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Cynthia Freeman Gibbs
Cynthia Freeman Gibbs NONE Cynthia Freeman Gibbs is a Michigan-born author, MBA holder, and former Merck Pharmaceutical corporate worker. She launched her writing career in 2016 and published her boo...
Cynthia Harris Casteel
Cynthia Harris Casteel NONE Cynthia Harris Casteel, a retired teacher and Maryland native, is an aspiring writer, playwright, and founder of the happiness organization, Frankie's Angels. Known for he...
Cynthia Leitich Smith
Cynthia Leitich Smith 0000000116543788 Cynthia Leitich Smith is a bestselling author of books across all ages. Known for her award-winning books like Hearts Unbroken, she also curates Heartdrum, a Na...
Gary Jackson, Len Lawson, and Cynthia Manick
Gary Jackson, Len Lawson, and Cynthia Manick MULTIPLE Gary Jackson, Len Lawson, and Cynthia Manick are renowned authors, each with unique voices and perspectives in literature. They offer a diverse r...
Cynthia Manick
Cynthia Manick NONE Cynthia Manick's poetry collection, No Sweet Without Brine, is a celebration of self-love and culture. Through lyrical expressions, she explores daily life, familial bonds, and so...
Edwidge Danticat
Edwidge Danticat 000000011051509X Edwidge Danticat, a Haitian-born author, is renowned for her books like “Breath, Eyes, Memory”, an Oprah Book Club pick, and “The Farming of Bones”, an American Book...
Adrian Matejka
Adrian Matejka 0000000037525872 Adrian Matejka is a Germany-born, Indiana-based author and educator. A graduate of Indiana University and Southern Illinois University Carbondale, he has penned award-...
R. Renee and Cynthia Harper
R. Renee and Cynthia Harper MULTIPLE R. Renee and Cynthia Harper are acclaimed authors known for their compelling narratives. They've established a significant reputation in the literary world with t...
Cynthia Eileen Johnson
Cynthia Eileen Johnson NONE Cynthia Eileen Johnson is a prolific writer, best known for her work “Stop the Music, Vol. 1.” Cynthia Eileen Johnson is the author of Stop the Music, Vol. 1
Cynthia Grady
Cynthia Grady NONE Cynthia Grady, a former middle school librarian and teacher, is a New Mexico-based author who enjoys playing music for her two rabbits, Finoa and Banjo. Cynthia Grady is an author ...
Septima Clark and Cynthia Stokes Brown
Septima Clark and Cynthia Stokes Brown MULTIPLE Cynthia Stokes Brown is an Education Professor at Dominican College, San Rafael, California. She is recognized for her extensive work on Septima Clark,...
Angela Flournoy
Angela Flournoy 0000000436914613 Angela Flournoy, author of The Turner House, a National Book Award finalist, has been recognized with numerous awards including the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize. A Nat...
Cynthia Erivo
Cynthia Erivo 0000000463423721 Cynthia Erivo is a Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Award–winning actress, singer, author, and producer, as well as a SAG, Golden Globe, and three-time Academy Award nomin...
Willa Cofield, Cynthia Samuelson, and Mildred Sexton
Willa Cofield, Cynthia Samuelson, and Mildred Sexton MULTIPLE Willa Cofield is a retired educator with a deep devotion to community uplift. She previously held positions at the North Carolina Fund, ...
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,...
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...
Marilyn Nelson
Marilyn Nelson 0000000081267022 Marilyn Nelson, former Poet Laureate of Connecticut, is a three-time National Book Award Finalist, Annisfield-Wolf Award winner, and author of acclaimed titles like 'T...
Deborah Wiles
Deborah Wiles 0000000058444035 Deborah Wiles is an award-winning author known for acclaimed books like 'Each Little Bird that Sings' & 'Revolution'. Her accolades include National Book Award nominati...
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...
Cynthia A. Minor
Cynthia A. Minor NONE Author Bio: “John Smith is a renowned author and historian, with a Ph.D. in History from Harvard University. He has written over 50 books, many of which have topped the New York...
Diana Veiga
Diana Veiga NONE Go On Girl! Book Club, Unpublished Writer Award 2013 Winner Diana Veiga, winner of the 2013 Go On Girl! Book Club's Unpublished Writer award, is a dedicated writer and social justice ...
Kimberla Lawson Roby
Kimberla Lawson Roby 0000000063897135 Kimberla’s Thoughts on Concluding Her Reverend Curtis Black Series, After 15 Books Kimberla Lawson Roby is a New York Times Bestselling Author of 24 novels,...
Danielle Boodoo-Fortuné
Danielle Boodoo-Fortuné NONE Danielle Boodoo-Fortuné is a renowned Trinidadian poet and artist, with works featured in multiple publications. She won the 2009 Caribbean Writer's Paiewonksy Prize and...
T. Geronimo Johnson
T. Geronimo Johnson 0000000357171620 T. Geronimo Johnson, a New Orleans native, is a bestselling author known for 'Welcome to Braggsville' and 'Hold It 'Til It Hurts'. A finalist for the 2013 PEN/Fau...
Mariana Llanos
Mariana Llanos 0000000037617355 Mariana Llanos, a Peru-born author, studied theater in Lima before moving to Oklahoma in 2002. She self-published her first book, Tristan Wolf, in 2013 and has since p...
J. Everett Prewitt
J. Everett Prewitt NONE J. Everett Prewitt, a distinguished alumnus and Vietnam veteran, has received numerous awards for his novels, including “Snake Walkers” and “A Long Way Back.” His works have b...
Kekla Magoon
Kekla Magoon 0000000040185776 Kekla Magoon, an award-winning author of eight YA novels, including The Rock and the River and X: A Novel, also pens non-fiction on historical topics. She's won an NAACP...
Neil Baldwin
Neil Baldwin 0000000108910963 Dr. Neil Baldwin, born in New York City, is a renowned author and scholar with a Ph.D. in Modern American Poetry. He has authored various poetry, textbooks, and biograph...
Amina Gautier
Amina Gautier 0000000118109950 Dr. Amina Gautier, an award-winning author of three short story collections, is a scholar and professor specializing in African American literature. She teaches in the ...
Masande Ntshanga
Masande Ntshanga 0000000450507336 Masande Ntshanga, winner of the 2013 PEN International New Voices Award and 2015 Caine Prize Finalist, is an accomplished writer and UCT graduate. He has written for...
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...
Colson Whitehead
Colson Whitehead 0000000109128041 Congrats to Colson Whitehead: Winner 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction Colson Whitehead, born in 1969, is an acclaimed writer who began his career at the Village Voice....
Deborah Davis
Deborah Davis 0000000109357178 Deborah Davis is an acclaimed author of seven non-fiction books, including the authorized history of The Oprah Winfrey Show and Guest of Honor, a Phillis Wheatley Award...
Laurie Halse Anderson
Laurie Halse Anderson 0000000120318276 Laurie Halse Anderson, a New York Times bestselling author, is renowned for her sensitive, humorous approach to tough subjects. A two-time National Book Award f...
Aracelis Girmay
Aracelis Girmay 0000000038001720 Aracelis Girmay, born December 10, 1977, is a renowned poet, author of multiple books including 'Teeth' and 'Kingdom Animalia', and a finalist for several awards. She...
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 ...
Emily Raboteau
Emily Raboteau 0000000036573661 Emily Raboteau, author of 'The Professor’s Daughter' and 'Searching for Zion,' is an award-winning writer renowned for her fiction and essays. She has received numerou...
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 ...
Jesmyn Ward
Jesmyn Ward 0000000049339751 Two-Time National Book Award Winning Author Jesmyn Ward, a Mississippi-born author and University of South Alabama professor, has penned novels like “Where the Line Bleeds...
Donika Kelly
Donika Kelly 0000000497770596 Donika Kelly, award-winning author of 'Bestiary', is celebrated for her contributions to poetry with accolades like the 2015 Cave Canem Poetry Prize and 2018 Kate Tufts ...
James Earl Hardy
James Earl Hardy 0000000042416478 James Earl Hardy is the author of the bestselling B-Boy Blues series, including B-Boy Blues, which has been praised as the first gay hip hop love story and is celeb...
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...
David Bradley
David Bradley 0000000114789119 David Bradley is a creative writing professor at the University of Oregon. His acclaimed novel, The Chaneysville Incident, won the PEN/Faulkner Award and was a National...
Ibi Zoboi
Ibi Zoboi NONE Haitian-born, New York-raised author Ibi Zoboi is an MFA holder from Vermont College of Fine Arts, a New York Times bestselling author, and a National Book Award finalist. She's known ...
Richard Kigel
Richard Kigel NONE Richard Kigel is an experienced literacy professional and veteran teacher with a focus on inspiring students in reading and writing. He is notable for his revealing article on Phil...
Ta-Nehisi Coates
Ta-Nehisi Coates 0000000036544350 “I’ve been wondering who might fill the intellectual void that plagued me after James Baldwin died…clearly it is Ta-Nehisi Coates.” —To...
Deesha Philyaw
Deesha Philyaw 0000000401543576 Deesha Philyaw, co-author of Co-Parenting 101, is known for her notable work on race, parenting, gender, and culture. Her writing has been featured in renowned publica...
Karen Eubanks Jackson
Karen Eubanks Jackson NONE Karen Eubanks Jackson, a 27-year, four-time breast cancer survivor, is the founder and CEO of Sisters Network Inc., the only nationwide African American breast cancer survi...
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...
Farrah Rochon
Farrah Rochon NONE Farrah Rochon, a Louisiana native and award-winning author, launched her writing career at Xavier University. She's known for her Holmes Brothers series, starting with her debut no...
Francis Ray
Francis Ray 0000000110715606 Francis Ray (1944-2013) was a celebrated Texas-based author and school nurse practitioner. Known for her bestsellers in Blackboard and Essence Magazine, her work includes...
Barbara Smith
Barbara Smith 0000000040375377 Barbara Smith, born 1946, is a renowned author, activist, and scholar. Known for her work on race, class, sexuality, and gender, she has co-authored key texts on Black ...
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...
Adam Hochschild
Adam Hochschild 0000000116827692 Adam Hochschild, born October 5, 1942, is a renowned author of 11 books, including award-winning titles like “King Leopold's Ghost”, “To End All Wars”, and “Bury the ...
Zanele Muholi
Zanele Muholi 0000000120987488 Zanele Muholi, born 1972, is a South African visual activist and award-winning photographer. They are the co-founder of the Forum for the Empowerment of Women and found...
Debra Owsley
Debra Owsley NONE Debra Owsley, avid reader and hairstylist, transformed her passion into a business, Simply Said Reading Accessories and LitVersation. She collaborates with bestselling authors, book...
Ben Jealous
Ben Jealous 0000000417015073 Benjamin Todd Jealous is a notable American civil rights leader and social impact investor. He was the youngest-ever national leader of the NAACP (2008-2013) and ran for ...
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...
Brooke C. Obie
Brooke C. Obie NONE Brooke C. Obie, JD, MFA, is a graduate of Hampton University and Mercer University School of Law. She worked on rapper T.I.'s legal defense team and is a Fulbright Fellowship fina...
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...
Cornelius Eady
Cornelius Eady 0000000025783225 Cornelius Eady is a renowned poet and author of eight books, including award-winning “Victims of the Latest Dance Craze.” He co-founded the Cave Canem workshop for Afr...
Charles R. Smith Jr.
Charles R. Smith Jr. NONE Charles R. Smith Jr. is an acclaimed author, poet, and photographer with over 30 books. He's a recipient of the Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration and Honor Author Aw...
Laila Lalami
Laila Lalami 0000000036068972 Laila Lalami, a prolific author and creative writing professor at the University of California, has penned award-winning novels including 'The Moor’s Account'. She's a r...
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...
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...
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...
April Sinclair
April Sinclair NONE April Sinclair, a Chicago native, is a renowned author and community activist. Known for her dedicated activism in Oakland and her unique approach to her literary debut, Sinclair'...
Dick Lehr
Dick Lehr 0000000122793759 Dick Lehr, a Boston University journalism professor and former Boston Globe reporter, is a Pulitzer Prize finalist known for his investigative reporting. Lehr, who also pra...
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...
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...
Hannah V. Sawyerr
Hannah V. Sawyerr NONE Hannah V. Sawyerr was recognized as the Youth Poet Laureate of Baltimore in 2016. Her debut novel in verse All the Fighting Parts was recognized as a William C. Morris Debut A...
Philip Dray
Philip Dray 0000000066587650 Philip Dray, a Brooklyn-based author renowned for his award-winning books including “At the Hands of Persons Unknown”, a Pulitzer finalist and RFK Book Award winner, and ...
David Covin
David Covin 0000000084071877 David Covin was a Professor Emeritus of Government and Ethnic Studies at CSU Sacramento and Past President of the National Conference of Black Political Scientists. He wa...
Anita Gail Jones
Anita Gail Jones NONE Anita Gail Jones, a Georgia-born visual artist and writer, is a Hedgebrook alumna and a 2018-19 Affiliate Artist at The Headlands Center. Her debut novel, The Peach Seed, was a ...
Derrick Barnes
Derrick Barnes 0000000036217464 Derrick D. Barnes, a Kansas City native and Jackson State University graduate, is a celebrated author known for children's books like “Stop Drop and Chill” and “The Lo...
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...
Marlon McCaulsky
Marlon McCaulsky NONE Award-winning American author and screenplay writer, Marlon McCaulsky, is celebrated for his Fiction, Romance, and Science Fiction works that often highlight contemporary Africa...
Nalo Hopkinson
Nalo Hopkinson 0000000084289358 Acclaimed author Nalo Hopkinson, known for her debut novel 'Brown Girl in the Ring', is a winner of multiple awards including the Locus Award and John W. Campbell Awar...
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...
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...
Eugen Bacon, Cheryl S. Ntumy, and Stephen Embleton
Eugen Bacon, Cheryl S. Ntumy, and Stephen Embleton MULTIPLE Eugen Bacon is an African Australian author. She’s a British Fantasy and Foreword Indies Award winner, a twice World Fantasy Award finalis...
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...
Denisha Jones and Jesse Hagopian
Denisha Jones and Jesse Hagopian MULTIPLE Denisha Jones, a member of the national Black Lives Matter at School committee, is an activist and advocate for education justice. She is the Director of the...
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...
Harmony Evans
Harmony Evans NONE Harmony Evans, an award-winning Harlequin Romance author based in NYC, is known for her acclaimed debut and is a double-finalist in the 2012 Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Awards...
Ashleigh Shanti
Ashleigh Shanti NONE Ashleigh Shanti, chef-owner of Good Hot Fish in Asheville, North Carolina. She was named an Eater Young Gun in 2019 and was a finalist for the James Beard Rising Star Chef of the...
Shayla Lawson
Shayla Lawson NONE Shayla Lawson, author of 'This Is Major', a finalist for National Book Critics Circle & LAMBDA Literary Awards, has contributed to New York magazine, Salon, ESPN, and Paper. Recipi...
Julie Iromuanya
Julie Iromuanya NONE Julie Iromuanya was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award, the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Fiction, the Etisalat Prize for Literature, and the National Book Critics Cir...
Tina Andrews
Tina Andrews 0000000003084191 Tina Andrews, an award-winning writer, producer and director, is known for her book “Sally Hemings An American Scandal”, which won the NAACP Image Award and the Memphis ...