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Shane W. Evans
Shane W. Evans 0000000038504360 Shane Evans is a renowned illustrator, artist and designer whose work has been recognized by The Boston Globe-Horn Book Award and The Orbis Pictus Award. His illustrat...
Sarah J. Heidelberg
Sarah J. Heidelberg NONE Kansas-born Sarah Jane Heidelberg, an artistic, music-loving author and tutor, runs her own publishing company, Ophelia Brown Publishing. Inspired by a childhood German tale,...
Kevin Mitchell
Kevin Mitchell 0000000352296686 Kevin M. Mitchell is a versatile writer, musician, and producer. A University of Missouri—Kansas City Conservatory of Music graduate, he has published over a dozen b...
Tim Todd
Tim Todd NONE Tim Todd is a prolific author and executive writer at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. He specializes in banking history, with eight books published, including a study on Americ...
Donna M. Gray-Banks
Donna M. Gray-Banks NONE Donna M. Gray-Banks, founder of F.R.E.S.H. Book Festival, is a successful author known for her suspense erotic trilogy and a guest columnist for various outlets. She hosts tw...
Jael Richardson
Jael Richardson NONE Jael Ealey Richardson is a Toronto-based author and educator with an MFA in Creative Writing. Known for her memoir and children's book, both titled The Stone Thrower, her work re...
Toni Blackman
Toni Blackman 0000000036920264 Toni Blackman, an international champion of hip-hop culture, is known for her captivating performances and powerful presence. She's the first hip-hop artist to work as ...
LaKesa Cox
LaKesa Cox NONE LaKesa Cox is an award-winning author and screenwriter with over 20 years of experience. She has published four novels and has contributed to two anthologies. She was acknowledged as ...
Rose Brock
Rose Brock 0000000107888362 Rose Brock, a professor at Sam Houston State University, is renowned for inspiring youth to love books. In addition to her career as a librarian and educator, she co-found...
Zuksiwa Wanner
Zuksiwa Wanner NONE Zukiswa Wanner, born to South African and Zimbabwean parents in Zambia, is a celebrated author known for award-nominated novels like “Men of the South.” As an essayist, she focuse...
Lola Shoneyin
Lola Shoneyin 0000000041835603 Lola Shoneyin is a renowned Nigerian poet and author, best known for her debut novel, “The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives.” Identified as a promising African writer ...
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...
Darlene Williams
Darlene Williams NONE Darlene Williams is an award-winning businesswoman, adjunct lecturer, bestselling author, and nationally recognized youth and literacy advocate. She serves as President of the ...
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...
Patricia Spears Jones
Patricia Spears Jones 0000000031494569 Patricia Spears Jones, born in Arkansas, is the 2024 New York State Poet Laureate, a Jackson Poetry Prize laureate, and a cultural activist. An esteemed poet, p...
C. Taylor-Butler
C. Taylor-Butler NONE C. Taylor-Butler, a civil engineer and educational council chairperson, is renowned for her essays and short stories in The Horn Book and Scholastic’s Read and Rise. The Kansas ...
g. haron davis
g. haron davis NONE G. Haron Davis is a New York-born, Tennessee-raised writer based in Kansas City specializing in horror and fantasy. They co-founded Marginsbox and co-edited the anthology “All Sig...
Quentin Carter
Quentin Carter NONE Quentin Carter, a Kansas City native, penned his novel “Hoodwinked” during a 10-year federal prison term. With aspirations to diversify his writing, he aims to explore multiple ge...
Sam Chege
Sam Chege NONE Sam Chege is a Kenya-born Associate Professor of Journalism and Mass Communications at Kansas State University. He moved to the US in his thirties and has lived there for 20 years. Sam...
Maryemma Graham
Maryemma Graham 0000000117495503 Maryemma Graham is a Distinguished Professor at the University of Kansas, Lawrence. Maryemma Graham is Distinguished Professor at the University of Kansas, Lawrence.
Andrea Williams
Andrea Williams NONE Andrea Williams is a Nashville-based author, journalist, and editor, originally from Kansas City, Missouri. She balances her writing career with family life, living with her husb...
Giselle Liza Anatol
Giselle Liza Anatol 000000007327605X Giselle Anatol is a professor of English at the University of Kansas. She is the author of Small-Girl Toni and the Quest for Gold, influenced by the life and wor...
Daniel Black
Daniel Black NONE Daniel Omotosho Black, a Kansas City native, is an accomplished scholar and author. Raised in Arkansas, he studied English at Clark College under a full scholarship, later attending...
Randal Maurice Jelks
Randal Maurice Jelks 0000000035838680 Dr. Randal Maurice Jelks is a Professor at the University of Kansas, specializing in American and African American Studies. He has authored two award-winning boo...
Maryemma Graham and Jerry W. Ward
Maryemma Graham and Jerry W. Ward MULTIPLE Dr. Maryemma Graham is a Distinguished Professor at the University of Kansas, while Dr. Jerry W. Ward, Jr. is a renowned professor of English and African Am...
LaShonda Katrice Barnett
LaShonda Katrice Barnett 0000000384767200 LaShonda Katrice Barnett is a renowned author and educator, known for her trilogy of plays and debut novel, “Jam on the Vine.” Twice nominated for the Pushca...
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 ...
Wright Thompson
Wright Thompson NONE Wright Thompson is one of the most cherished sports writers in America. His books, Pappyland: A Story of Family, Fine Bourbon, and the Things That Last (2020) and The Cost of The...
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...
Patricia Wilson Smith
Patricia Wilson Smith NONE Patricia Wilson Smith, a self-proclaimed inventor of the 'Art of Being Jilted', is renowned for her humor on love and relationships. Raised in Kansas City, she credits her ...
Patricia A. Saunders
Patricia A. Saunders NONE Patricia A. Saunders, an author from Connecticut, now based in San Francisco, began her writing journey after her mother's passing. She released her first book in 2012 and i...
Anika Malone
Anika Malone NONE Anika Malone, author of the acclaimed “10 Minutes Past Too Late”, is celebrated as a fresh voice in contemporary fiction. She has participated in notable book events across the Unit...
Kellie Magnus
Kellie Magnus 0000000114740104 Kellie Magnus is a Jamaican children's author and media writer. An alumna of Harvard and Columbia Universities, she's the Chair of the Kingston Book Festival and serves...
Melica Niccole
Melica Niccole NONE Melica Niccole, a Columbus-native author, poet, and Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, has a passion for writing which she uses to explore various subjects. She created an annua...
Colette Bancroft
Colette Bancroft NONE Colette Bancroft is the book editor for the Tampa Bay Times since 2007, directs the annual Festival of Reading, and served on the National Book Critics Circle board. She holds E...
justin a. reynolds
justin a. reynolds NONE Justin A. Reynolds is an acclaimed author renowned for his debut YA novel, “Opposite of Always,” and second novel “Early Departures.” His work includes a Marvel graphic novel ...
David Washington
David Washington NONE Dr. David Washington decision to write a graphic novel stemmed from his dissatisfaction with the lack of diversity in the superhero genre. He hoped to provide his children with ...
Esther Phillips
Esther Phillips 0000000073657506 Esther Phillips, founder of The Bim Literary Festival & Book Fair and editor of Bim magazine, is a highly decorated poet with an MFA in Creative Writing. She's won pr...
Thando Mgqolozana
Thando Mgqolozana 0000000071220474 Thando Mgqolozana, born in 1983, is a renowned South African novelist and Mandela Rhodes Scholar. He authored novels like 'Hear Me Alone' and 'Unimportance' and co-...
Vashti Harrison
Vashti Harrison 0000000476987403 Vashti Harrison, born in 1988, is a Virginia-based author, illustrator, and filmmaker with a passion for storytelling. She has degrees in Media Studies, Studio Art, F...
Alberto O. Cappas
Alberto O. Cappas NONE Alberto O. Cappas, a Puerto Rican-born poet, writer, and community activist, is known for his work in economic development, literature, and advocacy in New York and Buffalo. He...
Cheryl Clarke
Cheryl Clarke 0000000383377198 Cheryl L. Clarke, born in 1947, is a lesbian poet, essayist, and a Black feminist activist. Her work emphasizes African-American women's literature and black lesbian fe...
Matthew A. Cherry
Matthew A. Cherry 0000000500418922 Former NFL wide receiver, Matthew A. Cherry, transitioned into filmmaking after his retirement in 2007. He's known for directing over 20 music videos, his feature f...
Louis Edwards
Louis Edwards 0000000028382400 Louis Edwards, a Guggenheim Fellowship and Whiting Award-winning author, has written four novels including Ramadan Ramsey and Ten Seconds. Louisiana-born Edwards is als...
Biyi Bandele
Biyi Bandele 0000000120964833 Biyi Bandele-Thomas (1967-2022) was a renowned Nigerian novelist, playwright, director, and photographer. He was celebrated as one of Africa's top 50 artists. Bandele's ...
Regie Gibson
Regie Gibson NONE Regie Gibson is a poet, songwriter, author, workshop facilitator, and educator. Regie has performed, taught, and lectured at schools, universities, theaters and various other ve...
Tai Allen
Tai Allen NONE Tai Allen, a renowned Brooklyn-based creative director, poet, and musician, has excelled in multiple disciplines. His poetry and music have gained recognition from notable publications...
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...
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...
Donna Drew Sawyer
Donna Drew Sawyer NONE Donna Drew Sawyer, author of Provenance, has a rich background in arts administration, advertising, and public relations. A New Yorker with over three decades of experience in ...
Breena Clarke and Amy Newmark
Breena Clarke and Amy Newmark MULTIPLE Amy Newmark is the author, editor, and publisher of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Breena Clarke, a distinguished Black scholar and novelist, penned the ...
Ayana Mathis
Ayana Mathis 0000000367812022 Ayana Mathis, an Iowa Writers' Workshop graduate and Michener-Copernicus Fellowship recipient, is best known for her NYT best-selling novel 'The Twelve Tribes of Hattie'...
Sharon M. Draper
Sharon M. Draper 0000000374578086 Sharon M. Draper, acclaimed author of the Sassy series and numerous teen novels, is a New York Times bestseller and multiple Coretta Scott King Award winner. A forme...
Olive Senior
Olive Senior 0000000110714769 Jamaican-born Olive Senior is an accomplished scholar, journalist, and editor. Educated at Carleton University and the Thomson Foundation, she's held roles at the Daily ...
V. Brooks Dunbar
V. Brooks Dunbar NONE Dr. V. Brooks Dunbar is a renowned author, speaker, and leadership consultant. Known as the Confidence Commander, she empowers individuals and organizations to unlock their pote...
Gwen Richardson
Gwen Richardson NONE Gwen Richardson, co-founder of Cushcity.com, the largest African-American internet retailer, is a successful entrepreneur and writer with a marketing degree from Georgetown Unive...
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...
Jacquelin Thomas
Jacquelin Thomas NONE Award-winning author Jacquelin Thomas has published over 50 titles across romance, women’s fiction, inspirational, and young adult genres. She's received multiple awards includi...
Selene Castrovilla
Selene Castrovilla NONE Selene Castrovilla is an acclaimed author, celebrated for her nonfiction and fiction works that explore hidden truths in history and personal identity. Her award-winning books...
Yani
Yani 0000000118166410 Yani, an Amazon Best Selling Author from Philadelphia, is renowned for her six novels and unique storytelling style. She's celebrated in genres like African American Fiction-Ur...
Panashe Chigumadzi
Panashe Chigumadzi 0000000454298041 Panashe Chigumadzi is an acclaimed Zimbabwean novelist and essayist, known for her award-winning debut novel, Sweet Medicine. A prominent voice in African literatu...
Davida Siwisa James
Davida Siwisa James NONE Davida Siwisa James, a globe-trotting author with roots in Philly and Harlem, has experience as a freelance journalist and has several published works, including an award-win...
Suheir Hammad
Suheir Hammad 0000000084052510 Suheir Hammad, born October 25, 1973, is a Palestinian-American poet, author, performer, and activist renowned for her work in the spoken-word scene. She's had success ...
Kadija Sesay
Kadija Sesay NONE Kadija George is a renowned literary activist, poet, and publisher of Sierra Leonean descent. She's known for her debut poetry collection, Irki, and has edited numerous anthologies....
Kevin Coval
Kevin Coval 0000000053723529 Kevin Coval, author of ALA “Book of the Year†finalist Slingshots: A Hip-Hop Poetica, is the Artistic Director of Louder Than a Bomb: The Chicago Teen Poetry Festival...
Adib Khorram
Adib Khorram 0000000500351000 Adib Khorram is a queer Iranian American author of fiction for all ages. His debut young adult novel Darius the Great Is Not Okay earned the William C. Morris Debut Awa...
Wanjiku Wa Ngugi
Wanjiku Wa Ngugi NONE Wanjikũ Wa Ngũgĩ, author of 'The Fall of Saints', is a former director of the Helsinki African Film Festival. Her short stories and essays are featured in various publications i...
Colin Channer
Colin Channer 0000000066632589 Colin Channer, born in Jamaica, is a celebrated author and editor known for his poetry collection 'Providential' and bestselling novel 'Waiting in Vain'. He's also the ...
Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor
Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor 0000000049060048 Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor is a renowned Kenyan writer, recognized for her contribution to literature and arts in Kenya. She won the 2003 Caine Prize for her story “...
Peter Kalu
Peter Kalu NONE Peter Kalu is an award-winning poet, fiction writer, and playwright from the UK. He began his writing career at Manchester's Moss Side Write black writers workshop and has produced ei...
Justin Phillip Reed
Justin Phillip Reed 0000000497688533 Justin Phillip Reed is a South Carolina-born author, known for his work in various publications and his MFA in poetry from Washington University. Recognized for h...
Hannibal B. Johnson
Hannibal B. Johnson NONE Harvard Law graduate Hannibal B. Johnson is an esteemed author, attorney, and consultant specializing in diversity and human relations. He's taught at prestigious universitie...
Glodean Champion
Glodean Champion NONE Glodean Champion is a multifaceted artist, educator, and coach based in Monterey, CA. She is a published author, whose work explores themes of sexuality, gender, and African Ame...
January Gill O’Neil
January Gill O’Neil NONE January Gill O’Neil, author of Rewilding, Misery Islands, and Underlife, is a former executive director of Massachusetts Poetry Festival and ex-Grisham Writer-in-Residence. C...
Stacy Spikes
Stacy Spikes NONE Stacy Spikes, co-founder of MoviePass and founder of Urbanworld Film Festival, is an award-winning entrepreneur and former film marketing executive. Recognized as one of the most in...
Willard Jenkins
Willard Jenkins 0000000114808113 Willard Jenkins, born in 1949, is an influential figure in jazz, serving as Artistic Director of the DC Jazz Festival, arts consultant, producer, educator, and journa...
Keela Buford
Keela Buford NONE Keela Buford, a content strategist and author of 'Pride, and Joy,' is recognized in film and screenplay festival circuits. Her work ranges from science fiction to contemporary, with...
Greg Garrett
Greg Garrett 0000000046223577 Greg Garrett is a recognized voice on religion and culture in America, with work featured across major media outlets. He is the co-founder of the Long Long Way Film Fest...
William Byrd
William Byrd 0000000109367704 Dr. William “Super” Byrd, a Newark native, is an acclaimed author and educator specializing in Sports Education. A holder of multiple degrees and professional licenses, ...
Ann Ingalls
Ann Ingalls NONE Ann Ingalls, born in Cleveland, is an accomplished author and former special education teacher with 24 published books. Her first work, “The Little Piano Girl”, was a Crystal Kite Aw...
Julius Lester
Julius Lester 0000000114547822 Julius Bernard Lester (1939-2018) was a Missouri-born author, musician, and civil rights activist. Graduating from Fisk University, he went on to host radio and TV show...
Ariel Vanece
Ariel Vanece NONE Ariel Vanece received her MFA/MA in Writing for Children and Children’s Literature from Simmons University and holds a BA in English from the University of Kansas. Ariel’s first bo...
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...
Jeff Edwards
Jeff Edwards 0000000379483254 Rev. Dr. Jefferson Edwards, a senior pastor and founder of the Freedom Christian Center Church in Missouri, is a renowned author and international minister with over 43 ...
Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes 0000000121303076 “Democracy will not come / Today, this year, nor ever / Through compromise and fear.” Langston Hughes, The Poet Laureate of Harlem: Author, Poet, Essayist, Novelist, P...
Morgan Stevenson Cooper
Morgan Stevenson Cooper NONE Morgan Stevenson Cooper is a filmmaker, writer, and director celebrated for blending visual art with socially conscious storytelling. Best known for creating the viral s...
Tony Dungy
Tony Dungy 0000000036530143 Tony Dungy, the first African American coach to lead the Indianapolis Colts to a Super Bowl victory, has an impressive coaching history with multiple teams. Prior to coach...
Gordon Parks
Gordon Parks 0000000122842071 Gordon Parks (1912-2006) was a self-taught photographer who rose from poverty to become a pioneering African American film director, writer, and composer. Notably, he di...
Michael Gurian
Michael Gurian 0000000084041467 Michael Gurian, a social philosopher, family therapist, and bestselling author, has pioneered efforts in neurobiology and brain research. He has worked as a consultant...
Cheryl Robinson
Cheryl Robinson NONE Cheryl Robinson, a Detroit-born author, transformed her life from a career in marketing to writing. She began with self-publishing, before transitioning to Penguin Books' imprint...
Nnamdi Azikiwe
Nnamdi Azikiwe 0000000082108154 Nnamdi Azikiwe, a Washington DC-born author and University of the District of Columbia graduate, is known for his works on Black consciousness. He founded the Mhotep C...
Monica A. Coleman, Nancy R. Howell, and Helene Tallon Russell
Monica A. Coleman, Nancy R. Howell, and Helene Tallon Russell MULTIPLE Monica A. Coleman is an Associate Professor at Claremont School of Theology and Claremont Graduate University, and the author of...
Barack Obama
Barack Obama 0000000121331026 Barack Obama, born in Hawaii in 1961, was the 44th President of the United States. Raised in a middle-class family, he worked his way through college and became the firs...
Lewis Kelley
Lewis Kelley NONE Lewis Kelley, a dedicated family man and grandfather, is a former lieutenant of the Denver Fire Department and US Army veteran. He has two sons, a standup comedian and a musician/ac...
Tessa Gratton
Tessa Gratton 0000000121682336 Tessa Gratton, an acclaimed author of adult and YA SFF novels, is known for her dark queer fairy tales and Shakespearean retellings. Her works, translated into 22 langu...
Khalid Raheem
Khalid Raheem NONE Khalid Raheem is a community activist and author based in Pittsburgh. He has profound commitment to social justice and human development. His activism began in early 1970 when he j...
Misty Copeland
Misty Copeland 0000000053252958 Misty Copeland, born in 1982, is a renowned soloist at the American Ballet Theatre and a recipient of the Leonore Annenberg Fellowship in the Arts. She resides in New ...
Dionne Brand
Dionne Brand 0000000109071487 “The best poetry jolts and shocks, it mines language for what we have not seen, have not heard.” Dionne Brand is an acclaimed poet and novelist, known for win...
Vincent Brown
Vincent Brown 0000000114674784 Vincent Brown is the Charles Warren Professor of American History and Professor of African and African American Studies at Harvard University. He is the author of Tacky...
Indigo Moor
Indigo Moor NONE Indigo Moor, Sacramento's Poet Laureate, is a multi-talented writer with works ranging from poetry to plays. His award-winning books include Tap-Root and Through the Stonecutter’s Wi...