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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...
Kellie Carter Jackson
Kellie Carter Jackson NONE Kellie Carter Jackson, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Africana Studies at Wellesley College and author of the award-nominated book, Force and Freedom. She resides in S...
Kellie Jones
Kellie Jones 0000000076890717 Kellie Jones is an Associate Professor at Columbia University specializing in African American and African Diaspora artists, Latinx and Latin American Artists, and conte...
Mervyn Morris
Mervyn Morris 0000000122796976 Born in 1937, Mervyn E. Morris is a renowned Jamaican poet and scholar. A Rhodes Scholar and Professor Emeritus of Creative Writing & West Indian Literature, he was the...
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 ...
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 ...
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...
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...
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 ...
Marlon James
Marlon James 0000000072615785 Jamaican-born author Marlon James, featured on Mosaic Literary Magazine's cover, is a University of the West Indies literature graduate. His debut novel, John Crow’s Dev...
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 ...
Ishi Robinson
Ishi Robinson NONE Ishi Robinson was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica. A Canadian citizen, she has lived in Bern, Toronto, Rome, London and now lives in Berlin with her Czech husband. Her first ...
Sandra A. Ottey
Sandra A. Ottey NONE Sandra A. Ottey, born in Kingston, Jamaica, is a US-based author known for 'Jamerican Connection' and its sequel. She holds a bachelor's degree from Medgar Evers College and a ma...
Neville Dawes
Neville Dawes 0000000434837562 Neville Augustus Dawes (1926-1984), born in Nigeria to Jamaican parents, was a writer and educator. Raised in Jamaica, he studied at Oxford University, taught in Jamaic...
Oyinkan Braithwaite
Oyinkan Braithwaite 0000000472215924 Oyinkan Braithwaite, a Kingston University graduate in Creative Writing and Law, has worked in Nigerian publishing and children's entertainment. Now a freelance w...
Racquel Williams
Racquel Williams NONE Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Racquel Williams moved to the US in 1992. After a difficult period leading to prison on drug charges, she turned her life around. Now living in Atlant...
Brittany J. Thurman
Brittany J. Thurman NONE Brittany J. Thurman, an MFA graduate in Dramatic Writing from Carnegie Mellon, is known for her plays produced in Aspen and NYC. An alumna of Kingston University, former chil...
Sandy Daley
Sandy Daley NONE Sandy Daley, a versatile talent from Kingston, Jamaica, is an actress, author, and media personality known for her candidness. Her provocative novel, “Whose Vagina Is It, Really?” di...
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...
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 ...
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...
Millicent Graham
Millicent Graham NONE Millicent A. A. Graham, born in 1974, is a Jamaican poet known for her collections 'The Damp In Things' (2009) and 'The Way Home' (2014). She was a fellow at the Bread Loaf Writ...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Thomas Glave
Thomas Glave NONE Bronx-born author Thomas Glave, educated at Bowdoin College and Brown University, is recognized for his contribution to LGBT literature. A Fulbright Scholar, he co-founded Jamaica's...
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...
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...
Sean Anderson
Sean Anderson 0000000078343215 Sean Anderson, son of Jamaican immigrants, is a New York-based writer, educator, and youth advocate. His works reflect his unique experiences growing up in 80s NYC and ...
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...
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, ...
Stuart Hall
Stuart Hall 0000000121381154 Stuart Hall (1932-2014) was a pioneering Jamaican-British cultural theorist, political activist, and founding editor of New Left Review. He significantly contributed to t...
Stella Lim
Stella Lim NONE Stella Lim is a Korean illustrator based in Seoul. She studied fine art at the Seoul Women's University and illustration at Kingston University in London. She draws inspiration from ...
Michael Robinson
Michael Robinson 000000005036716X Michael Robinson is an award-winning Visual Communications Consultant with expertise in photography, videography, sculpture, painting, and design. He co-owns a t-shi...
Paulette A. Ramsay
Paulette A. Ramsay NONE Jamaican scholar, Paulette Ramsay, holds a Ph.D. in Spanish from the University of the West Indies. She has worked at Berry College in the USA and currently lectures at the Un...
Jacqueline Bishop
Jacqueline Bishop 0000000041919671 Born in 1971, Jacqueline Bishop is an accomplished Jamaican writer and visual artist. She's the founding editor of Calabash: A Journal of Caribbean Arts & Letters a...
Shara McCallum
Shara McCallum 0000000078832377 Shara McCallum, a Jamaican author known for her poetry, has published four books and received prestigious recognitions including a Witter Bynner Fellowship. Her works ...
Peter Tosh
Peter Tosh 0000000117591917 Peter Tosh, born Winston Hubert McIntosh (1944-1987), was a prominent Jamaican musician and activist. Raised in Trench Town, his musical skills were honed in church choir ...
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce NONE Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, a Jamaican sprinter, rose to fame in 2008 as the first Caribbean woman to win 100m Olympic gold. In 2012, she successfully defended her title. Af...
Joan Wright Lewis
Joan Wright Lewis NONE Jamaican-born author Joan Wright Lewis, now a US citizen, is known for her works that inspire youth and young adults to embrace self-love, pursue dreams, and foster genuine fri...
Lorna Goodison
Lorna Goodison 0000000354889186 Jamaican-born Lorna Goodison, a former painter and art teacher, turned professional writer and acclaimed poet. Educated in Jamaica and New York, she has been honored w...
Noel Hankin
Noel Hankin NONE Noel Hankin, founder of The Best of Friends, Inc., pioneered disco nightlife in NYC, paving the way for the disco explosion of the '70s. A retired executive from Moët Hennessy USA a...
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...
Linda A. Duggins
Linda A. Duggins NONE Linda A. Duggins is the Director of Multicultural Publicity at Hachette Book Group and Co-founder of the Harlem Book Fair. She's a board member of several literacy organizations...
Max Rodriguez
Max Rodriguez NONE Max Rodriguez is the founder and publisher of QBR/The Black Book Review, one of the nation’s premier publications dedicated to books by and about people of African descent. ...
Emily Raboteau
Emily Raboteau 0000000036573661 Emily Raboteau, author of 'The Professor’s Daughter' and 'Searching for Zion,' is an award-winning writer renowned for her fiction and essays. She has received numerou...
Aliona L. Gibson
Aliona L. Gibson NONE Aliona L. Gibson is an author and filmmaker with a passion for creativity and service. She published her first book, Nappy, and later the self-published For Black Writers. Inspi...
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...
Jayne Cortez
Jayne Cortez 0000000080983190 Jayne Cortez (1936-2012) was a celebrated poet and performance artist, known for her political and surrealistic lyricism. She authored eleven books of poetry and present...
Lamar Giles
Lamar Giles 0000000514184709 L.R. Giles is a renowned author and speaker from Virginia, known for his commitment to diversity in publishing. A founding member of We Need Diverse Books, Giles made his...
Christine List
Christine List NONE Christine List, Ph.D. from Northwestern University, is an award-winning filmmaker recognized globally. She has received numerous grants, served as a media grant evaluator and juri...
Doreen Rappaport
Doreen Rappaport 0000000073677013 Doreen Rappaport, an award-winning author of 48 children's books, is celebrated for her unique storytelling style that combines historical facts with intimate narrat...
Keisha-Gaye Anderson
Keisha-Gaye Anderson NONE Keisha-Gaye Anderson is a Jamaican-born poet, creative writer, visual artist, and media professional, whose multi-platform storytelling has examined subjects like art, cult...
Joy Elan
Joy Elan NONE Joy Elán, an award-winning author and spoken word artist from Oakland, CA, has penned six books. Despite being born with hearing loss, she overcame adversity to earn degrees from UC Be...
James W. Lewis
James W. Lewis NONE James W. Lewis, an award-winning novelist and freelance writer, is a managing partner at The Pantheon Collective publishing company. Known for his debut novel 'Sellout', he has re...
Michael R. Jackson
Michael R. Jackson 0000000023302176 Michael R. Jackson, a BFA and MFA graduate from NYU Tisch School of the Arts, is a renowned songwriter and playwright. Known for his work on musicals like 'Teeth',...
Shauntay Grant
Shauntay Grant 0000000082860020 Shauntay Grant is a Halifax-based writer and performance artist. She's written multiple children's books, including award-winning 'Up Home' and 'Africville'. Grant als...
Beverly Jenkins
Beverly Jenkins 000000011691928X Beverly Jenkins, a USA TODAY bestselling author, is renowned for her African-American historical romance fiction, mainly set in the 19th century. With over thirty nov...