AALBC Search
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 ...
Wade Hudson
Wade Hudson 0000000067647969 Why I Publish Children’s Books Wade Hudson, born in 1946, is an author, journalist, and civil rights activist. Known for his children's books promoting positive Afri...
Bernette Ford
Bernette Ford 0000000038486553 Bernette Ford, founder of COLOR-BRIDGE BOOKS, was a renowned children's book packager and consultant, and an advocate for diversity in children's literature. She held s...
Cheryl Willis Hudson
Cheryl Willis Hudson 0000000037209335 Cheryl Willis Hudson, editorial director of Just Us Books, focuses on publishing Black interest books for children. Co-founder of the company in 1988, she's a re...
Sylvia L. Walker
Sylvia L. Walker NONE Sylvia L. Walker, a Pasadena-born artist, is renowned for her children's fashion illustrations and book illustrations. She has worked with major clients like Simplicity, McCalls...
Kelly Starling Lyons
Kelly Starling Lyons NONE Kelly Starling Lyons is a children's book author from Pittsburgh. Inspired by her mother's storytelling and her grandparents' creativity, she started writing at a young age....
Veronica Freeman Ellis
Veronica Freeman Ellis NONE Veronica Freeman Ellis is a renowned author known for “Land of the Four Winds” and “AFRO-BETS First Book about Africa.” She has contributed to “Book of Black Heroes: Great...
Tameka Fryer Brown
Tameka Fryer Brown NONE Tameka Fryer Brown, a Charlotte-based author, is known for her award-winning children's books. Her debut, “Around Our Way on Neighbors’ Day,” sold over 100,000 copies. Her sec...
Tony Medina
Tony Medina 0000000111019127 Tony Medina (Photo: WideVision Photography) was born in the South Bronx, raised in the Throgs Neck Housing Projects, and currently lives in the Washington, D...
Toyomi Igus
Toyomi Igus NONE Toyomi Igus, a celebrated author and communications strategist, has had a varied career in publishing, corporate, and marketing communications. Known for her work in academic book pu...
Kwame Nkrumah
Kwame Nkrumah 0000000110549118 Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana's first prime minister and president, led the country to independence from Britain in 1957 and ruled until a 1966 coup. His time in the U.S. greatl...
Marcus Dewan Williams
Marcus Dewan Williams NONE Marcus Dewan Williams, more than just the owner of Nubian Books bookstore, is an active advocate for African and African-American culture and education. As a publisher and ...
Toni Pressley-Sanon and Sophie Saint-Just
Toni Pressley-Sanon and Sophie Saint-Just MULTIPLE Toni Pressley-Sanon and Sophie Saint-Just
Hugh Holton
Hugh Holton NONE Hubert “Hugh” Holton, son of a police officer, was a prolific author who passed away in 2001. Raised in Woodlawn, he attended Saint Anselm elementary school and Mount Carmel high sch...
Tracy Sherrod
Tracy Sherrod NONE Tracy Sherrod, editorial director of HarperCollins' Amistad, has worked with award-winning authors and published numerous bestsellers. She has held editorial positions at Simon and...
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...
Torrey Maldonado
Torrey Maldonado NONE Torrey Maldonado, once a disinterested reader, became a passionate middle school teacher and author after discovering engaging, culturally responsive books. For 20 years, he's i...
Opal Lee
Opal Lee NONE The “Grandmother of Juneteenth” Opal Lee is a living legend whose tireless activism and infectious determination helped turn the long-held dream of a national Juneteenth holiday into re...
Al-Saadiq Banks
Al-Saadiq Banks NONE Al-Saadiq Banks is a best-selling author of nine urban fiction and crime drama books. He entered the literary scene in 2002, co-founding True 2 Life Publications with his brother...
Eleanora E. Tate
Eleanora E. Tate 0000000067159869 Eleanora E. Tate is an acclaimed author and educator known for her stories celebrating community life. Her first novel, Just an Overnight Guest, was adapted into a T...
Tami Charles
Tami Charles NONE From former school Teacher to Successful Author Tami Charles, a former R&B singer and teacher, is a successful children's author and speaker. Inspired by her students, she dusted off...
Yvette Moore
Yvette Moore NONE Yvette Moore is a Brooklyn-based author and publisher known for “Freedom Songs” and “Just Sketching.” She runs Jubilee Year Communications and serves as the communication director f...
Ty Allan Jackson
Ty Allan Jackson NONE Ty Allan Jackson is a celebrated author and publisher, renowned for his children's book 'Danny Dollar Millionaire: The Lemonade Escapade.' Inspired by his son's curiosity about ...
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...
Suyi Davies Okungbowa
Suyi Davies Okungbowa 0000000509720941 Suyi Davies Okungbowa (born Osasuyi Okungbowa in 1989) is an award-winning author of various novels for adults, the latest of which are Lost Ark Dreaming (Igny...
Valerie Smith
Valerie Smith NONE Valerie Smith is the president of Swarthmore College and author of several books. Valerie Smith (born February 19, 1956) is the president of Swarthmore College. She is the author o...
Eartha Watts-Hicks
Eartha Watts-Hicks NONE Eartha Watts-Hicks is a prolific writer for various online publications, including Harlem World's Magazine's blog and TheUrbanBookSource.com. She has been the director of publ...
Earl Lovelace
Earl Lovelace 0000000109246689 Earl Lovelace, a Trinidadian author, is known for his award-winning works such as While Gods Are Falling, The Dragon Can't Dance, Salt, and Is Just a Movie. He was awar...
Julia Denos
Julia Denos NONE Julia Denos, author-illustrator of the 2016 ALA Notable selection 'Swatch: The Girl Who Loved Color', has also illustrated works by Margaret Cardillo and Boni Ashburn. She is now foc...
Shaka Senghor
Shaka Senghor NONE Shaka Senghor is an inspirational speaker, entrepreneur, and author of the New York Times bestselling books Writing My Wrongs and Letters to the Sons of Society. A sought-after re...
Madeline Hampton
Madeline Hampton NONE Madeline Hampton is a romance novelist who began reading and writing at a young age. After serving in the U.S. Military, she pursued a career in health, during which she continu...
Iyanla Vanzant
Iyanla Vanzant 0000000110419866 Iyanla Vanzant, a Yoruba priestess and spiritual life coach, overcame adversity to become a New York Times best-selling author and host of OWN's Iyanla: Fix My Life. H...
Naomi V. Dunsen-White
Naomi V. Dunsen-White NONE Naomi V. Dunsen-White is a children’s book author and editor focused on promoting diversity and representation in children's literature. She utilizes her background as a fo...
Tony Rose
Tony Rose 000000005879297X AALBC Mourns the Passing of Tony Rose Tony Rose (October 11, 1950 – May 27, 2025) was the Publisher and CEO of Amber Communications Group, Inc. the nation’s large...
Margaree K. Mitchell
Margaree K. Mitchell NONE Margaree K. Mitchell is an award-winning author of children's, teen, and adult books. Known for titles like Uncle Jed’s Barbershop and Granddaddy’s Gift, she uses history to...
Richard Wright
Richard Wright 0000000079803105 Richard Nathaniel Wright (1908-1960), born in poverty and racial discrimination in Mississippi, was a prolific writer aiming to unite Black and White worlds. Known ini...
Chiquita Camille Payne
Chiquita Camille Payne NONE Chiquita Camille Payne is an actress, dancer, and author from Chicago, now living in Brooklyn. Inspired by her son, she wrote her first book, Just Because, after years of ...
Khara Campbell
Khara Campbell NONE A Q&A, from December 2013, with novelist Khara Jhanielle Campbell: Not My Will is your first novel. Sex before marriage, such a hot evergreen topic among the number o...
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'...
Kimberly Lemming
Kimberly Lemming NONE Kimberly Lemming is a USA Today bestselling author who is on an eternal quest to avoid her calling as a main character. She can be found giving the slip to that new werewolf th...
Brook Stephenson
Brook Stephenson NONE AALBC.com Mourns the Loss of Brook Stephenson (February 12, 1974 — August 8, 2015) …just last week Brook was at the Corridor Gallery hosting a reading of work created...
David L.
David L. 0000000121374173 David L., a renowned author and publisher, has written notable works like “Over Your Dead Body,” “Chalk Outline Confessions,” “My Life Is A Movie,” and “Represent.” Holding ...
Michael Bronski
Michael Bronski 0000000386897201 Michael Bronski, co-author of 'You Can Tell Just By Looking' and professor at Harvard, is an acclaimed writer on LGBT issues for over 40 years. His award-winning work...
Buchi Emecheta
Buchi Emecheta 0000000109363682 “I work toward the liberation of women, but I’m not a feminist I’m just a woman.” Nigerian novelist Buchi Emecheta, born in 1944, is renowned f...
Charles Boyce
Charles Boyce NONE Charles Boyce, a cartoonist known for his syndicated comic panel Compu-Toon, studied art and animation but found his true calling in the realm of cartooning in 1988. His work, ofte...
Andrea J. Loney
Andrea J. Loney NONE Andrea J. Loney, a versatile author with African American, Jamaican and Panamanian roots, realized her childhood dream of becoming a writer. After developing her craft in college...
Julian English
Julian English NONE Born prematurely with brain damage, Julian English defied odds by learning differently. His mother, Natasha Moulton-Levy, used travel to educate him, enabling Julian to understand...
Guy Sims
Guy Sims NONE Guy A. Sims is an acclaimed author known for his early publications on Kwanzaa, his collection of American Tall Tales, and his novel, Living Just A Little. He's also the head writer for...
Ruha Benjamin
Ruha Benjamin 0000000401943238 Ruha Benjamin is a 2024 MacArthur Foundation’s “Genius” Grant Winner Ruha Benjamin is a renowned sociologist, professor, and author specializing in tec...
Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Valerie Smith, William L. Andrews, Frances Foster, Brent Hayes Edwards, Deborah E. McDowell, Hortense J. Spillers, Kimberly W. Benston, Farah Jasmine Griffin, and Jesse McCarthy
Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Valerie Smith, William L. Andrews, Frances Foster, Brent Hayes Edwards, Deborah E. McDowell, Hortense J. Spillers, Kimberly W. Benston, Farah Jasmine Griffin, and Jesse McCarth...
Yvonne Blackwood
Yvonne Blackwood NONE Yvonne Blackwood is a renowned author, speaker, and retired banker, known for her world travels and writing. She has written successful books like 'Into Africa a Personal Journe...
Lori Nelson Lee
Lori Nelson Lee NONE Lori Nelson Lee, author of children's books like 'Hillary’s Big Business Adventure' and 'Danica Dramatica - Queen Me', introduces entrepreneurship to young readers. Her works are...
Christine Kendall
Christine Kendall NONE Christine Kendall transitioned from a corporate career to a successful author of children's literature. Her book, Riding Chance, was recognized as one of the 50 Best Books for ...
Joe Cepeda
Joe Cepeda NONE Joe Cepeda, an award-winning illustrator, is known for adding a sparkle to his illustrations that resonates with children. With a BFA in illustration, he began his career in New York,...
Monica Clark-Robinson
Monica Clark-Robinson NONE “I write picture books, contemporary middle grade fiction, and YA fiction.” Monica Clark-Robinson is a multi-talented individual who excels as an author, actor, ...
Eric M. Cooper
Eric M. Cooper NONE Eric Mann Cooper is a New Jersey-based Sci-Fi/Superhero author known for his Knight Seeker series set in the modern Tri-State area. He recently started a new series, Star Enforcer...
Yaba Baker
Yaba Baker NONE Yaba Baker is a renowned author, scriptwriter, and speaker, known for his Black History activity books. His work, which includes Princess Briana and Super CJ, has been widely recogniz...
Don Freeman
Don Freeman 000000010880233X Don Freeman was a California-born artist and musician who turned to sketching Broadway shows in New York after losing his trumpet. He found his true calling in children's...
ReShonda Tate
ReShonda Tate 0000000116441757 ReShonda Tate is a former reporter and national bestselling author of 21 titles including both adult and teen novels. She's also an executive producer for film adaptati...
Teri Woods
Teri Woods 0000000043564923 Teri Woods, a Philadelphia native and former legal secretary, turned author with her first novel, “True to the Game.” After initial rejections, she self-published and sold...
Jason Reynolds
Jason Reynolds 0000000050509463 Jason Reynolds is a 2024 MacArthur Foundation’s “Genius” Grant Winner Jason Reynolds, an acclaimed author and professor, aims to engage readers, espec...
Denene Millner
Denene Millner 0000000120359035 Why I Wrote the Novel One Blood Denene Millner is a New York Times bestselling author, Emmy-nominated TV host, and award-winning journalist. She has authored over 30 bo...
Charlotte Watson Sherman
Charlotte Watson Sherman 0000000067613072 Charlotte Watson Sherman, a Seattle-born author, is known for her novels, children's books, and short fiction collection. Formerly a librarian, her works inc...
Claudia Alexander
Claudia Alexander NONE Claudia Alexander, Ph.D., was a respected NASA scientist, studying planets and flying spacecraft. She contributed to missions to Jupiter, Saturn, and comets. An author, she wro...
Blanche Richardson
Blanche Richardson NONE Blanche Richardson, a seasoned book editor and manager of Marcus Books, one of the oldest African American owned bookstores in the US, has contributed significantly to literat...
Autumn Allen
Autumn Allen NONE Autumn Allen is a literature educator, senior editor at Barefoot Books, and author known for her contributions to children's literature. She teaches at Harvard Graduate School of Ed...
Maryam Khalifah
Maryam Khalifah NONE Maryam is a digital illustrator, specializing in children’s picture books and cover art for chapter books. Maryam has completed picture book illustrations for several clien...
Albert “Prodigy” Johnson
Albert “Prodigy” Johnson NONE Albert “Prodigy” Johnson was a globally recognized rapper, part of the duo Mobb Deep. Known for his reality-based music, he sold millions of albums worldwide. Prodigy al...
Carl Weber
Carl Weber 0000000111497479 Carl Weber, born in 1964, is a New York Times bestselling author and renowned African American author with over 20 novels. He's also the CEO of Urban Books LLC, one of the...
Therone Shellman
Therone Shellman NONE Therone Shellman, a best-selling author, aims to build Third Eye Publishing Inc into a comprehensive publishing service. He writes insightful books for various audiences and is ...
Victor McGlothin
Victor McGlothin NONE Victor McGlothin, a bestselling author and filmmaker from Dallas, overcame early reading struggles to complete a Masters degree and leave his banking career for literature. Know...
Audre Lorde
Audre Lorde 0000000115569521 Audre Lorde, a black, gay female poet and activist, fought against racial and sexual discrimination and for gay rights. A renowned writer, she authored 18 books and won t...
Victoria Christopher Murray
Victoria Christopher Murray 0000000040017326 Victoria Christopher Murray, a Queens native, turned from a successful corporate career to fulfill her dream of becoming an author. She self-published her...
Barry Fletcher
Barry Fletcher 000000004196937X Barry Fletcher, a renowned celebrity hairstylist, offers his expertise to A-list clientele including Halle Berry and Tina Turner, and influential figures like Condolee...
Kirby Roy III
Kirby Roy III NONE Kirby Roy III, introduced to literature at a young age, left Hampton University to pursue writing. After graduating from Clark Atlanta University and while working as a financial a...
L.S. Stratton
L.S. Stratton NONE L.S. Stratton, an award-nominated author and ex-crime reporter, has penned over a dozen books across various genres. Based in Maryland, she enjoys life with her family and pet cat....
Hoda Kotb
Hoda Kotb 0000000077594610 Hoda Kotb is the award-winning co-anchor of NBC News’ TODAY and co-host of TODAY with Hoda & Jenna. She is also the New York Times bestselling author of seven books. Hoda K...
Audrey Vernick
Audrey Vernick NONE Our students thoroughly enjoyed meeting Audrey Vernick; her presentation kept the kids engaged and energized! She helped them make real-life connections, and she reinforced writi...
Thom S. Rainer
Thom S. Rainer 0000000083290568 Thom S. Rainer is the CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources, an author of over two dozen books, and a former dean at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He also le...
Mary Monroe
Mary Monroe 0000000029010860 Mary Monroe, a sharecropper's daughter and the first in her family to graduate high school, returned to the literary scene with her novel “God Don’t Like Ugly”, which sol...
Chris Barton
Chris Barton 0000000082953972 Chris Barton, an award-winning, best-selling author, has written numerous children's books, drawing from a lifelong passion for storytelling. He grew up in Texas, nurtur...
Brenda M. Hampton
Brenda M. Hampton NONE Brenda M. Hampton, a native St. Louisan, is a passionate writer known for her addictive series, The Naughty Series. With over 20 novels, novellas, and anthologies to her credit...
Trish Cooke
Trish Cooke 0000000066749250 Trish Cooke, an acclaimed children's author, is known for award-winning books like 'So Much' and 'The Grandad Tree'. She uses her family's lively Sunday dinners as inspir...
Deloris Jordan
Deloris Jordan NONE Deloris Jordan, mother of NBA star Michael Jordan, is a bestselling children's book author and advocate for families. Known for works like “Salt in His Shoes,” she also contribute...
Gayl Jones
Gayl Jones 0000000109336115 “Gayl Jones is an exceptionally talented writer.” —Robert Fleming Gayl Jones was born on November 23, 1949, in Lexington, Kentucky. Her father Franklin J...
M. E. Holland
M. E. Holland 0000000014470645 M.E. Holland, a Harlem-native filmmaker and writer, uses his storytelling skills to highlight Black women's experiences. Inspired by Spike Lee, he filled a gap in Holly...
Janie De Coster
Janie De Coster NONE Author Janie De Coster began writing in high school and now pens books across genres such as romantic suspense and contemporary fiction. Her works, like her latest release 'Frien...
Clyde Winters
Clyde Winters NONE Dr. Clyde Winters is a renowned Educator, Anthropologist, and Linguist, known for his work in archeogenetics and linguistics. He has taught at Saint Xavier University and authored ...
Keith Kareem Williams
Keith Kareem Williams NONE Keith Kareem Williams, a Brooklyn-based author, has penned over 21 books and 5 screenplays. He balances a full-time writing career with single fatherhood. Williams writes '...
Traci N. Todd
Traci N. Todd 0000000504688188 Traci N. Todd, a Chicago native, is a children's book editor based in Queens. Raised on the music of Ray Charles and Nina Simone and a love for books, she continues to ...
Lara Love Hardin
Lara Love Hardin NONE Lara Love Hardin, COO and Editorial Director of Idea Architects, is a UC Irvine MFA holder and collaborator on over 10 books including NY Times bestsellers. She resides in Santa...
Joey Spiotto
Joey Spiotto NONE Joey Spiotto, acclaimed author and illustrator of the Grumpy Unicorn series, Alien Next Door, and Firefly: Back from the Black, has collaborated with major studios like Lucasfilm/Di...
Viola Ford Fletcher
Viola Ford Fletcher NONE ”Every day, I have lived through the massacre. While our country may forget this history, I cannot.” Viola Ford Fletcher, born in 1907, is a notable figure in Afri...
Jay Leslie
Jay Leslie NONE Jay Leslie grew up in the United States, but now lives in Berlin, Germany, where she spends her time writing novels, learning new languages, and backpacking through the Schwarzwald ...
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 ...
Patrice Gopo
Patrice Gopo NONE Patrice Gopo is an award-winning writer who crafts stories steeped in themes of place, belonging, and home. Her essay collections include Autumn Song, recipient of the inaugural Pa...
K.E. Lewis
K.E. Lewis NONE K.E. Lewis was raised in Bishopville, SC, where the weather is hot and the accent thick, K.E. grew up in a community that was a haven, rich in generosity and Blackness, much like the...
Stanley G. Robertson
Stanley G. Robertson NONE Stanley G. Robertson is a professor of business and law at DeVry University in Chicago. He is the host and producer of the television show titled, The Ink Spot, on CA...
We Need Diverse Books
We Need Diverse Books NONE We Need Diverse Books (WNDB) began in April 2014 as the viral #WeNeedDiverseBooks hashtag, bringing together writers, illustrators, publishers, educators, and readers seek...