AALBC Search
The Gilded Six-Bits, A Short Story
The Gilded Six-Bits, A Short Story Zora Neale Hurston Article A screening of the film The Gilded Six-Bits was held July 29, 2010 as part of the AALBC.com Brownstones Series in Harlem, New York. B...
April Bestselling Books, Win Barracoon, Top Erotica, Google is too Powerful, and More
April Bestselling Books, Win Barracoon, Top Erotica, Google is too Powerful, and More Troy Johnson Article Bestselling Books March/April 2018 Fiction: The Yearning by Mohale Mashigo was the best...
Gloria Naylor Discusses Her Novel The Men of Brewster Place on Barnesandnoble.com
Gloria Naylor Discusses Her Novel The Men of Brewster Place on Barnesandnoble.com Gloria Naylor Article Moderator: Welcome, Gloria Naylor! Thank you for taking the time to join us online this evening...
The Last Poets: Still On a Mission
The Last Poets: Still On a Mission DuEwa M. Frazier Article Before hip hop pioneers like the Sugar Hill Gang, Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel or Run DMC, there was The Last Poets. Called the "...
African Voices Magazine
African Voices Magazine Troy Johnson Article African Voices Communications, Inc. http://www.africanvoices.com 270 West 96th Street New York, NY, 10025 Office: 212-285-2982 Fax: 212-316-3335 ...
New World of Words: Black Writers and poets spin tales of imagination and reality from Detroit to the world
New World of Words: Black Writers and poets spin tales of imagination and reality from Detroit to the world Renee Prewitt Killingsworth Article Originally featured in Detroit’s Cityview News...
Serious Problems With Facebook Promotion
Serious Problems With Facebook Promotion Troy Johnson Article Writers, if you are using Facebook to promote your work—especially paid promotion— invest 30 minutes of your time to watch these two vide...
What Was The Last Book You Read? The Celebrity Edition
What Was The Last Book You Read? The Celebrity Edition Troy Johnson Article Over the years we've published hundreds of interviews with celebrities. Each one is usually asked, what is now know as the...
Only 54 Black Owned Bookstores Remain in America
Only 54 Black Owned Bookstores Remain in America Troy Johnson Article This is a follow up to an article, “Death of the Black Owned, Independent, Book...
July 25, 2017 Newsletter - Includes the Most Critically Acclaimed Books of the Last 40 Years
July 25, 2017 Newsletter - Includes the Most Critically Acclaimed Books of the Last 40 Years Troy Johnson Article May – June 2017 Bestselling Books Children’s books outsold all genres for the...
The 100 Best Web Sites for African Americans
The 100 Best Web Sites for African Americans Troy Johnson Article On April 4, 2003, EarthLink announced a partnership with MOBE (Marketing Opportunities in Business and Entertainment) to present The ...
The ESSENCE Brand—Where Black Women Come First—NOT!
The ESSENCE Brand—Where Black Women Come First—NOT! Troy Johnson Article A few weeks ago, I visited Essence Magazine’s website to learn which Black owned bookstore they were going to use as the books...
5 Ways to Support Independent Black Voices
5 Ways to Support Independent Black Voices Troy Johnson Article The Digital Divide, or the disparity between internet adoption rates between various groups, has been a topic of conversation since the...
Read This to Discover Great Authors, Books, Events & More
Read This to Discover Great Authors, Books, Events & More Troy Johnson Article ★ Read Our eNewsletter Archives ★ Subscribe to Receive Highlights of Our eNewsletter and More on Your Kindle Sponsor...
THE BLACK SCHOLAR: Journal of Black Studies and Research
THE BLACK SCHOLAR: Journal of Black Studies and Research Troy Johnson Article Volume 1 Number 1 November 1969 Mission Statement From the Inaugural Issue: THE BLACK SCHOLAR has been born out of th...
Share Info from Indie Black Owned Websites
Share Info from Indie Black Owned Websites Troy Johnson Article Add Huria Search Resources to Your Website or Blog Huria Search was created in reaction to the current trend in search results that f...
We Must Patronize Black-Owned Websites or Lose Them
We Must Patronize Black-Owned Websites or Lose Them Troy Johnson Article Part of AALBC.com’s mission is to help support Black-owned websites. Historically, I've focused on sites related to books i...
17th Annual Celeb.of Black Writing
17th Annual Celeb.of Black Writing Troy Johnson Article PHOTOS and a report of this event coming soon! The 17th Annual Celebration of Black Writing February 16 to 18, 2001 Philadelphia For...
2004's List
2004's List Troy Johnson Article Making the Best of the World Wide Web or Troy's Top 10 Web Resources (October 2004) by Troy Johnson, Founder AALBC.com The World Wide Web (WWW) continues ...
A Tribute to AALBC.com's 10th Anniversary
A Tribute to AALBC.com's 10th Anniversary Troy Johnson Article Presented ToTROY JOHNSONIn Appreciation For YourDedication, Professionalism,Guidance, And IntegrityIn the Publishing IndustryThanks You ...
Why Did The City Sun [1984–1996] Matter?
Why Did The City Sun [1984–1996] Matter? Wayne Dawkins Article Editors’s Note: Check out Dawkins’ book about The City Sun’s publisher Andrew W. Cooper A decade ago ...
Reflections on Black Book Reviews
Reflections on Black Book Reviews Troy Johnson Article For more than a decade I, through AALBC.com, have published hundred's of reviews of books written by or about Black people. Over the years thi...
Shine On: The Writings of Diane Oliver
Shine On: The Writings of Diane Oliver Michael A. Gonzales Article In 2021 my friend Paul Price was cleaning out a storage unit when he stumbled on collection of Black literature called Right On! A...
August 2018 eNewsletter Recommended Reads, Videos, and More
August 2018 eNewsletter Recommended Reads, Videos, and More Troy Johnson Article Videos from the National Book Club Conference I attended the 2018 National Book Club Conference August 3rd and 4th....
“Who Will Write a Story for the Children of Eric Garner?”
“Who Will Write a Story for the Children of Eric Garner?” Troy Johnson Article AALBC Guest Post by Zetta Elliott “Who will write a story for the children of Eric Garner?” This question came to mi...
Black Book Websites Need Love Too
Black Book Websites Need Love Too Troy Johnson Article Over the last decade there has been a great deal of lamenting over the closing of Black owned, independent brick and mortar book stores. Recent...
Our 10 Most Popular Discussions (and Why Discussion Forums Matter)
Our 10 Most Popular Discussions (and Why Discussion Forums Matter) Troy Johnson Article Our discussion forums have been running for more than 17 years. According to Google's Analytics, these are the...
History of our Annual Black Pack Party
History of our Annual Black Pack Party Troy Johnson Article The Black Pack Party is a gathering of professionals across the Black book ecosystem. It was originally held annually during Book Expo Amer...
2016 National Black Writers Conference
2016 National Black Writers Conference Troy Johnson Article Update: March 25, 2016 The Conference's Complete and final Schedule of Events is Now Available. Greetings Colleagues, We are excited a...
AALBC.com has changed a lot over the last 13 years.
AALBC.com has changed a lot over the last 13 years. Troy Johnson Article Sometimes I'm amazed at how an experiment started 13 years ago turned into my livelihood today. While AALBC.co...
We, As a People, Will Get to the Promised Land!
We, As a People, Will Get to the Promised Land! Martin Luther King, Jr. Article Dr. King’s last sermon was delivered April 3, 1968, at the Church of God in Christ Headquarters, Memphis, Tennes...
Voices of The Harlem Renaissance
Voices of The Harlem Renaissance Alain Locke Article From Locke’s essay “Harlem,” published in the March 1925 issue of Survey Graphic. If we were to offer a symbol of what Harlem...
There is a Lack of Unity Among Black Websites
There is a Lack of Unity Among Black Websites Troy Johnson Article Over the last year, I’ve invested a lot of effort informing the public about the adverse impact of the corporate take over of the we...
Come On, Jesse: Don’t Hate The Playa, Hate The Game!
Come On, Jesse: Don’t Hate The Playa, Hate The Game! Anthony Asadullah Samad Article Jesse Jackson, Sr.’s “;live mike” comments about Barack Obama reminds us that there&r...
Introducing An American Story
Introducing An American Story Kwame Alexander Article An American Story Written by Kwame Alexander, Art by Dare Coulter Kwame Alexander, the #1 New York Times bestselling and award-winning ...
Jayne Allen’s Inspiration for Black Girls Must Die Exhausted
Jayne Allen’s Inspiration for Black Girls Must Die Exhausted Jayne Allen Article I knew that I wanted to write a story that gave authentic purpose to showcasing a Black female protagonist. I wanted...
April 18, 2017 Newsletter: New Books, Vote for Your Favorite Author, and More
April 18, 2017 Newsletter: New Books, Vote for Your Favorite Author, and More Troy Johnson Article AALBC.com Congratulates all the Winners of Pulitzer Prizes in the Letters and Drama Categories Fict...
38th NAACP Image Awards (2007)
38th NAACP Image Awards (2007) Kam Williams Article Image Awards Upstaged by Resignation of NAACP President 38th NAACP Image Awards (2007) by Kam Williams &nb...
378 Excellent Books, 77 Important Events
378 Excellent Books, 77 Important Events Troy Johnson Article Top 100+ Recommended Children’s Books Children book authors, industry professionals, and avid readers contributed their favorite chi...
Blacktrospective 2012 - Annual Assessment of the Best in Black Film
Blacktrospective 2012 - Annual Assessment of the Best in Black Film Troy Johnson Article Each year we publish our annual list of the best in Black cinema. This list is unique in that it assesses...
2012 Black Pack Party Photographs
2012 Black Pack Party Photographs Troy Johnson Article (HARLEM - June 12, 2012) - Londel's Restaurant served as the venue for the 6th Black Pack Party held June 6th, 2012. The Black Pack Party, held...
Black Belt Press
Black Belt Press Troy Johnson Article The Black Belt, defined by its dark, rich soil, stretches across central Alabama. It was the heart of the cotton belt. It was and is a place of great beauty,...
Prince Among Slaves - Abdul Rahman Sori’s Story
Prince Among Slaves - Abdul Rahman Sori’s Story Troy Johnson Article With the recent popularity of the film 12 Years a Slave and focus on Solomon Northup’s the tragic story story, we tend to forget ...
2015 Year End Thank You!
2015 Year End Thank You! Troy Johnson Article Coming in the New Year The biggest news for the new year is our website upgrade. We are redesigning AALBC.com from scratch, and we have the benefit of 1...
Favorite 50 African American Authors and Favorite 100 Titles of the 20th Century
Favorite 50 African American Authors and Favorite 100 Titles of the 20th Century Troy Johnson Article AALBC.com’s Favorite 50 African American Authorsand Favorite 100 Titles...
Myths about Single Mothers
Myths about Single Mothers Joy Thomas Moore Article ❖ Majority of single mothers are irresponsible, single from the outset and minority. REALITY: Around half of single mothers have never ...
Mixed Race or Just Mixed Up? Children's Books Provide Answers
Mixed Race or Just Mixed Up? Children's Books Provide Answers Troy Johnson Article I noticed a surge in the number of books I sold, over the last two months (see best-selling books list), that dealt ...
Their Eyes Were Reading Smut
Their Eyes Were Reading Smut Nick Chiles Article Last month I happened to go into the Borders Books store at the Stonecrest mall in Lithonia, Ga., about a half-hour from my house here. To my surprise...
The Best of The Black Book Web Sites - and other thoughts
The Best of The Black Book Web Sites - and other thoughts Troy Johnson Article Having published and monitored the activity of on-line newsletters for over 7 years I have a good feel for what subjects...
“Would You Stop Buying Books from Amazon.com to Save the Black Book Industry?”
“Would You Stop Buying Books from Amazon.com to Save the Black Book Industry?” Troy Johnson Article Exploring The Feasibility Boycotting Amazon’s Bookstore In the following video, Ruth J. Morrison, ...
Why Black Owned Websites Fail
Why Black Owned Websites Fail Troy Johnson Article A few days ago a friend came across an article in, WhereItzAt Magazine. In the magazine was an article, “In defense of Black Bookstores,” addressed ...
Farrakhan to Black Youth: Study Ferguson, MO and Gaza
Farrakhan to Black Youth: Study Ferguson, MO and Gaza Leroy Baylor Article The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan Photo: Michael Muhammad The military readiness of police in Fer...
Kimani Press
Kimani Press Troy Johnson Article This Summer Sizzles With the Launch Of Kimani Romance�! Bestselling Authors Pen Sophisticated and Sexy Novels for the World's Only African-American Roman...
NAACP Image Award Winner, Tony Rose pens, “America the Black Point of View”
NAACP Image Award Winner, Tony Rose pens, “America the Black Point of View” Troy Johnson Article An Autobiographical History Book by, NAACP Image Award Winner for Outstanding Literature, Tony Rose ...
Video Coverage of the 2018 National Book Club Conference
Video Coverage of the 2018 National Book Club Conference Troy Johnson Article I attended the 2018 National Book Club Conference August 3rd and 4th. I have not attended since the 2010. The confer...
What is Wrong with Goodreads and Wikipedia?
What is Wrong with Goodreads and Wikipedia? Troy Johnson Article ...and why are they promoting Zane’s tax liability rather than her literary accomplishments? “The Web is critical not merely to the d...
New Books Worth Checking Out - July 2013
New Books Worth Checking Out - July 2013 Troy Johnson Article At least once a month, on my Blog, I will share information about new books that I think you will enjoy. If you subscribe to my blog, v...
The Pimping of Wikipedia
The Pimping of Wikipedia Troy Johnson Article The Pimping of Wikipedia: Contributing to the Decline of the World Wide Web From the late 1990s and in to the following decade, the World Wide Web was a...
An Author You Should Know (Married Couples Edition)
An Author You Should Know (Married Couples Edition) Troy Johnson Article “An Author You Should Know” is a regular feature of AALBC.com where we promote noteworthy authors on our homepage, blog (see r...
Bestselling eBooks for 2010
Bestselling eBooks for 2010 Troy Johnson Article Check Out AALBC.com's bestselling eBooks for all of 2010. http://bit.ly/top10ebooks This our first eBook bestsellers list was derived from Kindle eB...
AALBC.com eNewsletter March 28th 2006
AALBC.com eNewsletter March 28th 2006 Troy Johnson Article The Following is an excerpt of AALBC.com's March 28th eNewsletter:MAKING THE BEST OF AALBC.comTip #1 — Use the Google Search EngineAALBC.com...
Gone to Where the Bong Trees Grow
Gone to Where the Bong Trees Grow L. E. Rainey Article The next time you pick up a picture book written by a contemporary children’s author flip through the pages. Take a few minutes to...
Video: Update on The Premier Website for Black Books
Video: Update on The Premier Website for Black Books Troy Johnson Article AALBC.com is a massive, feature rich, website. Many visitors don't appreciate the site's size and scope, so I created this v...
Are Reading Rates Declining in the African American Community?
Are Reading Rates Declining in the African American Community? Troy Johnson Article Frequent AALBC.com visitors may already know I consider search results biased toward large corporate sites t...
Cheryl Woodruff Named President and Associate Publisher of SmileyBooks
Cheryl Woodruff Named President and Associate Publisher of SmileyBooks Troy Johnson Article OK y'all this is big. Cheryl Woodruff, founder and former associate publisher of One World, Random House’s ...
The 2017 Black Pack Party @ Clyde Frazier’s May 31, 2017
The 2017 Black Pack Party @ Clyde Frazier’s May 31, 2017 Troy Johnson Article 11th Annual Black Pack Party We are hosting the 11th Annual Black Pack Party on the evening of Wednesday, May 31st. It w...
Black Writers Dominate the 2017 Pulitzer Prizes
Black Writers Dominate the 2017 Pulitzer Prizes Troy Johnson Article Back in January of this year, I took the time to try to figure out how many Black writers have won Pulitzer Prizes in the six ...
Tavis Smiley is no good for Black folks!
Tavis Smiley is no good for Black folks! Troy Johnson Article Actually, I believe the exact opposite, strongly. I used the provocative title to draw attention to this blog post. My hope is that y...
BARTLETT’S FAMILIAR BLACK QUOTATIONS: Edited by Retha Powers
BARTLETT’S FAMILIAR BLACK QUOTATIONS: Edited by Retha Powers Troy Johnson Article Bartlett's Familiar Black Quotations: 5,000 Years of Literature, Lyrics, Poems, Passages, Phrases, and Proverbs...
Neshee Publication
Neshee Publication Troy Johnson Article http://nesheepublication.com Neshee Publication� was founded in January, 2001 by Aalim & Heather Elitou, a husband and wife team also known as...
Getting in Dialogue
Getting in Dialogue Troy Johnson Article INDEPENDENT FILMMAKERS Interested in being interviewed or having your project considered for DIALOGUE? Mail your biographical sketch and a detailed de...
Highlighting Books Needed for Survival
Highlighting Books Needed for Survival Troy Johnson Article Our August 23rd Newsletter is Sponsored by Knopf Expanding Awards Section Our lists of award winning books have greatly increased i...
Taking Over Wall Street with Books by Charisse Carney-Nunes
Taking Over Wall Street with Books by Charisse Carney-Nunes Charisse Carney-Nunes Article The Lit Bit Wall Street is in for another invasion… no, not just more protestors armed with ...
Author Martha Southgate Reflects on the State of African American Fiction
Author Martha Southgate Reflects on the State of African American Fiction Troy Johnson Article This article was brought to my attention by author Eisa Ulen (www.EisaUlen.com/blog).Author Martha South...
“Furious Flower” Conference Celebrates African American Poetry
“Furious Flower” Conference Celebrates African American Poetry Jamie Walker Article Harrisonburg, Virginia: Over sixty distinguished poets and scholars gathered to help set the agenda for African A...
Sonia Sanchez Performs “Full Moon” Concert in NYC
Sonia Sanchez Performs “Full Moon” Concert in NYC Jamie Walker Article New York: Poet Sonia Sanchez celebrated the release of her new CD called The Full Moon of Sonia (V.I.A. Recording Art...
Cultivating Pearls: A Writer’s Retreat Comes Home
Cultivating Pearls: A Writer’s Retreat Comes Home Ahmad Wright Article An oft used African proverb by a well-known fiction author states, “Where there is mud, there is water.” Trans...
Advertising Online
Advertising Online Troy Johnson Article Advertising Online: Is this the Wave of the Future for Selling Black Books? by Leah Mullen Denise Turney got her start selling books over the intern...
Two Years Ago - Black New Yorkers: Booklover hopes to profit from his passion
Two Years Ago - Black New Yorkers: Booklover hopes to profit from his passion Troy Johnson Article Black New Yorkers: Booklover hopes to profit from his passionby Tanangachi Mfuni, Amsterdam News Sta...
The Black Arts Movement’s Attack on W.E.B. Du Bois’ Theory of Double Consciousness
The Black Arts Movement’s Attack on W.E.B. Du Bois’ Theory of Double Consciousness Tony Lindsay Article Tony Lindsay There have been two major Black literary movements in American history: The...
AALBC.com Celebrates 20 Years!
AALBC.com Celebrates 20 Years! Troy Johnson Article Website Upgrade Nearing Completion I’m just a few months away from completing AALBC’s most recent upgrade. It has been a two year ...
Amazon‘s Echo Look: Exploiting Our Inner Narcissist
Amazon‘s Echo Look: Exploiting Our Inner Narcissist Troy Johnson Article The depth to which a corporation will sink to exploit our insecurities and separate us from our money knows no bounds. ...
March 28, 2017 Newsletter — Book Recommendations, News, Contests, and More
March 28, 2017 Newsletter — Book Recommendations, News, Contests, and More Troy Johnson Article Top 120 Children’s Books from the Past 50 Years Our list of the Top 120 Children’s Books published ove...
The Results of a Decade on Social Media
The Results of a Decade on Social Media Troy Johnson Article One of the most profound changes I’ve witnessed on the web, in the past decade, is the rise of social media. Here I share my insight and ...
Happy New Year From AALBC.com’s Troy Johnson
Happy New Year From AALBC.com’s Troy Johnson Troy Johnson Article 2013, what a year! With so many great new books and films last year, there was a lot to celebrate. We also extended our reach through...
AALBC.com eNewsletter – December 31st 2012 – Issue #197
AALBC.com eNewsletter – December 31st 2012 – Issue #197 Troy Johnson Article AALBC.com eNewsletter – December 31st 2012 – Issue #197 I hope you enjoy AALBC.com's last eNewsletter for 2012. Please ta...
Google Worsens Web Experience by Retuning Poor Search Results
Google Worsens Web Experience by Retuning Poor Search Results Troy Johnson Article Please read the notes at the end of the article for important updates to this Blog post (the last note added Februar...
Edwidge Danticat The “Create Dangerously” Interview with AALBC.com
Edwidge Danticat The “Create Dangerously” Interview with AALBC.com Troy Johnson Article [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="596" caption="Edwidge Danticat - 2010 Nancy Crampton"][/caption] E...
Troy still has a few tricks
Troy still has a few tricks Troy Johnson Article Last year I started working out again. As I lost weight and got a little stronger, I started doing some of my old gymnastics moves in the gym during m...
New Reviews by one of AALBC.com's Favorite Reviewers - Thumper
New Reviews by one of AALBC.com's Favorite Reviewers - Thumper Troy Johnson Article Thumper went on hiatus for a couple of years, to complete another graduate degree. He is working his way back slowl...
It’s Been Fun, Kids! C. Kelly Robinson Retires
It’s Been Fun, Kids! C. Kelly Robinson Retires C. Kelly Robinson Article Family, friends, and loyal readers, This week’s passing of acclaimed author and journalist BeBe Moore Campbell mov...
Panel discussion entitled Their Eyes Were Reading Smut:
Panel discussion entitled Their Eyes Were Reading Smut: Troy Johnson Article I attended a panel discussion entitled Their Eyes Were Reading Smut: The Impact of Ghetto Fiction on African American Lite...
The Power of Blogs Part 5 & Updates on AALBC.com
The Power of Blogs Part 5 & Updates on AALBC.com Troy Johnson Article After all that talk about the power of Blogs, it is hard to believe that it has been a full month since my last update. Even...
The Power of Blogs Part 4
The Power of Blogs Part 4 Troy Johnson Article Well it has been three weeks since the last post to my Blog. Hey it has been a busy three weeks with Christmas, New Years and everything else that goes ...
The Power of Blogs Part 2
The Power of Blogs Part 2 Troy Johnson Article Interestingly enough the process was not as difficult as I thought it might be, however it is far from intuitive -- particularly if you are not technica...
Dwayne Alexander Smith on Winning the 2015 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work—Debut Author
Dwayne Alexander Smith on Winning the 2015 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work—Debut Author Dwayne Alexander Smith Article When I reached the podium, after the applause had faded, the fir...
Caribbean Books You Should Know
Caribbean Books You Should Know Joanne C. Hillhouse Article By Joanne C. Hillhouse "I come from Antigua and Barbuda in the Caribbean. I write stories of and from the Caribbean. My first boo...
Essence Atkins: The “Are We There Yet?” Interview
Essence Atkins: The “Are We There Yet?” Interview Kam Williams Article Essence Atkins was born in New York City on February 7, 1972. Between her innate sense of comedy and girl-next-door ch...
AA Cultural Expo 2000
AA Cultural Expo 2000 Troy Johnson Article This was the AALBC.com's second year at the National African American Cultural Expo, which is held every year at the Philadelphia Convention Center. 20...
Njozi Magazine
Njozi Magazine Troy Johnson Article Njozi Magazine Dream Variation Enterprises is currently seeking submissions for Njozi Magazine, A voice of the Urban Creative Intellectual. Dream Variation...