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Susan Taylor Baker King’s Memoir
Susan Taylor Baker King’s Memoir Susie King Taylor Article An Excerpt from Susan Taylor Baker King’s Memoir:Reminiscences of My Life in Camp with the 33rd US Colored Troops, Late 1st S.C. Vol...
Jennifer Lopez on Playing Puchi and Producing Her First Picture
Jennifer Lopez on Playing Puchi and Producing Her First Picture Kam Williams Article Born in the South Bronx on July 24, 1969, Jennifer Lynn Lopez “J-Lo” has come a long way f...
African American Review
African American Review Troy Johnson Article AAR African American Review - http://aar.slu.edu Office of Editorial Assistant Joe Weixlmann EditorHousto...
What is a Editor and Copyeditor?
What is a Editor and Copyeditor? Troy Johnson Article Answer supplied by Anita Diggs What is the difference between an Editor and Copyeditor? An editor looks for the strengths and weaknesses o...
Former Editor-in-Chief of Essence Magazine Opens Akwaaba D.C. Inn for Black Writers
Former Editor-in-Chief of Essence Magazine Opens Akwaaba D.C. Inn for Black Writers Jamie Walker Article Washington, D.C.: Hundreds of book lovers (in addition to a host of best-selling authors...
Women’s Fiction and Diversity
Women’s Fiction and Diversity Renee Swindle Article Renee SwindleI’ve been reading what the publishing industry has dubbed “women’s fiction” since books by autho...
Why Fertile Ground is an Important Work
Why Fertile Ground is an Important Work Kalamu ya Salaam Article These Are The Lyrics, Our People Are The Music WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO THE SPIRIT OF BLACKNESS, the spirit of doing for self...
KIP Business Report
KIP Business Report Troy Johnson Article http://www.kipbusinessreport.com Story Ideas and Article Submissions Is there a topic you’d like to see explored in KBR? Do you know of interesting p...
Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters by Barack Obama - Book Review
Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters by Barack Obama - Book Review Troy Johnson Article "Of Thee I Sing is basically a baker’s dozen of brief biographies of important figures in American hist...
Simon & Schuster Gives Racist Troll $250K Book Deal, But Boycotting Them Makes No Sense
Simon & Schuster Gives Racist Troll $250K Book Deal, But Boycotting Them Makes No Sense Troy Johnson Article Editor’s Note: Subsequent to the publication of the article, a video of Milo making commen...
Journalists Roundtable, Oct. 6, 2015
Journalists Roundtable, Oct. 6, 2015 Richard Prince Article Photos: by Sharon Farmer/sfphotoworks Our October roundtable changed topics quickly in response to news the previous day of the res...
Anita Diggs
Anita Diggs Troy Johnson Article Anita Diggs is the author of three novels: A Mighty Love, A Meeting in the Ladies Room and The Other Side of the Game. She has worked as a Senior Editor...
Black Renaissance Noire
Black Renaissance Noire Troy Johnson Article Selected by Library Journal as one of the ten best magazines of 1996 Vol. 3 No. 1 Fall 2000 Manthia Diawara Editor-in-C...
The Web calendar editor for AALBC.com Events Page
The Web calendar editor for AALBC.com Events Page Troy Johnson Article Month January February March April May June July August September October November December...
Gentle Pen Editorial Services
Gentle Pen Editorial Services Troy Johnson Article http://www.gentlepen.com Behind Every Good Writer is a Great Editor! A good story is crafted with solid writing. A great book is well edit...
Don't Bring Home a White Boy
Don't Bring Home a White Boy Troy Johnson Article A couple of days ago I posted a video (below) of Karen Hunter and Karyn Langhorne Folan, who are the publisher and author, respectively, of the b...
African Influence on Easter (Ancient & Modern)
African Influence on Easter (Ancient & Modern) Cinque Brown Article Many African American will be celebrating the religious holiday of Easter this weekend. It is interesting that many of us only thin...
More Bios.
More Bios. Troy Johnson Article 360� A Revolution of Black Poets Produced in the tradition of the Black Poetry Festivals and Conferences of the Black Arts Movement, this first Nati...
Harlemnite Prays for Shootings... So Say the New York Times
Harlemnite Prays for Shootings... So Say the New York Times Troy Johnson Article Someone forwarded me a NY Times Article. The Times usually pisses me off when they write about Black folks 'cause they...
Random Thoughts About Facebook
Random Thoughts About Facebook Troy Johnson Article I originally wrote this post in March of 2011, over 4½ years later, a life time in WWW years, I decided to revisit this article. My November 2015 ...
For Black History Month: Research & Share Your Family History
For Black History Month: Research & Share Your Family History Troy Johnson Article [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="640"] Troy Johnson's Maternal Father Rev. Freeman Foster his 2nd Wife Hazel ...
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...
Esther Magazine
Esther Magazine Troy Johnson Article Esther Magazine www.esthermagazine.com Good News for the Urban Teenage Girl of Faith Esther Magazine's in-your-face editorial content is not about ...
2003's List
2003's List Troy Johnson Article Maximizing the Potential of the World Wide Web (September 2003) by Troy Johnson, Founder AALBC.com The Internet is a vast place and contains an amazing ...
Parker Publishing
Parker Publishing Troy Johnson Article Parker Publishing was established by seasoned industry professionals, and targets the ever-expansive market of books by and about African-Americans. ...
Barack Obama at Harlem's Apollo Theater, November 29th 2007
Barack Obama at Harlem's Apollo Theater, November 29th 2007 Troy Johnson Article Barack Obama http://aalbc.com/authors/barack_obama.htm Barack Obama hosted a fund raiser at Harlem's "World ...
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...
Top Ten Reasons Why African American Bookstores Are Closing
Top Ten Reasons Why African American Bookstores Are Closing Gwen Richardson Article Editor’s Note: On March 25, 2012 we published our new bookstore database. At the same time we also publ...
More Poetry!/Less Jam!
More Poetry!/Less Jam! Tara Betts Article More Poetry!/Less Jam! by Tara Betts Bruce George’s outgoing voicemail message at Phat Farm states "Don’t leave a message unless it&rsq...
A Report From The Field
A Report From The Field Troy Johnson Article 360� A Revolution of Black Poets -- A Report From The Field "360� was a two day gathering of poets in Baltimore, Maryland on September 11 & 12, ...
I'm Voting for Barack Obama - Period!
I'm Voting for Barack Obama - Period! Troy Johnson Article He is Black and that is all I care about period.I don't give a crap if he has funny colored lips, a white mother, and African Father.I don't...
Kevin Powell for Congress
Kevin Powell for Congress Kevin Powell Article Message Date: April 9th 2006 Good day to you, friend. I hope you and yours are well. As you may know by now, I am a candidate for th...
Blue Nile Press Presents: Raisins in Milk by David Covin
Blue Nile Press Presents: Raisins in Milk by David Covin Troy Johnson Article In 1977, when Toni Morrison was an editor for Random House, she read an early version of Raisins in Milk. In a letter she...
50 Best Places to Meet Other Book Lovers Online
50 Best Places to Meet Other Book Lovers Online Anna Miller Article Editor’s Note: This article was updated in April 2017 to show sites that are no longer active or have completely shut d...
March 1, 2017 Newsletter — Book Award Announcements, New Books, and More
March 1, 2017 Newsletter — Book Award Announcements, New Books, and More Troy Johnson Article New Books Coming Out March 2017 Helene Cooper tells the amazing of story Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, leader o...
Introducing Bestselling Author Nina Foxx
Introducing Bestselling Author Nina Foxx Troy Johnson Article Editor’s Note: (Foxx received a nomination for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work)! Nina Foxx is an award-winn...
5 Things Writers Must Do To Survive Online
5 Things Writers Must Do To Survive Online Troy Johnson Article Today, despite all the technology and social media at our disposal, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the average writer to ear...
Help Keep the Country's Oldest Black-owned Bookstore Open
Help Keep the Country's Oldest Black-owned Bookstore Open Troy Johnson Article Editor's Note (posted May 8th 2014): Marcus Books of San Francisco Evicted Sign the petition to help save the sto...
AALBC.com May 2013 eNewsletter Book Highlights
AALBC.com May 2013 eNewsletter Book Highlights Troy Johnson Article AALBC.com Best-selling Books - March to April 2013 This version of AALBC.com's eNewsletter, which focuses on book rela...
Death of the Black Owned, Independent, Bookstore
Death of the Black Owned, Independent, Bookstore Troy Johnson Article Editor's Note: We published an update of our bookstores in March of 2014. One of the very first things I put on AA...
Lisa Armstrong's Moving Article in Essence Magazine [Jan. 2011]
Lisa Armstrong's Moving Article in Essence Magazine [Jan. 2011] Troy Johnson Article [caption id="attachment_248" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Photograph by Andre Lamberston - Essence Mag...
Antigua & Barbuda Literary Festival 2008 - Was a Blast
Antigua & Barbuda Literary Festival 2008 - Was a Blast Troy Johnson Article I have never attended an event that was more personally fulfilling and fun in my entire life! Participants which includ...
It’s All About Love: Romance Readers Speak Out
It’s All About Love: Romance Readers Speak Out Gwendolyn Osborne Article Many Americans hold preconceived notions about romance fiction without having read one of these books. Their knowledg...
Booking Matters Magazine
Booking Matters Magazine Troy Johnson Article Shunda Leigh Editor-in-Chief Booking Matters Magazine June 2005 - Video � AALBC.com Booking Matters Magazine takes pride in...
Callaloo
Callaloo Troy Johnson Article CALLALOO: A JOURNAL OF AFRICAN DIASPORA ARTS & LETTERS Editor & Founder: Charles H. Rowell Founded: 1976 Publication Frequency: Quarterly Circulation: c....
F.Y.O.S.
F.Y.O.S. Troy Johnson Article Founders independent publishing company, FYOS Entertainment, LLC Tonya Marie is a Dean's List graduate of Northwestern University (N...
Jazzy Pen Communications
Jazzy Pen Communications Troy Johnson Article Jazzy Pen Communications provides a wide range of professional editing services. For literary clients, Jazzy Pen specializes in African American...
Novel Writing Workshops
Novel Writing Workshops Troy Johnson Article Novel Writing Workshop AALBC.com's Novel Writing Workshop (8 Sessions Online) Enjoy a writing workshop from the convenience of your own home! Get ...
The Caribbean Writer
The Caribbean Writer Troy Johnson Article Title: Caribbean Writer Author: Erika J. Waters (Editor) Publisher: University of the Virgin Islands (340) 692-4152 qmars@uvi.edu Date Published...
Up & Coming Magazine
Up & Coming Magazine Troy Johnson Article Editor's Note (13 Jan 2013): We bleieve this magazine may be out of print. Their old domain has be claimed by a diiferent magazine with the same name....
Racist Hate Mail
Racist Hate Mail Troy Johnson Article I was listening to the radio (1010 AM, WINS, New York) this week and heard a report of some Jewish people in Roslyn, LI who received some Jewish hate mail.Appare...
21st Century Slavery - My Reaction
21st Century Slavery - My Reaction Troy Johnson Article Generally when I get spam, whether it come from friends, family or a stranger, I usually just delete it. I get a lot of email. Most of it is ...
The 5th National Black Writers Conference Report from the Field 1
The 5th National Black Writers Conference Report from the Field 1 Kalamu ya Salaam Article “Elizabeth Nunez, the conference director and the director of the Black Writers Ins...
A Reaction to the Opinion, “Watched Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song for the first time. It was really bad.”
A Reaction to the Opinion, “Watched Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song for the first time. It was really bad.” W. Paul Coates Article Maybe, but I do agree with you on the acting; not much there to crow abo...
Documentary Film on History of Blacks in Fantasy, Horror, and Science Fiction Books
Documentary Film on History of Blacks in Fantasy, Horror, and Science Fiction Books Troy Johnson Article https://www.youtube.com/embed/uvDW5z0b9po “The Invisible Universe documentary reveals the his...
Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America
Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America Michael Eric Dyson Article Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White AmericaBeloved, the deed has been done. We have—since that ’we’ mu...
36 African-American Nominees for National Book Awards
36 African-American Nominees for National Book Awards Troy Johnson Article November 11, 2015 Update: A complete list of National Book Award Honorees, of African descent, is now available. The mi...
Join the Fight for Independence on the Web
Join the Fight for Independence on the Web Troy Johnson Article This article is intended for writers and other content providers, who are active on social media and have a goal of generating reve...
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...
Dr. John Henrik Clarke - A Great and Mighty Walk - Watch This Film!
Dr. John Henrik Clarke - A Great and Mighty Walk - Watch This Film! Troy Johnson Article "...the first light of human consciousness and the world's first civilizations were in Africa."-Dr. John Henr...
Rappers Delight – Jay Z’s new book and the RZA interviewed
Rappers Delight – Jay Z’s new book and the RZA interviewed Troy Johnson Article “My life after childhood has two main stories: the story of the hustler and the story of the rapper, and the two ov...
African Americans Figure Prominently in Presidential Debate
African Americans Figure Prominently in Presidential Debate Jamie Walker Article African Americans Figure Prominently in Presidential Debate by Jamie Walker Washington, DC&...
Can Black People Go 5 Minutes Without Music?
Can Black People Go 5 Minutes Without Music? Troy Johnson Article ...or rather why do we have to blast the music during every gathering? Having been back in Harlem now for about 4 years -- after bein...
The Power of Blogs Part 3
The Power of Blogs Part 3 Troy Johnson Article OK, so I built this blog almost a week ago but how will anyone know to visit it? As with a web site, I have to believe content is the most important th...
The 5th National Black Writers Conference Report from the Field 3
The 5th National Black Writers Conference Report from the Field 3 Kalamu ya Salaam Article Report from the Field National Black Writers Conference 2000 Part 3 of 3 “E...
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...
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...
Colin Channer On His Novel, Satisfy My Soul
Colin Channer On His Novel, Satisfy My Soul Colin Channer Article What is SATISFY MY SOUL saying about the American experience? That the destruction of African gods has shaped the destiny of...
Macavelli Press
Macavelli Press Troy Johnson Article Macavelli is currently reviewing manuscripts: Macavelli Press Mission Statement http://www.macavellipress.com More than fifty thousand books are publ...
Quantum Leap Publisher
Quantum Leap Publisher Troy Johnson Article http://qleappub.com/ Quantum Leap Publisher produces a range of diverse books including photographic books. Since its founding in 1990, the c...
Tupac Play
Tupac Play Troy Johnson Article Web aalbc.com thumperscorner.com
National Book Awards Honors IBPA Members’ Impact
National Book Awards Honors IBPA Members’ Impact Troy Johnson Article This article was originally published in the April 2025 issue of the IBPA Independent magazine, the magazine for members of the I...
Child’s Play: A Poem
Child’s Play: A Poem Frederick K. Foote, Jr. Article Another young Black man knocked unconscious, lying motionless on the fake grass His fellow players move around him in hushed groups radiating fea...
AALBC is Done with Amazon!
AALBC is Done with Amazon! Troy Johnson Article For almost 22, years AALBC has exposed readers of all backgrounds to books written by, or about, people of African descent. AALBC has published th...
Google Should Pay for Content We Produce Which They Use to Generate Revenue
Google Should Pay for Content We Produce Which They Use to Generate Revenue Troy Johnson Article When you ask Google Home’s Smart Assistant to “Name some African American websites,” Google pulls the...
“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, ...
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...
How Facebook is Perverting Your Internet.
How Facebook is Perverting Your Internet. Troy Johnson Article A friend shared a link to a video on Facebook with me. The video, shown at the end of the article, is a short New York Times documentar...
Do You Trust That There are no Mistakes in Life?
Do You Trust That There are no Mistakes in Life? Troy Johnson Article Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make ...
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...
In Remembrance of Dr. Walter Rodney, Martyred on June 13, 1980
In Remembrance of Dr. Walter Rodney, Martyred on June 13, 1980 James McIntosh Article This talk was delivered by Dr. McIntosh at John Henrik Clarke House on June 7, 2015 Today our topic is Walt...
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...
Authors Don't Need Twitter
Authors Don't Need Twitter Troy Johnson Article Many authors invest a great deal of time managing their Twitter accounts. Hours a day are spent attracting new followers and keeping them engaged with...
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 ...
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...
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...
February 28th 2013 - eNewsletter Highlights
February 28th 2013 - eNewsletter Highlights Troy Johnson Article Our monthly eNewsletter contains information about books and films by or about people of African descent. Authors You Should Know ...
The Lit Bit Celebrates Women’s History Month
The Lit Bit Celebrates Women’s History Month Charisse Carney-Nunes Article Welcome to Women’s History Month! So often we African Americans complain that the preceding month of February, Bla...
What Happened to the Best African American Literary Magazines?
What Happened to the Best African American Literary Magazines? Troy Johnson Article I'm a collector. My family calls it hoarding. While I'm a big proponent of electronic books, I still love to sur...
"Troy's Triangle" for Publishing Success
"Troy's Triangle" for Publishing Success Troy Johnson Article [caption id="attachment_973" align="aligncenter" width="581" caption=""Troy's Triangle" for Publishing Success Copyright ©...
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...
Social Media Conversation with Two Successful Webmasters
Social Media Conversation with Two Successful Webmasters Troy Johnson Article Here Ron Kavanaugh, founder of Mosaicbooks.com and I, founder of AALBC.com, speak with Darryl J. Jenkins (my cousin) ...
My Friend and Publishing Leader Manie Barron Passed away Saturday
My Friend and Publishing Leader Manie Barron Passed away Saturday Troy Johnson Article [caption id="attachment_334" align="alignnone" width="478" caption="Emanuel Joseph Barron (December 7, 1955 to J...
An Author You Should Know: Lalita Tademy
An Author You Should Know: Lalita Tademy Troy Johnson Article [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="559" caption="Lalita Tademy (Photo Credit © InMenlo LLC, 2010)"][/caption] Recently a visitor ...
Facebook Profile Photo Trick
Facebook Profile Photo Trick Troy Johnson Article I'm often inspired by the things other people do. While checking out the Facebook profile of a recent contributor to my discussion board yesterday I...
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...
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...
VIDEO: Amiri Baraka: Evolution of a Revolutionary Poet
VIDEO: Amiri Baraka: Evolution of a Revolutionary Poet Troy Johnson Article Amiri Baraka: Evolution of a Revolutionary PoetExhibit at Zambezi Bazaar in conjunction with the Leimert Park Book Fair.Ami...
2008 Essence Literary Award Winning Books Announced
2008 Essence Literary Award Winning Books Announced Troy Johnson Article 2008 Essence Literary Award Winning Books Announced http://books.aalbc.com/2008_essence_literary_awards_nominees.htm Would yo...
My Interview with Snoop of HBO's The Wire
My Interview with Snoop of HBO's The Wire Troy Johnson Article Felicia "Snoop" Pearson and AALBC.com founder Troy Johnsonvideo taped interview (8 minutes) The first time I saw Snoop was on HBO's The ...