AALBC Search
Tyehimba Jess
Tyehimba Jess 0000000044353175 Congrats to Tyehimba Jess: Winner 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry Tyehimba Jess, a Detroit native, is an award-winning poet and professor. His first book, Leadbelly, won ...
Donald Goines
Donald Goines 0000000080237403 Donald Goines (December 15, 1936 – October 21, 1974) was a writer of urban fiction. Goines was born in Detroit, Michigan. His parents were a middle-class Afri...
William Gardner Smith
William Gardner Smith 0000000063221434 Influential writer and journalist William Gardner Smith (1927–1974) used his work to highlight racial inequality in America. His novels, such as The Stone Fac...
Pat Parker
Pat Parker 0000000106773440 Pat Parker (1944-1989) was a renowned African-American, lesbian-feminist poet and performer. Notable works include 'Jonestown & Other Madness' and 'Movement in Black'. She...
Nathan C. Heard
Nathan C. Heard NONE Nathan C. Heard (1936-2004) was a celebrated author, teacher, and actor. Known as a pioneer of “street literature,” he gained fame with his book Howard Street, written during his...
Walter Zacharius
Walter Zacharius NONE Walter Zacharius (1923-2011) was a WWII veteran and a noted philanthropist. He co-founded Kensington Publishing in 1974, expanding the romance genre and supporting diverse reade...
Aaron McGruder
Aaron McGruder 0000000037086910 Aaron McGruder, born in Chicago in 1974, is best known for creating the comic strip The Boondocks. Inspired by hip hop and politics, he debuted his work online in 1996...
Ross Gay
Ross Gay 0000000040706017 Born in 1974, Ross Gay is a renowned author and editor, known for his books 'Against Which', 'Bringing the Shovel Down', and 'Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude'. He co-authored...
Millicent Graham
Millicent Graham NONE Millicent A. A. Graham, born in 1974, is a Jamaican poet known for her collections 'The Damp In Things' (2009) and 'The Way Home' (2014). She was a fellow at the Bread Loaf Writ...
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...
Stanley Gazemba
Stanley Gazemba 0000000045040728 Stanley Gazemba, born 1974 in Kenya, is a renowned author of three novels and eight children's books, with his work recognized by the Jomo Kenyatta Prize for fiction....
Cherie Jones
Cherie Jones NONE Cherie S.A. Jones, born in 1974, is a decorated Barbadian author and lawyer. She earned her LL.B degree in 1995 and was admitted to the Barbados Bar in 1997. Known for her award-win...
Bernadette Y. Connor
Bernadette Y. Connor NONE Bernadette Y. Connor, a former AT&T communications technician, turned adversity into opportunity, becoming a successful author. Despite facing personal tragedy and health is...
Hortense J. Spillers
Hortense J. Spillers 0000000037085221 Hortense J. Spillers, a distinguished professor at Cornell University, is a renowned literary critic. Her work over the past two decades has significantly contri...
Angelina Weld Grimké
Angelina Weld Grimké 0000000110713205 Angelina Weld Grimké (1880-1958) was an accomplished American journalist, teacher, playwright, and poet. Notably, she was one of the first Black American women ...
Frank Marshall Davis
Frank Marshall Davis 0000000037536993 Frank Marshall Davis (1905-1987) was a renowned poet known for four volumes including 'Black Man's Verse' & '47th Street: Poems'. His works were later edited by ...
Tammy Merkison
Tammy Merkison NONE Tammy Merkison, a dedicated writer and local model/actress from Central Florida, started her career in aviation maintenance but returned to her passion for creative writing in 200...
Touré
Touré 0000000382921892 Touré Neblett, born in 1971, is a multifaceted writer, TV host, and podcaster from Brooklyn. Known for co-hosting MSNBC's The Cycle (2012-15), he has also hosted multiple show...
Brandon Massey
Brandon Massey 0000000038345320 Brandon Massey, born on June 9, 1973, is a passionate writer from Illinois now based in Atlanta. With an early fascination for words and stories, he began writing in h...
Rachel Zadok
Rachel Zadok 0000000080057090 Rachel Zadok is a renowned South African author. She gained fame in 2004 by reaching the top five in Channel 4's How to Get Published competition, securing a contract wi...
Ray Charles Robinson Jr.
Ray Charles Robinson Jr. NONE Ray Charles Robinson Jr., born in 1955, is the son of music legend Ray Charles. A successful independent film producer, he's known for projects like 'Ray Charles: 50 Yea...
Sophfronia Scott
Sophfronia Scott NONE Sophfronia Scott, a Harvard and Vermont College alumnus, is a renowned writer and former editor at Time and People magazines. Her first novel, published in 2004, was hailed as e...
Sefi Atta
Sefi Atta 0000000078515961 Sefi Atta, a Nigerian-born author, educated in Nigeria, England, and the U.S., is a former accountant turned award-winning writer. Her works have appeared in multiple journ...
Christina Proenza-Coles
Christina Proenza-Coles NONE Christina Proenza-Coles is a scholar with a dual doctorate in sociology and history from the New School for Social Research. With experience in Miami, New York, Havana, a...
Kierra Sheard-Kelly
Kierra Sheard-Kelly 0000000044380093 Kierra Sheard-Kelly, a Detroit-based singer, songwriter, actress, and activist, is part of the legendary gospel group, the Clark Sisters. She launched her solo ca...
African American Literature Book Club
African American Literature Book Club 0000000509856750 The African American Literature Book Club transforms notable forum discussions into articles for increased visibility. The first conversion, “On...
Andre Ward
Andre Ward NONE Andre Michael Ward, born 1984, is a retired American boxer with an untarnished record. He was a multi-time world champion in two weight categories from 2004-2017. Recognized by The Ri...
Laurie Robinson Haden
Laurie Robinson Haden NONE Laurie Robinson Haden, CEO of Corporate Counsel Women of Color, has significantly advanced diversity in the legal profession since 2004. With a distinguished career at CBS ...
Yonder
Yonder 000000009362885X "Yonder, author of the erotic and humorous 'What I do is Taboo' series, provides readers with a unique blend of fantasy and reality. Inspired by favorite authors, Yonder embar...
Ravi Howard
Ravi Howard NONE Ravi Howard is an award-winning author and television producer, known for his novel “Like Trees, Walking.” A recipient of the 2001 Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Award and the 200...
Leonard Pitts Jr.
Leonard Pitts Jr. NONE Leonard Pitts, Jr. is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, known for his commentary on race, politics, and culture. Born in California, he now resides in Maryland. Originally a ...
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...
Eloise Greenfield
Eloise Greenfield 000000006319793X Eloise Greenfield, renowned for her rhythmic style, positively portrayed the black experience in her award-winning children's literature. With works like The Friend...
Piri Thomas
Piri Thomas 0000000362962312 Piri Thomas, born in 1928 to Puerto Rican and Cuban parents, overcame racial discrimination and a troubled past in New York to become an influential figure in the Nuyoric...
May Miller
May Miller 0000000066423568 May Miller was born on January 26, 1899, in Washington, D.C. Her father, Kelly Miller, was a well-known scholar, professor, and sociologist at Howard University, and thei...
Robert Fleming
Robert Fleming 0000000073689743 Support Robert Fleming’s Dialysis Journey Interested in psychology and sociology, I came to writing as a fluke in the early 1970s when a friend, Willard Je...
Andre Seward
Andre Seward NONE Andre Seward, also known as Poetryman7, is a poet who has been writing since 1998. His works are deeply grounded in faith and spirituality, exploring themes of love, grace, and fami...
Tracy K. Smith and Kevin Young
Tracy K. Smith and Kevin Young MULTIPLE Tracy K. Smith is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author of four poetry books, including 'Life on Mars', and the upcoming 'Such Color: New and Selected Poems'. She ha...
Matthew Shenoda
Matthew Shenoda 0000000045678350 Matthew Shenoda is a writer, professor, and author and editor of several books. His poems and essays have appeared in a variety of newspapers, journals, radio progra...
Charisse Carney-Nunes
Charisse Carney-Nunes NONE Charisse Carney-Nunes, writer, speaker and literary advocate, is the award-winning author of the children’s books, I AM BARACK OBAMA (2009), I DREAM FOR YOU A WORLD:...
Electa Rome Parks
Electa Rome Parks NONE Electa Rome Parks is a successful self-published author known for best-selling novels like The Ties That Bind and Loose Ends. After initially self-publishing through her own co...
Melvin Dixon
Melvin Dixon 0000000110291356 Melvin Dixon, a respected professor at Queens College, City University of New York, was renowned for his work on African and African-American literature. He authored nov...
Jackie Kay
Jackie Kay 0000000108753136 Jacqueline Margaret Kay is a celebrated author and former National Poet of Scotland known for her memoir Red Dust Road and various acclaimed poetry collections. Her first ...
Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman
Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman NONE Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman, Ed.D., is the Executive Director at the Hurston Wright Foundation, former Director at Montgomery Community Media, and a successful playwright who...
Quraysh Ali Lansana
Quraysh Ali Lansana NONE Quraysh Ali Lansana is a prolific author, educator, and radio producer based in Tulsa. He has written 23 books spanning poetry, nonfiction, and children's literature. Lansana...
George Ford
George Ford 0000000100607572 George Ford, a prolific children's book illustrator, has contributed to over 30 books. He is a Coretta Scott King Award recipient for his work on 'Ray Charles' and 'The S...
Elliot Fratkin
Elliot Fratkin 0000000108584950 Elliot Fratkin, Professor Emeritus of African Studies & Anthropology at Smith College, is renowned for his extensive research on Samburu and Maa-speaking pastoralists ...
Harold G. Marcus
Harold G. Marcus NONE Harold G. Marcus was a notable professor of History and African Studies at Michigan State University. He is renowned for his works on Ethiopian history and politics, including '...
Julius Evola
Julius Evola 0000000118562907 Baron Julius Evola (1898–1974), born into an aristocratic Sicilian family, was a scholar, philosopher, writer, social thinker, a leader among 20th-century Hermeti...
Steve Harvey
Steve Harvey 000000012031905X Broderick Steven Harvey, born in 1956, is a renowned comedian who started his career in the mid-1980s. He gained fame in 1994 as the host of “It's Showtime at the Apollo...
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...
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...
Muriel Feelings
Muriel Feelings 0000000042175168 Muriel Feelings, born in Pennsylvania, was an educator and author. She taught in East Africa and Brooklyn and collaborated with her illustrator husband, Tom Feelings,...
Randy Roberts and Johnny Smith
Randy Roberts and Johnny Smith MULTIPLE Randy Roberts is distinguished professor of history at Purdue University. An award-winning author, he focuses on the intersection of popular and political cul...
Brook Stephenson
Brook Stephenson NONE AALBC.com Mourns the Loss of Brook Stephenson (February 12, 1974 — August 8, 2015) …just last week Brook was at the Corridor Gallery hosting a reading of work created...
Charles Johnson
Charles Johnson 0000000000042498 Charles Richard Johnson, a novelist, essayist, and cartoonist from Evanston, Illinois, is renowned for his balanced mix of philosophy and folklore. His novel, Middle ...
Gunnar Myrdal
Gunnar Myrdal 0000000121280468 Karl Gunnar Myrdal was a Swedish Nobel laureate economist, sociologist, and politician, best known for his work “An American Dilemma: The Negro Problem and Modern Democ...
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...
Richard Wesley
Richard Wesley 0000000078408226 Richard Wesley, born in 1945, is a celebrated playwright, screenwriter, and associate professor of Playwriting and Screenwriting. He graduated from Howard University i...
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 ...
Thomas Sankara
Thomas Sankara 0000000109098487 “There is no true social revolution without the liberation of women.” Thomas Sankara, born in 1949, was a central figure in Burkina Faso's democratic revolu...
Carolyn Holland
Carolyn Holland NONE Carolyn Holland, a bibliophile and historical romance enthusiast, is dedicated to diversifying the genre by writing books for and about people of color. Inspired by LA Banks and ...
Lorene Cary
Lorene Cary 0000000080840763 Lorene Cary was graduated from St. Paul’s School in 1974 and received B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of Pennsylvania in 1978. She won a Thouron Fe...
Terence Lester
Terence Lester NONE Terence Lester, founder of Love Beyond Walls, is known for his global poverty awareness campaigns and books. He's been featured on major platforms like The Today Show and named a ...
Kerry Washington
Kerry Washington 0000000114635056 Kerry Washington, an Emmy-winning actor, director, and producer from The Bronx, is known for her groundbreaking role in ABC's Scandal and films like Django Unchained...
Will Packer
Will Packer 000000011946820X TEN #1 Movies. A BILLION in box office. Will Packer is one of Hollywood’s most influential filmmakers, with films like Girls Trip, Night School, and Ride Along collectivel...
Albert “Prodigy” Johnson
Albert “Prodigy” Johnson NONE Albert “Prodigy” Johnson was a globally recognized rapper, part of the duo Mobb Deep. Known for his reality-based music, he sold millions of albums worldwide. Prodigy al...
James Lawson Jr.
James Lawson Jr. NONE Born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania on September 22, 1928, and educated at Baldwin-Wallace College and Boston University, Reverend James Morris Lawson Jr.’s life was spent confront...
Rudolph Lewis
Rudolph Lewis NONE Rudolph Lewis is an author and the Editor and Founder of ChickenBones: A Journal one of the webs most importsant and oldest websites Rudolph Lewis (born 1948 in Baltimore, Maryland...
Cheryl Boyce-Taylor
Cheryl Boyce-Taylor 0000000038283932 Trinidad-born, Queens-bred Cheryl Boyce Taylor is a celebrated poet and visual artist. She's authored several poetry collections, received the Partners in Writing...
Etheridge Knight
Etheridge Knight 0000000066439498 Etheridge Knight, born on April 19, 1931, was a renowned poet who began writing while incarcerated and published his notable collection, Poems from Prison, in 1968. ...
Camille T. Dungy
Camille T. Dungy 0000000036407735 Camille T. Dungy, renowned poet and essayist, is known for her work in 100 Best African American Poems and 30 other anthologies. She's a recipient of multiple awards...
Kelly Harris-DeBerry
Kelly Harris-DeBerry NONE Kelly Harris-DeBerry is an award-winning poet and the author of Freedom Knows My Name. Known for her gift to bring poems to life by using her voice as an instrument, audienc...
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...
Shelby Steele
Shelby Steele 0000000117385953 Shelby Steele is an award-winning author, columnist, and Hoover Institution Senior Fellow. Renowned for his study on race relations and cultural issues, Steele's work h...
Sheila E. Anderson
Sheila E. Anderson NONE Sheila Anderson, raised in a music-loving family in Buffalo, New York, shifted from music to civil rights at 16, becoming the New York State Youth President of the NAACP. Desp...
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 ...
Toby Thompkins
Toby Thompkins NONE Toby Thompkins, tech entrepreneur, executive coach, and bestselling author, is the CEO of SAFIOO Inc., a mobile leadership development platform. With 30+ years of experience acros...
Tony Rose
Tony Rose 000000005879297X AALBC Mourns the Passing of Tony Rose Tony Rose (October 11, 1950 – May 27, 2025) was the Publisher and CEO of Amber Communications Group, Inc. the nation’s large...
Cheryl Willis Hudson and Wade Hudson
Cheryl Willis Hudson and Wade Hudson MULTIPLE Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson, parents based in Northern NJ, founded Just Us Books in 1988 to address a lack of quality Black-interest children's ...
Wangari Maathai
Wangari Maathai 0000000121279889 “You cannot enslave a mind that knows itself, that values itself, that understands itself.” Dr. Wangari Maathai was a renowned Kenyan environmental, politi...
Wyatt Tee Walker
Wyatt Tee Walker 0000000082666762 Rev. Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker was a pastor, civil rights leader, theologian, and historian, best known for his work with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the SCLC. He hel...
Yusef Komunyakaa
Yusef Komunyakaa 000000011440862X Yusef Komunyakaa the first African American male to win the Pulitzer Prize for poetry Yusef Komunyakaa, born on April 29, 1947, is a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet recog...
Toyomi Igus
Toyomi Igus NONE Toyomi Igus, a celebrated author and communications strategist, has had a varied career in publishing, corporate, and marketing communications. Known for her work in academic book pu...
Philip Anthony Mitchell
Philip Anthony Mitchell NONE Philip Anthony Mitchell is a native of Queens, NY. He is the founder and lead pastor of 2819 CHURCH, a lively Christ-centered movement based in Atlanta, GA, and the foun...
Jonathan Capehart
Jonathan Capehart 0000000073467972 Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jonathan Capehart is anchor of The Saturday Show and The Sunday Show on MSNBC. In the spring, he will become a co-host of the mor...
Rachel L. Swarns
Rachel L. Swarns NONE Rachel L. Swarns is a renowned journalist and author, focusing on race relations for the New York Times since 1995. She has covered domestic policy, national politics, immigrati...
Renee Daniel Flagler
Renee Daniel Flagler NONE Renee Daniel Flagler is a writer who has served in marketing, promotions and events for over ten years. Professionally, her writing has been featured in business and co...
Thomas Long
Thomas Long 0000000376122955 Thomas Long, a self-published poet from Baltimore, transitioned to urban fiction, reflecting his experiences growing up in the inner city. His debut novel, Dayvon’s Story...
Vickie M. Stringer
Vickie M. Stringer NONE “I use my life as an example to warn others of the dangers of the drug game.” Vickie Stringer, the Queen of Hip-Hop Literature, has revolutionized the genre throu...
James Ransome
James Ransome 0000000030399412 James E. Ransome is an award-winning illustrator known for his children's books. His accolades include the Coretta Scott King Award, IBBY Honor Award, and NAACP Image A...
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...
Barbara Ransby
Barbara Ransby 000000038357030X Barbara Ransby, a renowned historian, writer, and activist, serves as a Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She leads the Social Justice Initiative and...
Eddie S. Glaude Jr.
Eddie S. Glaude Jr. NONE Join a Conversation with Go On Girl! Book Club and Eddie S. Glaude Jr., Saturday, February 20, 2021. Eddie S. Glaude Jr. is a renowned professor at Princeton University, speci...
Melvin Patrick Ely
Melvin Patrick Ely 0000000030403653 Melvin Patrick Ely is an acclaimed author and historian specializing in African American and Southern history. His prize-winning book, 'Israel on the Appomattox', ...
Nikki Rashan
Nikki Rashan NONE Nikki Rashan is an acclaimed author known for 'Double Pleasure Double Pain', 'You Make Me Wanna', 'Cyber Case', and 'The EXchange'. She shared her coming out story on Oprah and has ...
Charles Euchner
Charles Euchner NONE Euchner, a renowned author and speaker, explores the Civil Rights Revolution in his work, drawing lessons for today's world from the movement's “everyday heroism.” A Vanderbilt a...
Sheryl Huggins Salomon
Sheryl Huggins Salomon NONE Sheryl Huggins Salomon is a seasoned journalist and digital media expert, having worked with media giants like Time Inc., The Washington Post Company, AOL, and Dow Jones. ...
Cheryl Robinson
Cheryl Robinson NONE Cheryl Robinson, a Detroit-born author, transformed her life from a career in marketing to writing. She began with self-publishing, before transitioning to Penguin Books' imprint...
Heru Ptah
Heru Ptah NONE Heru Ptah is a multifaceted writer, known for his work as a poet, novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. He's appeared on HBO's Def Poetry Jam, CNN, and has a novel published by MTV B...