika J. Stevely is a historical fiction author with a background in journalism. Known for her works on African American and women's literature, she has also interviewed icons...
William L. Andrews
William L. Andrews 0000000108957024 William L. Andrews is E. Maynard Adams Professor of English Emeritus at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has authored, edited, or co-edited more...
Nathan McClain
Nathan McClain NONE Nathan McClain is the author of Scale, a recipient of fellowships from The Frost Place, Sewanee Writers' Conference, Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, and a graduate of the M.F.A. ...
Skye Jackson
Skye Jackson NONE Skye Jackson is an award-winning writer and editor from New Orleans, Louisiana. Her poetry has appeared in The Southern Review, Rattle, Green Mountains Review, and was hand-selecte...
Aaron Philip Clark
Aaron Philip Clark NONE Aaron Philip Clark is a LA-based novelist, screenwriter, and educator, known for his International Thriller Writers Award-nominated Detective Trevor Finnegan series. He also c...
J.E. Thomas
J.E. Thomas NONE J.E. Thomas (left) grew up near Colorado’s Front Range mountains. She spent her early summers stuffing grocery bags with books at the local library, reading feverishly, then repeati...
Percival Everett
Percival Everett 0000000115807163 Percival Everett, a Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Southern California, has authored over 20 books, including notable works such as 'Erasure...
Lois Brown
Lois Brown 0000000055214322 Lois Brown is an author known for her literary biography of Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins, a pioneering New England writer. Brown's work also extends to essays on American and...
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...
Chuck Sambuchino
Chuck Sambuchino 0000000051156057 Chuck Sambuchino is an editor and published author who runs the Guide to Literary Agents Blog, one of the biggest blogs in publishing. His site has instruction and ...
Marie Brown
Marie Brown 0000000376893266 Marie Brown is the first inductee into the Publishing Hall of Fame Marie Dutton Brown, President of Marie Brown Associates, is a highly experienced literary agent with ove...
Elizabeth Nunez
Elizabeth Nunez 0000000080832288 Elizabeth Nunez, a Trinidad-born, award-winning author, wrote ten novels and a memoir, with several recognized by the New York Times and Oprah's book club. Her works,...
Shonda Buchanan
Shonda Buchanan 0000000500800611 Shonda Buchanan is an award-winning author and professor with over 15 years of teaching experience in various literary fields. She's an Education Specialist for the U...
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...
Faye Childs
Faye Childs NONE Faye Childs, born 1956, was a literary agent committed to promoting Black literature. She founded the Black Board Bestsellers list, a platform that increased visibility for Black aut...
Everett Hoagland
Everett Hoagland NONE Everett Hoagland, a Philadelphia-born poet, professor, and activist, is renowned for his contributions to African American literature. A significant literary figure, he has nume...
Regina Brooks
Regina Brooks NONE Regina Brooks, founder and president of Serendipity Literary Agency LLC, combines expertise in engineering and literature with over a decade in senior publishing roles. A Howard Un...
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...
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...