AALBC Search
Stephon Alexander
Stephon Alexander NONE Stephon Alexander, a physics professor at Brown University and 2020 president of the National Society of Black Physicists, specializes in string cosmology. He co-invented a mod...
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 ...
Brent K. Ashabranner
Brent K. Ashabranner 0000000110762541 Brent K. Ashabranner, born 1921, has vast international experience, working with U.S. foreign assistance programs and the Ford Foundation. He served as director ...
Michael Warr
Michael Warr 0000000046890548 Michael Warr, born in 1955, is an award-winning author from Baton Rouge, LA, notable for his work 'Tracing Poetic Memory'. He serves as the deputy director of the Museum...
Kinshasha Holman Conwill and Paul Gardullo
Kinshasha Holman Conwill and Paul Gardullo MULTIPLE Kinshasha Holman Conwill serves as the deputy director of NMAAHC and ex-director of the Studio Museum in Harlem. Paul Gardullo is a historian, cura...
Herman J. Fountain Jr.
Herman J. Fountain Jr. NONE Rev. Dr. Herman J. Fountain Jr. is a retired psychotherapist with 20 years of experience in a Florida state prison and a former deputy warden in Kentucky. He spent 16 year...
Iris Mwanza
Iris Mwanza NONE Iris Mwanza is a Zambian American writer and Deputy Director of Gender Equality at the Gates Foundation. A former corporate lawyer in Zambia and the US, she holds law degrees from Co...
Mona Sutphen
Mona Sutphen 000000004776341X Mona K. Sutphen, a partner at Macro Advisory Partners LLP, is a former White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy in the Obama administration and an ex-American diplom...
Karine Jean-Pierre
Karine Jean-Pierre 0000000500800507 Karine Jean-Pierre is the former White House Press Secretary and Senior Advisor to President Joseph R. Biden Jr. Born in Martinique and raised in New York by Hait...
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...
Joseph S. Spence
Joseph S. Spence NONE Dr. Joseph S. Spence Sr. is a globally recognized author, poet, educator, and military veteran. He has authored over 200 peer-reviewed articles, ten poetry books, and co-founded...
Taylor Byas
Taylor Byas NONE Dr. Taylor Byas, Ph.D. is a Black poet and essayist. Originally from Chicago, she moved to Alabama for six years, where she received both her Bachelor’s degree in English and her Ma...
Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon
Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon 0000000033953968 Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon is a renowned American poet and scholar, celebrated for her exploration of race, identity, and human complexities in her work. Honor...
Victoria Adukwei Bulley
Victoria Adukwei Bulley 0000000474165676 Victoria Adukwei Bulley is a celebrated poet, writer, and artist, recognized for her exceptional poetry with an Eric Gregory Award. She's an alumna of the Bar...
Toi Derricotte
Toi Derricotte 0000000083980729 “My skin causes certain problems continuously, problems that open the issue of racism over and over like a wound.” Toi Derricotte is an award-winning poet a...
Aileen Muhammad
Aileen Muhammad NONE Aileen Muhammad, born in 1950, is a notable poet and author from Philadelphia. Her poetry appeared in Journal of Black Poetry and Muhammad Speaks in the 1960s. She graduated from...
Rachel Eliza Griffiths
Rachel Eliza Griffiths 0000000527846142 Rachel Eliza Griffiths, a poet, photographer, and creative writing teacher, is renowned for her literary portraits, fine art photography, and lyric videos. She...
Reginald Harris
Reginald Harris 0000000022558452 Reginald Harris, a noted poet and IT Director at Poets House, NYC, is a winner of the 2012 Cave Canem/Northwestern University Press Poetry Prize. He's received multip...
Chance Arradondo
Chance Arradondo NONE Chance Arradondo is a versatile writer, born in 1989 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He writes novels, poetry, short stories, and lyrics, inspired by his life experiences and love fo...
Joseph S. Spence, Sheila M. Parrish-Spence, and Jonathan Clarence Parrish-Spence
Joseph S. Spence, Sheila M. Parrish-Spence, and Jonathan Clarence Parrish-Spence MULTIPLE The Spence family, consisting of Joseph, Sheila, and Jonathan, use poetry and various other forms of artistic...
Patricia Jabbeh Wesley
Patricia Jabbeh Wesley 0000000046027939 Wesley Receives the 2023 Theodore Roethke Memorial Poetry Award Dr. Patricia Jabbeh Wesley, a Penn State Altoona professor of English, creative writing and Afri...
April Gibson
April Gibson NONE April Gibson is a poet, writer, and professor from the South Side of Chicago. She is a winner of The Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Award, a Sustainable Arts Foundation Award, and a Loft L...
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...
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...
Keisha-Gaye Anderson
Keisha-Gaye Anderson NONE Keisha-Gaye Anderson is a Jamaican-born poet, creative writer, visual artist, and media professional, whose multi-platform storytelling has examined subjects like art, cult...
Carl Patterson
Carl Patterson NONE Carl Patterson started writing at 45, inspired by his late wife's positive outlook on life. Initially a poet, he transitioned into novel-writing upon her suggestion. His works, in...
Safiya Sinclair
Safiya Sinclair 0000000500999106 Safiya Sinclair is a Jamaica-born author known for her award-winning poetry book, Cannibal. She holds numerous accolades including the Whiting Writers’ Award, Pushcar...
Loretta Collins Klobah
Loretta Collins Klobah NONE Loretta Collins Klobah is a Caribbean Literature and creative writing professor at the University of Puerto Rico. She's lived in various Caribbean-related locations and ho...
Danez Smith
Danez Smith 0000000529080232 Danez Smith is an award-winning poet from St. Paul, Minnesota. Known for his works such as [insert] boy, his poetry explores themes of race, class, sexuality, faith, and ...
Latorial Faison
Latorial Faison NONE Faison is the Judge for Nubianpoets.com 2018 Nation Poetry Month Poetry Contest Latorial Faison is an American poet and author, known for her profound poetry reflecting her Africa...
Danielle Legros Georges
Danielle Legros Georges NONE Danielle Legros Georges, a professor at Lesley University, is a renowned writer and poet with interests in arts, education, American and African-American poetry, Caribbea...
John Murillo
John Murillo NONE John Murillo is a renowned poet and professor known for his works “Up Jump the Boogie” and “Kontemporary Amerikan Poetry.” He's won numerous awards including two Larry Neal Writers ...
Olatunde Osinaike
Olatunde Osinaike NONE Olatunde Osinaike is a Nigerian American poet and software developer from Chicago. He won the 2019 Lucille Clifton Poetry Prize and is the author of Tender Headed, a 2022 Natio...
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...
Danusha Laméris
Danusha Laméris NONE Danusha Lameris, a poet and essayist, was raised in Northern California, born to a Dutch father and Barbadian mother. Danusha Laméris, a poet and essayist, was raised in Nor...
Barbara Fant
Barbara Fant 0000000114483152 Barbara Fant is an acclaimed poet who has been writing and performing for over fifteen years. She has competed in nine National Poetry Slam competitions and placed 8th ...
Jesse McCarthy
Jesse McCarthy NONE Jesse McCarthy is an assistant professor of English and of African and African American studies at Harvard University. His critically acclaimed essay collection Who Will Pay Repar...
Ted Joans
Ted Joans 0000000081560413 “Jazz is my religion.” Theodore “Ted” Joans was an acclaimed jazz poet, surrealist, trumpeter, and painter, known for his avant-garde work and criticism of compe...
Lindsey Nyx Walker
Lindsey Nyx Walker NONE Lindsey Nyx Walker is the senior producer and head writer at StarTalk, a popular science podcast and four-time Emmy-nominated television show on the National Geographic Chann...
Felicia Pearson
Felicia Pearson 0000000036169140 Felicia “Snoop“ Pearson, known for her chilling role in HBO's The Wire, has overcome significant life challenges. Born in difficult circumstances in East Baltimor...
Manzel Bowman
Manzel Bowman NONE Manzel Bowman is a distinguished Afrofuturist artist known for his digital illustrations that merge technology with spiritual and natural motifs. His art explores identity, humanit...
Patricia Smith
Patricia Smith 0000000110775334 Patricia Smith, celebrated poet and professor, is known for her direct and adventuresome style. She’s authored six books, including award finalists 'Blood Dazzler' and...
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...
Geffrey Davis
Geffrey Davis NONE Geffrey Davis, an award-winning author and poet, is renowned for his book 'Revising the Storm'. He's a recipient of numerous accolades including the Anne Halley Poetry Prize. His w...
Claudia Rankine
Claudia Rankine 0000000108694914 Claudia Rankine is a celebrated author and Yale professor, known for her poetry collections, plays, and video collaborations. She won multiple awards for her groundbr...
Major Jackson
Major Jackson 000000011499709X Major Jackson, an award-winning American poet and professor, is known for his poetry collections and contributions to the Harvard Review. He's a recipient of the Whitin...
Chaun Webster
Chaun Webster NONE Chaun Webster, a poet, publisher, and graphic designer, is influenced by the Black Arts Movement, Jazz, and Graffiti. He founded Free Poet’s Press in 2009 to encourage art producti...
Kamau Brathwaite
Kamau Brathwaite 0000000109373020 Edward Kamau Brathwaite, born in Barbados (1930-2020), was a key voice in Caribbean literature, a professor at NYU, and co-founder of the Caribbean Artists Movement....
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...
K. Caprice Arradondo
K. Caprice Arradondo NONE K. Caprice Arradondo, born in 1988, is a Minnesota-based poet, short story writer, lyricist, father, and licensed tattoo artist. His works, including the co-authored “Writer...
Gerren Liles
Gerren Liles NONE Gerren Liles, a Morgan State University graduate and poet, uses his work to promote literacy and self-empowerment among black youth. A finalist for MTV's Real World: Hawaii, his poe...
Shara McCallum
Shara McCallum 0000000078832377 Shara McCallum, a Jamaican author known for her poetry, has published four books and received prestigious recognitions including a Witter Bynner Fellowship. Her works ...
Karl Nova
Karl Nova 0000000048878796 Karl Nova, a London and Lagos raised musician and author, uses rap and spoken word poetry to voice his unique experiences of nonconformity and personal growth. Known for hi...
Ian Williams
Ian Williams NONE Ian Williams is a renowned Canadian poet, short story writer, and novelist. Recognized by CBC as a writer to watch, he has been shortlisted for prestigious poetry awards and is a Da...
Artress Bethany White
Artress Bethany White NONE Artress Bethany White, PhD, is an award-winning poet, essayist, and literary critic known for her poetry collections and scholarly essays. Her notable works include 'My Afm...
t’ai freedom ford
t’ai freedom ford NONE t’ai freedom ford is a NYC high school English teacher, Cave Canem Fellow, and award-winning poet. She has been published in numerous reviews and anthologies, and is an editor ...
John Keene
John Keene 0000000032165978 Winner 2022 National Book Award for Poetry John Keene, acclaimed author known for Annotations, has been published in various anthologies and journals, earning several award...
Phetote Mshairi
Phetote Mshairi NONE Phetote Mshairi is a multi-talented artist from Tulsa, Oklahoma. He's a poet, author, entrepreneur, performing artist, mentor, and more. With a B.B.A. in Business Management, Msh...
June Jordan
June Jordan 0000000114793687 June Millicent Jordan (1936-2002) was a renowned poet, activist, teacher, and essayist, known for her influential voice in liberation. A professor at UC Berkeley, she dir...
Kevin Young
Kevin Young 0000000109530225 Kevin Young, born in 1970, is a renowned poet and teacher influenced by Hughes, Berryman, Dickinson, and Basquiat. A Harvard graduate, Young authored multiple poetry book...
Aimee Nezhukumatathil
Aimee Nezhukumatathil 000000005262000X Aimee Nezhukumatathil is a NY Times best-selling author known for her non-fiction work, 'WORLD OF WONDERS', and four poetry books. She's a poetry editor at SIER...
Jumoke Verissimo
Jumoke Verissimo NONE Jumoke Verissimo is a multi-genre author with two acclaimed poetry collections and a debut novel, A Small Silence. Her works, translated into multiple languages, have won and be...
Kweku Abimbola
Kweku Abimbola NONE Kweku Abimbola, a poet of West African descent, is known for his acclaimed poetry collection “Saltwater Demands a Psalm.” His work explores themes like colonization and climate ch...
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...
Sharrif Simmons
Sharrif Simmons NONE Sharrif Simmons, a poet, musician, writer, and arts educator, has a performance career extending over three decades. Inspired by veteran poet Sonia Sanchez and influenced by vari...
Tanya Wright
Tanya Wright 0000000395292597 Tanya Wright, a Bronx native, is an acclaimed actor known for roles in HBO's True Blood and Netflix's Orange Is the New Black. A Vassar graduate and former New York Time...
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...
Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
Vaunda Micheaux Nelson 0000000084378609 Vaunda Micheaux Nelson is an award-winning children's author and librarian. She penned “Bad News for Outlaws,” which won the 2010 Coretta Scott King Award, and...
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...
Barbara A. Robinson
Barbara A. Robinson NONE Barbara A. Robinson is a multi-faceted individual; an author, businesswoman, and educator. She served the 40th legislative district in the Maryland Senate for 13 years and is...
Dimitry Elias Leger
Dimitry Elias Leger NONE Dimitry Elias Léger, born in Haiti, is a former editor and writer for The Source, Fortune, and MTV News, with work in The New York Times and The Washington Post. A UN adviso...
Milton Allimadi
Milton Allimadi NONE Milton Allimadi, co-founder and editor of The Black Star News, is an experienced journalist who previously worked for The City Sun and The New York Times. A Columbia Journalism S...
Stephanie Stokes Oliver
Stephanie Stokes Oliver NONE Stephanie Stokes Oliver is an accomplished publishing professional, heading SSO Media, serving as a literary scout for Atria Book Group and as author curator for Anguilla...
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...
Valerie Jarrett
Valerie Jarrett NONE Valerie Jarrett, a long-term senior adviser to President Obama, led several White House initiatives and held key roles in Chicago's government and business sectors. She's recogni...
Kenya Hunt
Kenya Hunt NONE Kenya Hunt, Fashion Director at Grazia UK, has a vast career in media, working with top women's titles in the US and UK. An accomplished writer, her work is featured in various public...
Johnnie Cochran
Johnnie Cochran 0000000035524710 Johnnie L Cochran, Jr. was a renowned American trial lawyer, celebrated for his victories against legal system misconduct and his representation of high-profile clien...
Lynnette Khalfani-Cox
Lynnette Khalfani-Cox NONE Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, The Money Coach, is a renowned personal finance expert, television personality, and author of 12 books, including NY Times bestseller 'Zero Debt'. Fo...
Samuel P. Golden
Samuel P. Golden 0000000530897514 Samuel P. Golden’s 2026 Book Tour Samuel P. Golden is a Managing Director with Alvarez & Marsal in Houston and currently serves as a Senior Advisor. He is the fou...
Dante D. King
Dante D. King NONE Dante King is a San Francisco native, historian, and award-winning author of Diagnosing Whiteness & Anti-Blackness: White Psychopathology, Collective Psychosis, and Trauma in ...
Amy DuBois Barnett
Amy DuBois Barnett 0000000040720716 Amy DuBois Barnett is an award-winning media executive and author who earned national acclaim as editor in chief of Honey, Ebony, and Teen People—where she made h...
Charles B. Fancher
Charles B. Fancher NONE Charles B. Fancher is the author of Red Clay, the popular historical novel from Blackstone Publishing. The novel, which covers the final months of the Civil War, Reconstructi...
Wanda Coleman
Wanda Coleman 0000000116780476 “I have yet to kill anyone—I have exhibited great restraint.” Wanda Coleman (1946-2013) was a renowned poet, former medical secretary, magazine editor,...
Roger Robinson
Roger Robinson 000000008108711X Roger Robinson, 2020 TS Eliot Prize laureate, is known for his debut poetry collection, The Butterfly Hotel, which was a contender for The OCM Bocas Poetry Prize. Roge...
Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Guy LeCharles Gonzalez NONE Guy LeCharles Gonzalez is a publishing professional and poetry enthusiast with a diverse background, including service in the US Army and political campaigns. A firm belie...
Terrance Hayes
Terrance Hayes 0000000052553847 Terrance Hayes is a renowned poet, author of four collections and winner of the 2010 National Book Award for Poetry. A MacArthur fellow, Hayes has received numerous ac...
Robin Coste Lewis
Robin Coste Lewis NONE Robin Coste Lewis, a Provost's Fellow at USC, Cave Canem fellow and LA Institute for Humanities fellow, is known for her wide-ranging poetry. With an MFA from NYU and MTS from ...
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 ...
CS Reid
CS Reid NONE CS Reid is an accomplished writer and educator, with degrees in Writing & Critical Theory and Cross-Cultural Teaching/English. She aims to inspire adolescents through her work, notably '...
Jacqueline Johnson
Jacqueline Johnson NONE Jacqueline Johnson is a multi-disciplined artist and award-winning author known for her work in writing and fiber arts. She has taught poetry at multiple institutions and has ...
Stacey Lyn Evans
Stacey Lyn Evans NONE Stacey Lyn Evans, a renowned author and poet, has written for stage and TV, and performed her poetry nationwide. Her book REAL SOUL FOOD has made its way into major bookstores a...
Tai Allen
Tai Allen NONE Tai Allen, a renowned Brooklyn-based creative director, poet, and musician, has excelled in multiple disciplines. His poetry and music have gained recognition from notable publications...
Essex Hemphill
Essex Hemphill 0000000029631982 Essex Hemphill (1957-1995) was a notable poet and activist, significant in the 1980s Washington D.C. art scene. Raised in poverty, he sought solace in poetry, explorin...
Tumika Patrice Cain
Tumika Patrice Cain NONE Tumika Patrice Cain is an award-winning author and media personality, known for her work in women's contemporary fiction and poetry. She's a champion for indie authors, a res...
Gwendolyn Brooks
Gwendolyn Brooks 0000000081816650 Brooks was U.S. Consultant in Poetry, 1985-1986 (title was changed to U.S. Poet Laureate in 1986) Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks (1917-2000) was an influential African-Am...
Hanif Abdurraqib
Hanif Abdurraqib 0000000476031401 Hanif Abdurraqib is an acclaimed poet, essayist, and critic from Ohio. Known for his poetry in various journals and music criticism in high-profile publications, his...
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 ...
William Evans
William Evans NONE William Evans, a renowned author, speaker, and MFA candidate, is a co-founder of Black Nerd Problems and creator of the Writing Wrongs Poetry Slam. He's a recipient of multiple gra...
Kiki Petrosino
Kiki Petrosino NONE Kiki Petrosino, a Professor of Poetry at the University of Virginia, is the author of four poetry books, including “White Blood: a Lyric of Virginia.” Her work has been featured i...
Linda Addison and Alessandro Manzetti
Linda Addison and Alessandro Manzetti MULTIPLE Poets Linda D. Addison and Alessandro Manzetti have collaborated to create a unique poetry collection. The book, written across different time zones, fe...