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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...
Leah Penniman
Leah Penniman 0000000499416929 Leah Penniman, a Black Kreyol farmer and James Beard Foundation Leadership Award recipient, is dedicated to advocating for an anti-racist food system. Co-founding direc...
Danielle Legros Georges
Danielle Legros Georges NONE Danielle Legros Georges, a professor at Lesley University, is a renowned writer and poet with interests in arts, education, American and African-American poetry, Caribbea...
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 ...
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...
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 ...
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...
James Smethurst
James Smethurst NONE James E. Smethurst, a Professor of Afro-American Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, is an expert in African American literature and culture. An accomplished auth...
Henry Norman
Henry Norman 000000011072158X Henry Norman (1843-1933), a renowned author from Pennsylvania, penned his timeless thoughts on race, religion, politics, and relationships. His notable works, Thoughts I...
Yusef Komunyakaa
Yusef Komunyakaa 000000011440862X Yusef Komunyakaa the first African American male to win the Pulitzer Prize for poetry Yusef Komunyakaa, born on April 29, 1947, is a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet recog...
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...
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...
R. Sporty King
R. Sporty King NONE Sporty King, a New York native, is a successful motivational speaker and poet. His academic prowess earned him a scholarship to a Massachusetts private school. After a brief stint...
Natasha Trethewey
Natasha Trethewey 0000000084159051 Trethewey was U.S. Poet Laureate, 2012-2014 Natasha Trethewey, an American poet and winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for her collection “Native Guard,” was inspired...
Tyehimba Jess
Tyehimba Jess 0000000044353175 Congrats to Tyehimba Jess: Winner 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry Tyehimba Jess, a Detroit native, is an award-winning poet and professor. His first book, Leadbelly, won ...
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...
Carl Phillips
Carl Phillips 0000000034354617 Carl Phillips, born 1959, is a renowned author and professor, best known for his dozen books of poetry and two works of criticism. With an educational background from H...
Martin Espada
Martin Espada 0000000078723234 MartÃn Espada, an esteemed poet, editor, essayist, and translator, has published over 20 books including Pulitzer finalist 'The Republic of Poetry'. He's the recipient...
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
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 ...
Geffrey Davis
Geffrey Davis NONE Geffrey Davis, an award-winning author and poet, is renowned for his book 'Revising the Storm'. He's a recipient of numerous accolades including the Anne Halley Poetry Prize. His w...
Major Jackson
Major Jackson 000000011499709X Major Jackson, an award-winning American poet and professor, is known for his poetry collections and contributions to the Harvard Review. He's a recipient of the Whitin...
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 ...
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...
Joseph S. Spence
Joseph S. Spence NONE Dr. Joseph S. Spence Sr. is a globally recognized author, poet, educator, and military veteran. He has authored over 200 peer-reviewed articles, ten poetry books, and co-founded...
Taylor Byas
Taylor Byas NONE Dr. Taylor Byas, Ph.D. is a Black poet and essayist. Originally from Chicago, she moved to Alabama for six years, where she received both her Bachelor’s degree in English and her Ma...
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...
Latorial Faison
Latorial Faison NONE Faison is the Judge for Nubianpoets.com 2018 Nation Poetry Month Poetry Contest Latorial Faison is an American poet and author, known for her profound poetry reflecting her Africa...
Robin Coste Lewis
Robin Coste Lewis NONE Robin Coste Lewis, a Provost's Fellow at USC, Cave Canem fellow and LA Institute for Humanities fellow, is known for her wide-ranging poetry. With an MFA from NYU and MTS from ...
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....
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...
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 ...
Kerri K. Greenidge
Kerri K. Greenidge 0000000040330662 Kerri K. Greenidge is a Mellon Assistant Professor at Tufts University specializing in Race, Colonialism, and Diaspora studies. She also heads the American studies...
Hayley Barrett
Hayley Barrett NONE Hayley Barrett, author of Babymoon, was inspired to write by her personal experiences nesting with her husband and newborns. She resides in eastern Massachusetts. Hayley Barrett s...
Bessel van der Kolk
Bessel van der Kolk 0000000110059709 Bessel van der Kolk, M.D., is the founder of the Trauma Center in Brookline, MA, a psychiatry professor at Boston University, and director of the National Complex...
Hayden Goodman
Hayden Goodman NONE Hayden Goodman, born in Western Massachusetts, is a renowned painter and children's book illustrator. Her clients include the New Yorker, the New York Times, MIT, and Garden & Gun...
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...
Bill Cosby
Bill Cosby 0000000107880184 “Far From Finished” Born on July 12, 1937, Bill Cosby is an influential comedian, actor, and philanthropist. He and his wife, Camille, have four daughters, all ...
Lesa Cline-Ransome
Lesa Cline-Ransome NONE Lesa Cline-Ransome, a renowned picture book author, is known for her biography titles like “Satchel Paige”, “Before She Was Harriet”, and more. From Massachusetts, she's worke...
David Walker
David Walker 0000000115650573 David Walker was a prominent African-American abolitionist who published an influential pamphlet in 1829 arguing against slavery and for racial equality using religious ...
Harriet E. Wilson
Harriet E. Wilson 0000000034051405 Harriet E. Wilson (1825-1900) was a free person of color and former indentured servant from New Hampshire. She authored the novel “Our Nig,” published anonymously i...
William Wells Brown
William Wells Brown 0000000120314769 William Wells Brown (1814-1884) was a notable African-American abolitionist, novelist, playwright, and historian. He's recognized for 'Clotel' (1853), the first n...
Taiye Selasi
Taiye Selasi 0000000384492964 Taiye Selasi, born in 1979, is an accomplished writer and photographer. Raised in Massachusetts by Nigerian and Ghanaian physicians, she earned degrees from Yale and Oxf...
Jamal Eric Watson
Jamal Eric Watson NONE Dr. Jamal Watson is an award-winning author and lecturer, known for his biography on Al Sharpton. He's a senior writer for Diverse Issues in Higher Education, with work feature...
Dan Smith
Dan Smith 0000000120314603 Dan Smith is a Boston University graduate with a diverse background including teaching and construction. Fluent in several languages, he enjoys various hobbies and lives in...
W.E.B. Du Bois
W.E.B. Du Bois 0000000108863087 Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois was a prominent scholar and writer in American history. Born in 1868, he was the first Black person to receive a Ph.D. from Harvard. He established ...
Mary Helen Washington
Mary Helen Washington 0000000076894080 Mary Helen Washington is an English Professor at the University of Maryland. She's a former Bunting Fellow at Harvard and has taught at the University of Massac...
Margaret Cezair-Thompson
Margaret Cezair-Thompson 0000000444583770 Margaret Cezair-Thompson, a Jamaican-born author and professor, is known for her novels “The True History of Paradise” and “The Pirate’s Daughter” which won ...
Ladee Hubbard
Ladee Hubbard 0000000496785892 Ladee Hubbard, born in Massachusetts and raised in Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands, is a Princeton-educated author, mentor to Toni Morrison, and professor at Tulane...
Lucy Terry
Lucy Terry NONE Lucy Terry Prince, born in West Africa (1730-1821), was a poet, storyteller, and activist known for being the first African American woman to compose a poem. Kidnapped and sold into s...
Mark Makabi
Mark Makabi NONE Mark Makabi is an accomplished author from Brockton, Massachusetts, who is passionate about education, justice, religion, and history. The seventh of ten children, Makabi founded Bit...
Ferris Shelton
Ferris Shelton NONE Ferris Shelton, a US Marine Corps veteran and world traveler, spent significant time in east Asia and Africa. His haunting visit to Ghana inspired his work 'Seven Full Days'. A Ne...
Nicole Tadgell
Nicole Tadgell 0000000038118670 Nicole Tadgell is a renowned watercolor artist and art director with over 20 years of experience. Known for her award-winning children's books, she also leads art work...
Gabriel Bump
Gabriel Bump 0000000495871676 Gabriel Bump is an award-winning author featured in Slam Magazine, Huffington Post, and more. He received the 2016 Deborah Slosberg Memorial Award for Fiction and holds ...
Louisa Jaggar and Shari Becker
Louisa Jaggar and Shari Becker MULTIPLE Louisa Jaggar, a columnist for Washington Parent and contributor to various platforms including PBS and the University of Chicago, resides near Washington, D.C...
Grace Lin
Grace Lin 0000000120166196 Grace Lin is a prolific author and illustrator of over 20 children's books, including the Newbery Honor Book “Where the Mountain Meets the Moon” and Geisel Honor Book “Ling...
Kaija Langley
Kaija Langley NONE Kaija Langley, a New Jersey native and Morgan State University alumna, earned her MFA in fiction from St. Mary’s College of California. An accomplished author, she started writing ...
Ronald Ancrum
Ronald Ancrum NONE Ron Ancrum, a nonprofit management and organizational development expert, has a diverse career as a professor, consultant, executive, and musician. A graduate of University of Conn...
Marc Favreau
Marc Favreau 000000007403815X Marc Favreau is a renowned author known for works like “Crash: The Great Depression” and “Spies: The Secret Showdown”, and co-editor of “Remembering Slavery.” He is also...
Louis Farrakhan
Louis Farrakhan 0000000103319656 Louis Farrakhan, born May 11, 1933, is a renowned former musician turned religious leader of The Nation of Islam. Raised in Massachusetts, he found fame in Boston bef...
John H. Bracey Jr.
John H. Bracey Jr. NONE John H. Bracey Jr. (1941-2023) was a renowned Afro-American studies professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, known for his work on African American history and cu...
Caroline Elkins
Caroline Elkins 0000000114903858 Caroline Elkins is a Harvard professor and founding director of its Center for African Studies. She won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for her first book, Imperial Reckoning...
Anna Woofenden
Anna Woofenden NONE Anna Woofenden is a founding pastor, author, and podcast co-host based in Massachusetts. She's a pivotal figure in the food and faith movement, passionate about spirituality, just...
Joy Buolamwini
Joy Buolamwini NONE Dr. Joy Buolamwini, founder of the Algorithmic Justice League, is a celebrated researcher and speaker. She advises on AI impacts, has featured in Time, The New York Times, and mor...
Ravi Howard
Ravi Howard NONE Ravi Howard is an award-winning author and television producer, known for his novel “Like Trees, Walking.” A recipient of the 2001 Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Award and the 200...
Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon
Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon 0000000033953968 Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon is a renowned American poet and scholar, celebrated for her exploration of race, identity, and human complexities in her work. Honor...
Victoria Adukwei Bulley
Victoria Adukwei Bulley 0000000474165676 Victoria Adukwei Bulley is a celebrated poet, writer, and artist, recognized for her exceptional poetry with an Eric Gregory Award. She's an alumna of the Bar...
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...
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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-...
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 ...
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 ...
Toi Derricotte
Toi Derricotte 0000000083980729 “My skin causes certain problems continuously, problems that open the issue of racism over and over like a wound.” Toi Derricotte is an award-winning poet a...
Aileen Muhammad
Aileen Muhammad NONE Aileen Muhammad, born in 1950, is a notable poet and author from Philadelphia. Her poetry appeared in Journal of Black Poetry and Muhammad Speaks in the 1960s. She graduated from...
Rachel Eliza Griffiths
Rachel Eliza Griffiths 0000000527846142 Rachel Eliza Griffiths, a poet, photographer, and creative writing teacher, is renowned for her literary portraits, fine art photography, and lyric videos. She...
Reginald Harris
Reginald Harris 0000000022558452 Reginald Harris, a noted poet and IT Director at Poets House, NYC, is a winner of the 2012 Cave Canem/Northwestern University Press Poetry Prize. He's received multip...
Chance Arradondo
Chance Arradondo NONE Chance Arradondo is a versatile writer, born in 1989 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He writes novels, poetry, short stories, and lyrics, inspired by his life experiences and love fo...
Joseph S. Spence, Sheila M. Parrish-Spence, and Jonathan Clarence Parrish-Spence
Joseph S. Spence, Sheila M. Parrish-Spence, and Jonathan Clarence Parrish-Spence MULTIPLE The Spence family, consisting of Joseph, Sheila, and Jonathan, use poetry and various other forms of artistic...
Patricia Jabbeh Wesley
Patricia Jabbeh Wesley 0000000046027939 Wesley Receives the 2023 Theodore Roethke Memorial Poetry Award Dr. Patricia Jabbeh Wesley, a Penn State Altoona professor of English, creative writing and Afri...
April Gibson
April Gibson NONE April Gibson is a poet, writer, and professor from the South Side of Chicago. She is a winner of The Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Award, a Sustainable Arts Foundation Award, and a Loft L...
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...
Everett Hoagland
Everett Hoagland NONE Everett Hoagland, a Philadelphia-born poet, professor, and activist, is renowned for his contributions to African American literature. A significant literary figure, he has nume...
Yvette Lisa Ndlovu
Yvette Lisa Ndlovu NONE Yvette Lisa Ndlovu is a Zimbabwean storyteller. Her debut short story collection Drinking from Graveyard Wells was selected for the 2021 UPK New Poetry & Prose Series. Yvette ...
Diamond Forde
Diamond Forde NONE Diamond Forde’s debut collection, Mother Body, was chosen by Patricia Smith as the winner of the 2019 Saturnalia Poetry Prize. She has been the recipient of the Pink Poetry Prize,...
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...
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...
Carl Patterson
Carl Patterson NONE Carl Patterson started writing at 45, inspired by his late wife's positive outlook on life. Initially a poet, he transitioned into novel-writing upon her suggestion. His works, in...
Safiya Sinclair
Safiya Sinclair 0000000500999106 Safiya Sinclair is a Jamaica-born author known for her award-winning poetry book, Cannibal. She holds numerous accolades including the Whiting Writers’ Award, Pushcar...