AALBC Search
Wanuri Kahiu
Wanuri Kahiu 0000000088258372 Wanuri Kahiu, born in Nairobi, is a renowned Kenyan filmmaker whose award-winning films have been showcased in over 100 global film festivals. Her first picture book, Th...
Nelda LaTeef
Nelda LaTeef 000000008348432X Nelda LaTeef is an award-winning author and illustrator, known for acclaimed children's books like Animal Village and The Talking Baobab Tree. Her work has received nume...
Deborah G. Plant
Deborah G. Plant 0000000055229006 Deborah G. Plant is a respected scholar and critic, specializing in African American literature and Africana Studies, particularly the works of Zora Neale Hurston. P...
Lasana D. Kazembe
Lasana D. Kazembe NONE Dr. Lasana D. Kazembe, a Chicago-native scholar, specializes in Urban Education, Global Black Arts Movements, and the Black Intellectual Tradition. He explores Culturally Susta...
Elizabeth-Irene Baitie
Elizabeth-Irene Baitie 0000000401699917 Elizabeth-Irene Baitie is a renowned children's book author from Ghana, known for winning prestigious awards like the Children’s Africana Book Award, Burt Awar...
Tiphanie Yanique
Tiphanie Yanique 0000000071326295 Tiphanie Yanique, a novelist, poet, and professor from Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, is renowned for her numerous awards including the Mary Grant Charles Award ...
Patricia Reid-Merritt
Patricia Reid-Merritt NONE Dr. Patricia Reid-Merritt is a distinguished professor at Richard Stockton College, founder of Afro-One Dance, Drama and Drum Theatre, and an award-winning social worker. K...
Nate Powell
Nate Powell 0000000078269174 Nate Powell, born in 1978, is a New York Times best-selling graphic novelist known for “March,” the autobiography of John Lewis. A self-publisher from age 14, Powell's aw...
Heather Andrea Williams
Heather Andrea Williams 0000000036912707 Heather Andrea Williams, a professor of Africana studies at the University of Pennsylvania, is an award-winning author recognized for her works on African Ame...
Miriam Ma’sat Ka ReMonges
Miriam Ma’sat Ka ReMonges NONE Miriam Ma’sat Ka ReMonges (1950-2006) was a prominent professor of Social Work and African American Studies at California State University. She held a Ph.D. from Temple...
Donna L. Washington
Donna L. Washington 0000000067719053 Donna L. Washington is a professional storyteller, multiple-award-winning recording artist, and children’s book author (Boo Stew). She performs at festivals, sch...
Leah Henderson
Leah Henderson NONE Leah Henderson is an award-winning author with a passion for travel and exploration, which influences her work. Her notable works include the Africana Children’s Book Award notabl...
Andrea Davis Pinkney
Andrea Davis Pinkney 0000000083413599 Andrea Davis Pinkney is a bestselling author of children and young adult books, awarded multiple honors such as Coretta Scott King Awards and NAACP Image Award n...
Faith Ringgold
Faith Ringgold 0000000078615604 Faith Ringgold was a multi-disciplinary artist and professor emeritus at the University of California, San Diego. Known for her work in painting, writing, and sculptur...
Wayétu Moore
Wayétu Moore 0000000474741880 Wayétu Moore is the founder of One Moore Book, a non-profit publishing culturally relevant books to promote literacy in countries with low rates. She opened her first b...
Rachel Renée Russell
Rachel Renée Russell 0000000116442848 “Black writers should not be typecast into having only black characters.”—Shonda Rhimes Rachel Renee Russell, attorney and bestselling author of...
Allen Ballard
Allen Ballard NONE Allen B. Ballard, renowned History and Africana Studies professor at SUNY-Albany, is a Harvard Ph.D. graduate and Professor Emeritus of Political Science at CCNY. An esteemed autho...
Kellie Carter Jackson
Kellie Carter Jackson NONE Kellie Carter Jackson, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Africana Studies at Wellesley College and author of the award-nominated book, Force and Freedom. She resides in S...
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...
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...
Ousmane K. Power-Greene
Ousmane K. Power-Greene NONE Ousmane K. Power-Greene, Africana Studies Chair at Clark University, is the author of “Against Wind and Tide.” His work features in “The Harlem Renaissance Revisited” and...
Fred Lee Hord
Fred Lee Hord NONE Dr. Fred Lee Hord, born in 1941, is the founder and Executive Director of the Association for Black Culture Centers. He's a professor at Knox College and Director of its Africana S...
Peniel E. Joseph
Peniel E. Joseph 0000000115111895 Peniel E. Joseph, historian and professor at The University of Texas, is the founding director of the LBJ School’s Center for the Study of Race and Democracy. Specia...
Marquita M. Gammage
Marquita M. Gammage NONE Marquita M. Gammage is a Full Professor and Chair of the Africana Studies Department at California State University, Northridge (CSUN). She earned her PhD in African America...
Naomi V. Dunsen-White
Naomi V. Dunsen-White NONE Naomi V. Dunsen-White is a children’s book author and editor focused on promoting diversity and representation in children's literature. She utilizes her background as a fo...
Anne C. Bailey
Anne C. Bailey 0000000041675128 Anne C. Bailey is a renowned writer and historian, specializing in history and Africana studies as a university professor. Anne C. Bailey is a writer, historian and pr...
Tricia Rose
Tricia Rose 0000000108726760 Tricia Rose, a professor of Africana Studies at Brown University, specializes in African-American culture, politics, and gender issues. She is the author of 'Black Noise'...
Graham Russell Gao Hodges and Alan Edward Brown
Graham Russell Gao Hodges and Alan Edward Brown MULTIPLE "Graham Russell Gao Hodges is a History, Africana and Latin American Studies Professor at Colgate University. Alan Edward Brown is a Minneapol...
Carole Boyce-Davies
Carole Boyce-Davies 0000000110589582 Carole Boyce-Davies is a Cornell University professor specializing in Africana studies and English. She's renowned for works such as “Left of Karl Marx” and the “...
Edmund Abaka
Edmund Abaka 0000000033905018 Edmund Abaka, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of History and Director of the Africana Studies Program at the University of Miami. Edmund Abaka, Ph.D. is Associate Profe...
Karin L. Stanford
Karin L. Stanford 0000000084129856 Karin L. Stanford, PhD, is a renowned professor specializing in Africana studies at California State University, Northridge. Karin L. Stanford, PhD, is professor of...
Kimberly W. Benston
Kimberly W. Benston 0000000025660567 Kimberly W. Benston (born January 18, 1953) is Francis B. Gummere Professor of English and Africana Studies at Haverford College, where he has also served as Prov...
Sandra Jackson-Opoku
Sandra Jackson-Opoku 0000000034062374 Sandra Jackson-Opoku is an acclaimed writer with numerous published works on Africana literature and African American studies. She has also taught Literature and...
Christine Platt
Christine Platt NONE Christine Platt Patrick, also known as CP Patrick, is a Florida-born author specializing in African Diaspora narratives interlacing fiction and fantasy. She holds degrees in Afri...
Wade Nobles
Wade Nobles 0000000082420463 Dr. Wade W. Nobles is a professor emeritus at San Francisco State University and founder of the Institute for the Advanced Study of Black Family, Life and Culture, Inc. A...
Nicole Sealey
Nicole Sealey NONE Nicole Sealey, originally from St. Thomas, U.S.V.I., is an acclaimed author and poet known for 'Ordinary Beast' and her award-winning chapbook. She's a recipient of numerous prizes...
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...
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...
Tony Martin
Tony Martin 0000000064030680 Professor Tony Martin, born in Trinidad and Tobago (1942-2013), was a revered historian and author, known as the leading expert on Marcus Garvey. Alongside teaching Afric...
Joshua M. Myers
Joshua M. Myers NONE Joshua M. Myers is an Africana Studies professor at Howard University and an author. His notable work includes “We Are Worth Fighting For: A History of the Howard University Stud...
Monica A. Coleman
Monica A. Coleman 0000000040498916 Dr. Monica A. Coleman is an award-winning author and Professor of Africana Studies at the University of Delaware. Known for her work in Black and womanist theologie...
Maulana Karenga
Maulana Karenga 0000000116973657 Maulana Karenga, a professor of Africana Studies and influential figure in the Black Power movement, created the African-American holiday of Kwanzaa. A graduate of UC...
Akinyele Umoja, Karin L. Stanford, and Jasmin A. Young
Akinyele Umoja, Karin L. Stanford, and Jasmin A. Young MULTIPLE "Akinyele Umoja is a professor in African-American Studies at Georgia State University. Karin L. Stanford, PhD, teaches Africana studie...
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. ...
Noliwe Rooks
Noliwe Rooks 000000010894475X Noliwe Rooks, born in 1963, is a professor and chair of Africana Studies at Brown University, specializing in the intersection of race and gender in US culture, history,...
Thulani Davis
Thulani Davis 0000000001538348 Thulani Davis is an interdisciplinary scholar and writer, with focus on black political thought, slavery, and African American literature. She's a recipient of numerous...
Khary Lazarre-White
Khary Lazarre-White NONE Khary Lazarre-White, Esq., co-founder and Executive Director of The Brotherhood/Sister Sol, is renowned for his innovative leadership. Born in 1974 in New York City, he's a r...
Melba Joyce Boyd
Melba Joyce Boyd 0000000030185254 Melba Joyce Boyd, a renowned poet and academic, has authored nine poetry books and received various awards. She is a Distinguished University Professor at Wayne Stat...
Ali Mazrui
Ali Mazrui 0000000119710676 “One of the Top 100 Intellectuals in the World” Ali Al’amin Mazrui (1933-2014), a distinguished Kenyan academic and political writer, specialized in African and...
Pat Cummings
Pat Cummings 0000000067231736 Pat Cummings is an award-winning author and illustrator, known for creating over 30 children's books. She's worked on TV shows like Gullah Gullah Island and Cover to Cov...
Zadie Smith
Zadie Smith 000000012276857X Zadie Smith, born Sadie Smith in 1975, is a renowned British author of Jamaican-English heritage. Her debut novel, “White Teeth,” won numerous awards, and subsequent nove...
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...
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 ...
Arisa White
Arisa White NONE Arisa White, an acclaimed poet and assistant professor at Colby College, is known for her work that centers queer and trans narratives. She is a Cave Canem graduate, a multiple award...
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...
Michelle Meadows
Michelle Meadows NONE Michelle Meadows is a celebrated children's author of 10 books, best known for her debut, 'The Way The Storm Stops'. Her heartwarming stories, often read aloud, help children na...
Angela Johnson
Angela Johnson 0000000114404557 Angela Johnson, an acclaimed American author, has penned over 40 children's books and poems since 1989. Her numerous awards include the Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Awar...
Irene Luxbacher
Irene Luxbacher 0000000078506870 Irene Luxbacher is a renowned Canadian artist, author, and children's book illustrator. With degrees in Art History and Fine Art, she has gained acclaim through her a...
Vanessa L. Williams
Vanessa L. Williams 000000011462842X Vanessa Lynn Williams, born March 18, 1963, is a multi-talented actor, singer, fashion designer and author. She made history as the first African-American Miss Am...
Bill Withers
Bill Withers 000000006309931X Bill Withers was a singer-songwriter and musician. He received numerous awards in his lifetime and won three GRAMMY Awards. William Harrison Withers Jr. (July 4, 1938 &...
Cheryl Wills
Cheryl Wills NONE Cheryl Wills is an acclaimed anchor for New York 1 News, author, and public speaker. Known for her coverage of significant events like 9/11, she's also authored “Die Free: A Heroic ...
D-Knowledge
D-Knowledge NONE Writer/Performer Dr. Derrick Gilbert, PhD, a/k/a poet D-Knowledge, lost his battle with liver disease on Sunday morning, November 1, 2015. He was 45. Straddling the worlds of enter...
Rasheda Ashanti Malcolm
Rasheda Ashanti Malcolm NONE Rasheda Ashanti Malcolm is a celebrated writer, playwright, and founder of Candace Magazine. She's received awards including the National Black Women Achievement Awards a...
John Steptoe
John Steptoe 0000000083178664 John Lewis Steptoe (1950-1989) was a renowned children's book author and illustrator from Brooklyn, NY. Known for his rich illustrations depicting the African American e...
Pamela C. Rice
Pamela C. Rice NONE Pamela C. Rice is an acclaimed children's author and illustrator with over 25 books to her credit. Notable for her artistic collaborations and warm illustrations, Rice's works dra...
Mildred D. Taylor
Mildred D. Taylor 0000000382722105 Mildred DeLois Taylor, born September 13, 1943, is a renowned author known for her award-winning novels like 'The Road to Memphis' and 'Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry...
Brittney Brackett
Brittney Brackett NONE Brittney Brackett is a multifaceted professional with over 17 years of experience in acting, voice talent, and authoring children's books. She is the Operations Manager at b dy...
Monica Edinger
Monica Edinger 0000000035253746 Monica Edinger is a retired classroom teacher and the author of the children’s book Africa Is My Home: A Child of the Amistad (Candlewick 2013), which won the 2014 Ch...
Sydney Smith
Sydney Smith 000000010777471X Sydney Smith is a renowned illustrator of children's books, known for works like 'Sidewalk Flowers' and 'The White Cat and the Monk.' His book 'Town Is by the Sea' won t...
Jacqueline Woodson
Jacqueline Woodson 0000000083968439 Jacqueline Woodson, born in 1963, is a renowned author who has received multiple awards, including the National Book Award. She writes primarily for young adults a...
Julia D. Shaw
Julia D. Shaw NONE Julia D. Shaw is a seasoned marketing expert with over 20 years experience in PR, events, and business development. As a PR consultant for The Network for Women in Business and fou...
Marian Wright Edelman
Marian Wright Edelman 0000000082813240 Marian Wright Edelman is a renowned American children's rights activist and the founder of the Children's Defense Fund. She is the recipient of numerous awards ...
David Simon
David Simon 0000000122782515 David Simon, award-winning author of novels, plays, and poetry, is also known for his bestselling educational series and workbooks for children. His contributions in offe...
Jimmie Allen
Jimmie Allen 0000000465260495 Jimmie Allen is a multi-platinum American recording artist and the first Black artist to achieve two consecutive #1 hits on country radio and win the ACM New Male Artist...
Michelle D. Commander
Michelle D. Commander 0000000497642121 Dr. Michelle D. Commander is Deputy Director of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. She is an interdisciplin...
Andrea Hairston
Andrea Hairston 000000004096098X Andrea Hairston, an Afrofuturist novelist and playwright, is also the L. Wolff Kahn 1931 Professor Emerita at Smith College. With award-winning novels like 'Redwood a...
Alexis Pauline Gumbs
Alexis Pauline Gumbs 000000011229354X Alexis Pauline Gumbs is a queer black feminist and academic who has pioneered archival research in Black feminist geniuses' works. She founded grassroots publish...
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...
Janice N. Harrington
Janice N. Harrington 0000000032231461 Award-winning poet and children's author Janice N. Harrington's notable works include NSTA Best STEM Book 'Buzzing with Questions' and Kirkus Reviews Best Book '...
Angela Shanté
Angela Shanté NONE Angela was a Finalist for a 2024 National Book Award Angela Shanté is an award-winning children's book author, co-founder of Sunday Dinner Publishing, and DEI advocate in publishing...
Michele Norris
Michele Norris 0000000047566336 Michele Norris, acclaimed host of All Things Considered, is a notable journalist and author recognized with multiple awards, including the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Un...
Edward Roy
Edward Roy 0000000108894174 Edward Roy, born in 1945, grew up in Harlem, NY, mentored by influential figures including Malcolm X. He served in the US Army’s Medical Corps during the Cold War and Viet...
Tasha Cobbs Leonard
Tasha Cobbs Leonard 0000000408031709 Two-time Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter Tasha Cobbs Leonard (born July 7, 1981) is one of the most iconic artists in gospel music history. Winner of ...
Jan Spivey Gilchrist
Jan Spivey Gilchrist 0000000067483263 Jan Spivey Gilchrist, a Ph.D. holder in English, has illustrated over 60 children's books since 1988, with numerous prestigious awards to her name. She's also an...
Jewell Parker Rhodes
Jewell Parker Rhodes 0000000120252879 Jewell’s New Book Will’s Race for Home Debuted at #6 on the NY Times Bestsellers List! Jewell Parker Rhodes is an esteemed author and artistic directo...
Tom Feelings
Tom Feelings 0000000063291627 Tom Feelings was a Brooklyn-born author, illustrator, and activist who portrayed the African-American experience through his work. He had a distinguished career, winning...
Armond White
Armond White 0000000031792179 Armond Allen White, born in 1953, is a renowned film and music critic. He served as the arts editor for The City Sun and later wrote for New York Press. He was the edito...
Al Young
Al Young 0000000063058737 Al Young, born in 1939, is a respected author and poet from Mississippi. He attended the University of Michigan before moving to the San Francisco Bay Area and graduating fr...
Jay Wright
Jay Wright 000000007830315X “A Poet’s Poet” Jay Wright, born in 1934, is a prolific author of 15 books of poetry, 40+ plays, and essays. A fellow of the American Academy of Arts and ...
Pamela Mariva Mshana
Pamela Mariva Mshana NONE Pamela Mariva Mshana, PhD, is an acclaimed playwright, author, and educator. Known for her play, Ebony, and her work at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy, she has receive...
Kristin Hunter
Kristin Hunter 000000008098402X Kristin Hunter, also known as Kristin Lattany, was an acclaimed author, advertising copywriter, and a senior lecturer in English at the University of Pennsylvania. Bes...
Jen Bryant
Jen Bryant 0000000067561735 Jen Bryant is an award-winning author of picture books, novels, and poems for all ages. Her accolades include two Caldecott Honors, two ALA Schneider Family Book Awards, a...
Danzy Senna
Danzy Senna 0000000121437007 “Is Danzy Senna Black?” Danzy Senna, a celebrated novelist and essayist, focuses on identity, motherhood, race, and gender in her work. A Stanford BA and UC Ir...
Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Dolen Perkins-Valdez 0000000074479879 Dolen Perkins-Valdez, a Memphis-born novelist, is renowned for her New York Times bestselling novel 'Wench.' A Harvard graduate and former University of Californ...
Trevor Noah
Trevor Noah 0000000430715306 Trevor Noah, a successful African comedian and host of the award-winning 'The Daily Show', joined the show in 2014. He has multiple comedy specials, including his 9th, 'A...
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...
James W. Lewis
James W. Lewis NONE James W. Lewis, an award-winning novelist and freelance writer, is a managing partner at The Pantheon Collective publishing company. Known for his debut novel 'Sellout', he has re...
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 ...
Shaundale Rénā
Shaundale Rénā NONE Shaundale Rénā is an award-winning literary professional with over a decade of editing experience. She has six international awards and has worked in various genres. Known for enh...
Ma’Ronda X
Ma’Ronda X NONE Ma'Ronda X, born in San Fernando Valley, is the first in her family to graduate high school and college. With degrees from California State University, she's now pursuing a Master's i...