AALBC Search
Paulo Lins
Paulo Lins 0000000109587125 Paulo Lins, born in Rio de Janeiro in 1958, escaped the dangers of favela life to become a renowned writer. He studied at the University of Rio de Janeiro and published hi...
Wole Soyinka
Wole Soyinka 0000000122837862 Winner of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature Wole Soyinka, born July 13, 1934, is the first Black Nobel Laureate in Literature, awarded in 1986 for his work that fashions...
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...
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...
Kuwasi Balagoon
Kuwasi Balagoon 0000000050075212 Kuwasi Balagoon (1946-1986) was a key figure in the Black Liberation struggle and a member of the Black Panther Party. Known for his unique blend of anarchism and Bla...
Amos N. Wilson
Amos N. Wilson 0000000083152296 Dr. Amos N. Wilson was a renowned psychologist, social worker, and academic who held roles in the New York City Department of Juvenile Justice and taught at City Unive...
Usain Bolt
Usain Bolt 0000000120374593 Usain Bolt, born August 21, 1986, is recognized as the fastest person ever timed. He holds world records in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay, won six Olympic gold medals, ...
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey 0000000114891842 Oprah Winfrey, a multi-billionaire and influential media owner, is best known for her highest-rated TV show, The Oprah Winfrey Show. She also runs the renowned Oprah Bo...
Oteia Bruce
Oteia Bruce NONE Oteia Bruce is an experienced financial services professional with a focus on biblically based money management since 1986. She held key positions at Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, and B...
Jerry Mitchell
Jerry Mitchell 0000000082044357 Jerry Mitchell, a renowned Mississippi reporter since 1986, has won over 30 national awards. He founded the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting, a nonprofit...
Cheikh Anta Diop
Cheikh Anta Diop 0000000122785089 Dr. Cheikh Anta Diop (1923-1986) was a renowned Senegalese scholar from an aristocratic Muslim family. Educated in traditional Islamic school, Diop later earned a ba...
RuPaul
RuPaul 0000000055514093 RuPaul Andre Charles, a Tony and Emmy award-winning executive producer and host, is renowned for his contributions to the TV franchise RuPaul's Drag Race. Known for his music,...
Rita Dove
Rita Dove 0000000114709625 Dove was U.S. Poet Laureate, 1993-1995 Rita Dove, former U.S. Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner, is known for her poetry collections, novel, and drama. She's been reco...
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...
Miriam Ma’sat Ka ReMonges
Miriam Ma’sat Ka ReMonges NONE Miriam Ma’sat Ka ReMonges (1950-2006) was a prominent professor of Social Work and African American Studies at California State University. She held a Ph.D. from Temple...
Evelyn Palfrey
Evelyn Palfrey NONE Evelyn Palfrey, a native Texan, is a graduate of Southern Methodist University and the University of Texas Law School. As an attorney and writer, she's known for her romantic susp...
Toni Cade Bambara
Toni Cade Bambara 0000000109088262 Toni Cade Bambara (1939-1995) was a celebrated writer, activist, feminist, and filmmaker. Born in Harlem, her work was characterized by her capacity for both laught...
Joyce Hansen
Joyce Hansen 0000000122135457 Joyce Hansen, an author of children's and young adult books for over 20 years, used her New York City upbringing as inspiration for her works. With a BA from Pace Univer...
Marcia Wilson
Marcia Wilson NONE Marcia E. Wilson, a British-born photographer, has extensively documented poets, writers, and literary events of the African Diaspora since 1995. Her work, featured in major print ...
Herb Boyd
Herb Boyd 0000000110710186 Herb Boyd Receives Social Justice Award Herb Boyd, born in 1938, is an award-winning author and journalist. He's written over 20 books and numerous articles, with notable wo...
Mannafest
Mannafest 000000010246435X Mannafest, founded by Khefri Riley and Vanessa Richards in 1995, is a creative hub that combines music, poetry, DJ culture, visual art, and new media. Their innovative perf...
Jeff Kinney
Jeff Kinney 0000000119480276 Jeff Kinney, online game developer, designer, and a #1 New York Times bestselling author, was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in 2009. He grew up...
Gabrielle Douglas
Gabrielle Douglas NONE Gabrielle Douglas, born 1995, is a celebrated gymnast known for her historic achievements at the 2012 London Olympics. She's the first African-American and woman of color to wi...
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...
Nathan McCall
Nathan McCall 0000000031697243 Nathan McCall, a Norfolk-born writer and Emory University lecturer, is renowned for his journalism work with The Virginian Pilot-Ledger Star, The Atlanta Journal-Consti...
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina NONE Michael Dequina is a prolific film critic, contributing to numerous platforms including Rottentomatoes.com, Film Threat, and his own site, TheMovieReport.com. He's been reviewing...
Maxine Clair
Maxine Clair 0000000083028957 Maxine Clair is an American novelist, poet, and short story writer. Her debut novel Rattlebone won the Heartland Prize in 1994. She was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship f...
Khalif Thompson
Khalif Thompson NONE “…my work is a pure and consummate search for who I am…” Khalif Tahir Thompson, born in 1995, is a renowned artist whose work has been showcased in prest...
Ai Ogawa
Ai Ogawa 0000000368573553 Ai Ogawa (1947-2010), born Florence Anthony, was a prominent poet and author awarded with the American Book Award and a National Book Award. She authored seven books of poet...
Charles Gordone
Charles Gordone 0000000082174119 Charles Gordone (1925-1995) was the first African American to receive a Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Charles Gordone (October 12, 1925 – November 16, 1995), was th...
Sherley Anne Williams
Sherley Anne Williams 0000000114970321 Sherley Anne Williams was an influential poet, novelist, and professor known for her works portraying her experiences within the African-American community. Bor...
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...
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...
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...
Juan Boria
Juan Boria NONE Jaime Torres Torres, known as Juan Boria, was a celebrated Puerto Rican poet and actor born in 1906. Despite humble beginnings, he earned a university degree and taught for 37 years. ...
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...
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...
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 ...
Ziggy Marley
Ziggy Marley 000000011476515X Ziggy Marley, five-time Grammy-winning musician, actor, and activist, was born in Jamaica to Bob and Rita Marley. He began his career in music at just 10 years old and l...
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. ...
Agyei Tyehimba
Agyei Tyehimba NONE Agyei Tyehimba, born in Harlem, is a prominent figure in academic and social activism. His diverse pursuits range from being an editor, a motivational speaker, a teacher to an aut...
Nita Wiggins
Nita Wiggins NONE Nita Wiggins is a Paris-based American author, speaker, and journalism instructor. She is recognized for her expertise in journalism strategies and regularly appears on TV networks,...
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...
Brooke Stephens
Brooke Stephens NONE Brooke Stephens is a seasoned Wall Street veteran and certified financial planner, with a rich career that includes roles at Chase and Citicorp. She holds degrees from Harvard, F...
Anita Bunkley
Anita Bunkley NONE Anita Richmond Bunkley is a highly-acclaimed author and motivational speaker. Overcoming initial rejections, she self-published her first novel and has since written five more, all...
Keith Gilyard
Keith Gilyard 0000000084094091 Raymond Keith Gilyard is a renowned American professor and writer specializing in rhetoric, composition, literacy studies, sociolinguistics, and African American litera...
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...
Kelvin Bodley
Kelvin Bodley NONE Kelvin D. Bodley, a Chicago native and now Florida resident, is a social change advocate, author, and Minister of the Gospel. He served as the Special Assistant to Mayor Anthony Gr...
Mark Mathabane
Mark Mathabane 0000000108774033 "Mark Mathabane is a South African author and human rights activist, known for his memoir 'Kaffir Boy' which sheds light on his life under apartheid. His works, transl...
Kelly Brown Douglas
Kelly Brown Douglas 0000000042477422 The Very Reverend Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas was named Dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary and Professor of Theology at Union in Sep...
Sam Anderson
Sam Anderson 0000000119000682 Dr. Sam Anderson, a veteran activist and educator, is a renowned mathematics professor and Senior Editor of NOBO. A founding member of the Network of Black Organizers an...
Chigozie Obioma
Chigozie Obioma 000000007886845X “the heir to Chinua Achebe” (New York Times) Chigozie Obioma, born in Nigeria, is an award-winning author and professor of English at the University of Neb...
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 ...
Kay Mills
Kay Mills 0000000114412223 Kay Mills (1941–2011) was a distinguished journalist and author, known for her advocacy of civil rights and women’s rights through her writing. Born in Washington, D...
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...
Janet Cheatham Bell
Janet Cheatham Bell 0000000114460532 Janet Cheatham Bell, an educator, author, and publishing entrepreneur, has significantly contributed to ethnic studies and African American literature. She has pu...
J. California Cooper
J. California Cooper 000000011687953X J. California Cooper was a renowned author and playwright, named Black Playwright of the Year in 1978. Encouraged by Alice Walker, she transitioned to fiction, w...
Bill Pinkney
Bill Pinkney 0000000033679583 Captain Bill Pinkney, born in Chicago's Bronzeville, was a US Navy Vet and Coast Guard licensed Master of Steam, Power, and Sail vessels. He held diverse roles such as a...
Herman Cain
Herman Cain 0000000030322618 Herman Cain, born in 1945, was a business executive, writer, and Tea Party activist. After educational pursuits in mathematics and computer science, he rose to executive ...
Marsha Hunt
Marsha Hunt 0000000117741647 Marsha Hunt, born 1946, is a British-based actress, singer, and novelist, best known for her role in the rock musical 'Hair'. She has written autobiographies and novels, ...
Gil Noble
Gil Noble 000000002469196X Gilbert “Gil” Noble was a notable television reporter, interviewer, and host of WABC-TV's weekly show “Like It Is.” His career in broadcasting started in 1962 at WLIB radio...
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice 000000011071227X Dr. Condoleezza Rice is the Tad and Dianne Taube Director of the Hoover Institution and a Senior Fellow on Public Policy. She is the Denning Professor in Global Bu...
Tina Knowles
Tina Knowles NONE Tina Knowles is an American businesswoman, fashion designer, art collector, and activist. Born Celestine Ann Beyoncé in Galveston, Texas, to a longshoreman father and seamst...
Nell Irvin Painter
Nell Irvin Painter 0000000081655121 Nell Irvin Painter is a renowned historian, known for her works on 19th-century Southern US history. She has held prestigious positions like the President of the S...
William H. Armstrong
William H. Armstrong 0000000121219974 William H. Armstrong, a celebrated author and educator, taught at the Kent School for over 50 years. Known for his award-winning children's book “Sounder”, he ha...
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 ...
Ira Madison III
Ira Madison III NONE Ira Madison III is a television writer and podcaster. He is the main host of the Crooked Media podcast Keep It! He is a former critic at The Daily Beast, GQ and other publication...
William Attaway
William Attaway 000000007689315X William Attaway (1911–1986) was born in Mississippi, the son of a physician who moved his family to Chicago to escape the segregated South. Attaway was an indi...
Salehe Bembury
Salehe Bembury NONE Salehe Bembury (born circa 1986 in New York City) is an American footwear designer known for his work at Payless, Cole Haan, Yeezy and Versace. He is currently VP of sneakers and...
Jamillah Lamb and David Lamb
Jamillah Lamb and David Lamb MULTIPLE David and Jamillah Lamb are the dynamic duo behind Between The Lines Productions, Inc. The couple co-authored the book Perfect Combination: Seven Key Ingredients...
Kevin Jared Hosein
Kevin Jared Hosein 0000000496906666 Kevin Jared Hosein (born 1986) is the winner of the 2018 Commonwealth Short Story Prize and the author of three books published in the Caribbean, including The Re...
Peggy Brooks-Bertram
Peggy Brooks-Bertram NONE Dr. Peggy Brooks-Bertram is a scholar and author based in Buffalo, New York. Known for her research on Drusilla Dunjee Houston, she received recognition for publishing Houst...
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...
John Oliver Killens
John Oliver Killens 0000000081741003 “The Godfather of the Black Arts Movement” John Oliver Killens was an important figure in the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s, Killens was a close ...
Adelaide L. Sanford
Adelaide L. Sanford NONE Dr. Adelaide Sanford, born in Brooklyn, is a renowned scholar, activist, and advocate for African-centered education. With over 35 years in the field, her roles include educa...
Jeff Pearlman
Jeff Pearlman 0000000034425446 Jeff Pearlman is the New York Times bestselling author of ten books. His subjects include NFL legends Walter Payton (Sweetness), Brett Favre (Gunslinger), and Bo Jacks...
Paulo Coelho
Paulo Coelho 0000000120981529 The Brazilian author Paulo Coelho was born in 1947 in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Before dedicating his life completely to literature, he worked as theatre ...
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 ...
Farai Chideya
Farai Chideya 0000000042490213 Farai Chideya is an award-winning author and journalist with a 20-year career blending media, technology, and diversity. Creator of the Pop and Politics brand, she prod...
Robert J. Norrell
Robert J. Norrell NONE Robert J. Norrell, an award-winning author and University of Tennessee professor, has written numerous books, including the acclaimed biography “Up from History: The Life of Bo...
Carl S. McNair
Carl S. McNair NONE Carl S. McNair, founder of McNair Achievement Programs, is a best-selling author, inspirational speaker, and STEM education consultant. He wrote “In the Spirit of Ronald E. Mcnair...
Mel Watkins
Mel Watkins 0000000108515867 Mel Watkins, born in 1940, is an accomplished author and editor from Memphis. He made history as the first African-American editor at the Times Sunday Book Review. Watkin...
Ayesha Rascoe
Ayesha Rascoe NONE Ayesha Rascoe, host of NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday and Up First's Saturday episodes, is a former White House correspondent who covered three presidential administrations. Prior to...
Earl Conrad
Earl Conrad 0000000385964038 Earl Conrad (December 17, 1906 – January 17, 1986) wrote about the African American experience and race relations (his birth name was Cohen)> His books incuded biograph...
Bessie Head
Bessie Head 0000000108556853 Bessie Head (1937-1986), born in South Africa but renowned as one of Botswana's most influential writers, produced novels, short fiction, and autobiographical works. Her ...
Marta Moreno-Vega
Marta Moreno-Vega 0000000032859822 Dr. Marta Moreno-Vega, born in 1952, is a renowned scholar and advocate for cultural equity. She holds degrees from New York University and Temple University. She f...
J. Michael Dash
J. Michael Dash 0000000081152794 Professor Jean Michael Dash (1948-2019) was a renowned scholar of Francophone Caribbean literature. Born in Trinidad and Tobago, and educated at the University of the...
Safiya Umoja Noble
Safiya Umoja Noble 0000000452149763 Dr. Safiya Umoja Noble is an associate professor at UCLA with degrees from California State University and University of Illinois. Recognized as a 2021 MacArthur F...
Paul Robeson Jr.
Paul Robeson Jr. 0000000109728266 Paul Robeson Jr., son of legendary Paul Robeson, is a civil rights activist, electrical engineer, member of the New York Academy of Sciences, and Russian translator....
Angeli R. Rasbury
Angeli R. Rasbury NONE Angeli R. Rasbury is a versatile writer and attorney who has served as an editor for several major publications. She's a co-editor of a notable book, interviewed distinguished ...
Andrew Salkey
Andrew Salkey 0000000109378518 Felix Salkey was a Panamanian-born author dedicated to Jamaican culture. Raised in Jamaica, he became a prominent figure in the London community of West Indian writers ...
Roy Glenn
Roy Glenn 0000000067434664 Roy Glenn, a renowned author famous for his vivid imagination, began his writing career with his self-published novel, “Is It a Crime.” The book birthed the popular charact...
Nicole Bailey-Williams
Nicole Bailey-Williams NONE Nicole Bailey-Williams is a Philadelphia-born educator, author, and radio personality. A graduate of Hampton and Temple University, she pioneered “The Literary Review” on ...
W. Paul Coates
W. Paul Coates 0000000029319323 Coates Wins the 2024 Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation W. Paul Coates, founder of Black Classic Press, specializes in republishing significant work...
Brenda Jackson
Brenda Jackson 0000000117535931 Jackson is New York Times bestselling with of 150 romance novels. Brenda Jackson, a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author, has written over 150 novels and nov...
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...
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...
Walter Milton, Jr. and Joel A. Freeman
Walter Milton, Jr. and Joel A. Freeman MULTIPLE Dr. Walter Milton, Jr., a native of Rochester, NY, holds a Doctorate in leadership and policy. He's a published author, former school superintendent, a...