AALBC Search
Kitson Jazynka and National Geographic Kids
Kitson Jazynka and National Geographic Kids MULTIPLE
Claude McKay
Claude McKay 0000000108625951 Festus Claudius McKay, a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance, was born in Jamaica and authored influential works including the poem “If We Must Die” and novel “Home to ...
Regina Abraham
Regina Abraham NONE Regina Abraham, a Harlem-based Academic Intervention Coordinator, is an educational consultant and author of the Harlem-inspired children's book series, “The Harlem Legends.” She ...
Eugene B. Redmond
Eugene B. Redmond 0000000117637604 Eugene B. Redmond, an American poet and academic, is renowned for his connection to the Black Arts Movement. A St. Louis native, Redmond earned degrees from Souther...
Lindsey Nyx Walker
Lindsey Nyx Walker Lindsey Nyx Walker is the senior producer and head writer at StarTalk, a popular science podcast and four-time Emmy-nominated television show on the National Geographic Channel. ...
Patrick Girouard
Patrick Girouard NONE Patrick Girouard is a versatile artist, known for his original work ranging from corporate logos to city bus designs. With over 100 children's books under his belt, including aw...
Lolá Ákínmádé Åkerström
Lolá Ákínmádé Åkerström 0000000403172043 Lolá Ákínmádé Åkerström is an acclaimed author, speaker, and photographer. Her work has been featured in major publications worldwide and she has received num...
African American Literature Book Club
African American Literature Book Club 0000000509856750 The African American Literature Book Club transforms notable forum discussions into articles for increased visibility. The first conversion, “On...
Steve Cannon
Steve Cannon 0000000363821597 Steve Cannon (1935-2019) was a key figure in the Black Arts Movement and a prominent Black writer from New Orleans. He moved to NYC in 1962, where he engaged in literary...
Wallace Thurman
Wallace Thurman 0000000080916692 Wallace Henry Thurman, born in 1902, was an influential figure during the Harlem Renaissance. Known for his realistic portrayals of lower-class black American society...
Anne Spencer
Anne Spencer 0000000458445176 Anne Bannister Spencer was a lauded American poet, civil rights activist, and librarian during the Harlem Renaissance. Born in 1882, she was the first African-American w...
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o and Ngugi Wa Mirii
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o and Ngugi Wa Mirii MULTIPLE Born in Kenya in 1938, Ngugi wa Thiong’o is a leading East African novelist, essayist, playwright, and academic. Educated in Kenya, Uganda, and Britain, ...
Frederick Price
Frederick Price 0000000400170923 Frederick K.C. Price, founder of Crenshaw Christian Center, began his ministry in 1973, expanding it globally through Ever Increasing Faith Ministries. Price also fou...
Jerry Pinkney
Jerry Pinkney 0000000063081603 Jerry Pinkney (December 22, 1939 – October 20, 2021) has been illustrating children’s books since 1964. In addition to his work on children’s books, he is an ext...
Flo Anthony
Flo Anthony NONE AALBC mourns the passing of Florence “Flo” Anthony Florence “Flo” Anthony, a pioneering African-American woman in sports and entertainment journalism, is a syndicated radio host and c...
Kevin McGruder
Kevin McGruder 0000000071766805 Kevin McGruder is an Assistant Professor of History at Antioch College with interests in African American institutions, urban history, and gay and lesbian history. He ...
Carl Van Vechten
Carl Van Vechten 0000000115587789 Carl Van Vechten, the great popularizer of the Harlem Renaissance for white people. Carl Van Vechten was a renowned photographer and author, best known for his contri...
Irene Smalls
Irene Smalls NONE Irene Smalls, a Harlem native and Cornell University graduate, is a renowned children's author, inspired by her personal experiences and heritage. Her diverse career spans modelling...
Fenton Johnson
Fenton Johnson 0000000038623095 Fenton Johnson (1888-1958) was an African American poet, essayist, and editor who significantly contributed to the Harlem Renaissance. His work, including his well-kno...
Louise Meriwether
Louise Meriwether 0000000110768302 Louise Meriwether was a renowned novelist, essayist, journalist, and activist, best known for her children's biographies of significant African Americans. Born in N...
Rosa Guy
Rosa Guy 0000000111564547 Rosa Guy, born in Trinidad in 1925, was an influential Harlem-based writer and activist. A co-founder of the Harlem Writer's Guild, she was also a member of the Black nation...
Greg Thomas
Greg Thomas 0000000055234489 Greg Thomas is an esteemed jazz writer, editor, educator, and broadcaster. With works published in numerous publications, he was the founding Editor-in-Chief of Harlem Wo...
Irenosen Okojie
Irenosen Okojie 0000000493628445 Irenosen Okojie is a London-based writer and curator, known for her work with prominent arts organizations and her international publications. Her writing has been fe...
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o and Timothy J. Reiss
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o and Timothy J. Reiss MULTIPLE Ngugi wa Thiong’o, born in Kenya 1938, is a leading East African novelist, educated in Kenya, Uganda, and Britain. A recipient of seven Honorary Doctor...
George Simmonds
George Simmonds NONE George Simmonds co-authored The Black Man's North and East Africa with Yosef Ben-Jochannan. his work explores the historical and cultural significance of African civilizations in...
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o 0000000109301051 AALBC Mourns the passing of Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o May 28, 2025 Kenyan-born Ngugi wa Thiong’o was a leading East African novelist, educated in Kenya, ...
Tony Hillery
Tony Hillery NONE Tony Hillery, founder and executive director of Harlem Grown, began his journey in 2011, transforming a vacant lot in Harlem into a thriving urban farm. He is based in New York and ...
Alain Locke
Alain Locke 0000000108789294 Celebrate the Centennial of Survey Graphic on March 23, 2025, at 6 PM ET. Register Here Born in 1886, Alain LeRoy Locke was an influential educator, writer, and phil...
Gwendolyn Bennett
Gwendolyn Bennett 0000000041133249 Gwendolyn B. Bennett was an influential American artist, writer, and journalist during the Harlem Renaissance. Born in 1902, she contributed to Opportunity, publish...
Judy Tyrus and Paul Novosel
Judy Tyrus and Paul Novosel MULTIPLE Judy Tyrus, a former principal ballerina with the Dance Theatre of Harlem and Oakland Ballet, now serves as a dance industry consultant and co-founder of ChromaDi...
Edward Roy
Edward Roy 0000000108894174 Edward Roy, born in 1945, grew up in Harlem, NY, mentored by influential figures including Malcolm X. He served in the US Army’s Medical Corps during the Cold War and Viet...
Celeste Beatty
Celeste Beatty NONE Celeste Beatty is the first Black woman to own a brewery in the United States. Celeste Beatty (born 1964), entrepreneur and beer pioneer, founded the Harlem Brewing Company in 200...
Rudolph Fisher
Rudolph Fisher 0000000081030148 Rudolph Fisher was a multifaceted talent associated with the Harlem Renaissance, known for his work as a physician, radiologist, novelist, and orator. Notably, he effe...
James Weldon Johnson
James Weldon Johnson 0000000120206864 James Weldon Johnson was a legendary civil rights activist, renowned author, and key figure in the Harlem Renaissance. His diverse career spans roles as a U.S. c...
Anthony Asadullah Samad
Anthony Asadullah Samad NONE Dr. Anthony Asadullah Samad is a renowned columnist, scholar, and author of three best-selling books. He's an Associate Professor of Political Science at East Los Angeles...
Leah Chase
Leah Chase 0000000031174354 Leah Chase (1923-2019), born in Madisonville, Louisiana, became a national award-winning cook and civic figure after marrying into the Chase restaurant family in New Orlea...
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...
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...
Lerato Umah-Shaylor
Lerato Umah-Shaylor NONE Lerato Umah-Shaylor is a renowned food writer, presenter, and African cuisine expert, who founded Lerato Foods & Naturals. Drawing from her experiences in West Africa and the...
Winston Chapman
Winston Chapman NONE Winston Chapman, originally from Roseville, Minnesota, is an author with diverse career experiences, including stand-up comedy and TV show production. He first published an artic...
National Museum of African American History and Culture
National Museum of African American History and Culture MULTIPLE The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), established by Congress in 2003, is devoted to documenting Afric...
Scott Haskins
Scott Haskins NONE Born on February 21, 1962, in Sandusky, Ohio, sports fanatic Scott Denton Haskins discovered his passion for writing in the sixth grade. Scott pursued a degree in Mass Media Arts a...
Charles S. Johnson
Charles S. Johnson 0000000108707076 Charles Spurgeon Johnson was a prominent 20th-century black sociologist, key figure of the Harlem Renaissance, and a Ph.D. graduate from the University of Chicago....
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...
Caleb Azumah Nelson
Caleb Azumah Nelson 0000000505162647 A 2021 National Book Foundation “5 Under 35” Honoree Caleb Azumah Nelson is a British-Ghanaian writer and photographer based in London. Known for his n...
Sidi
Sidi NONE Sidibe Ibrahima, known as Sidi, is a multilingual entrepreneur from Ivory Coast who started as a book vendor in Harlem. Now a well-known figure in New York's African American literary scene...
Zora Neale Hurston
Zora Neale Hurston 0000000109083197 “One of the greatest writers of our time.”—Toni Morrison Zora Neale Hurston is considered one of the titans of twentieth-century African American ...
Mae V. Cowdery
Mae V. Cowdery 0000000068646714 Mae V. Cowdery (1909–1948) was a gifted poet of the Harlem Renaissance whose work explored racial pride, love, and sensuality with unusual candor for her era. Born in...
Betty J. Dopson
Betty J. Dopson NONE Betty J. Dopson is a cultural activist, administrator, and organizer with a degree in Communications Arts and Sciences. She served as the Director of Public Relations at Harlem H...
Countee Cullen
Countee Cullen 0000000081534450 Countée Porter Cullen (1903-1946) was a prominent figure of the Harlem Renaissance, known for his poetry books “Color” and “Copper Sun.” He taught and mentored James ...
David Rivera
David Rivera 0000000119349964 David Rivera Jr., a writer inspired by contemporary black male authors, has been writing since high school. His debut book, Harlem's Dragon, received great acclaim. Draw...
Willis Nathaniel Huggins
Willis Nathaniel Huggins 0000000064958315 Willis Nathaniel Huggins, Ph.D. (1886-1940) was a renowned historian, activist, and mentor. He owned the Blyden Bookstore in Harlem and was a key member of t...
Dorothy West
Dorothy West 0000000117719538 Dorothy West (1907-1998) was an active participant in the Harlem Renaissance and the last surviving member. Known for her short stories, she debuted with her novel 'The ...
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...
Jeffrey B. Perry
Jeffrey B. Perry 0000000110567703 Dr. Jeffrey B. Perry is a renowned scholar and authority on Harlem activist Hubert Henry Harrison. He authored “Hubert Harrison: The Voice of Harlem Radicalism, 1883...
J.T. Smith
J.T. Smith 0000000117420835 J.T. Smith, a New Jersey-born author, developed a passion for reading and history at an early age. His interest in Black History and the Harlem Renaissance influenced his ...
Clifford V. Johnson
Clifford V. Johnson 0000000108556351 Clifford V. Johnson received the American Association of Physics Teachers 2018 Klopsteg Memorial Award for outstanding communication of the excitement of contempo...
Nina Foxx
Nina Foxx 0000000045364941 Nina Foxx, a prolific author of 15 novels, has also written, produced, and directed multiple award-winning stage plays and films. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing and a...
Anela Malik
Anela Malik NONE Anela Malik is an author, creator, and host whose storytelling feeds both minds and hearts. She writes, films, and speaks about food, travel, culture, and identity through an unflin...
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...
Adam Clayton Powell
Adam Clayton Powell 0000000121314963 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. was a Baptist minister and the first African-American elected to Congress from New York. He represented Harlem from 1945-71. A national De...
Camille Yarbrough
Camille Yarbrough 0000000063310082 Read a Wonderful Article Describing Yarbrough’s Life NANA CAMILLE YARBROUGH Ms. Yarbrough, a multi-talented veteran of theater, film, ...
Cassandra Mack
Cassandra Mack NONE Cassandra Mack, founder of Strategies for Empowered Living Inc., is an author and life coach. Known for her blogs, books and radio appearances, she offers practical tools for succ...
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...
Ta-Nehisi Coates
Ta-Nehisi Coates 0000000036544350 “I’ve been wondering who might fill the intellectual void that plagued me after James Baldwin died…clearly it is Ta-Nehisi Coates.” —To...
Angela Flournoy
Angela Flournoy 0000000436914613 Angela Flournoy, author of The Turner House, a National Book Award finalist, has been recognized with numerous awards including the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize. A Nat...
INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence
INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence NONE INCITE! is a national activist organization of radical feminists aiming to end violence against women of color through direct action, dialogue, and grassr...
Toni Williams
Toni Williams NONE Toni Williams, former editor of the St. Lucian newspaper, the Crusader, and a Reuters Fellow, is the creator of the popular Caribbean Book Blog. Born in Saint Lucia, he is part of ...
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 ...
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...
Walter White
Walter White 0000000081462565 “I am a Negro. My skin is white, my eyes are blue, my hair is blond. The traits of my race are nowhere visible upon me.” Explore A.J. Baime's 2022 autobiograp...
Jeffery Boston Weatherford
Jeffery Boston Weatherford NONE Jeffery Boston Weatherford, an illustrator and poet, founded Triiibe Worldwide. His debut book, You Can Fly: The Tuskegee Airmen, acclaimed by several organizations, e...
Salome Thomas-El
Salome Thomas-El NONE Salome Thomas-EL, born in Philadelphia, has been a transformative teacher and chess coach since 1987, leading his students to become Eight-Time National Chess Champions. He hold...
Uwem Akpan
Uwem Akpan 0000000051528850 Nigerian writer Uwem Akpan, author of award-winning collection 'Say You're One of Them', is known for his academic background in humanities, philosophy and theology, with ...
Christiane Engel
Christiane Engel 0000000378418792 Christiane Engel is a children's book illustrator known for her quirky characters. Besides illustration, she designs puzzles and animations, residing with her family...
Laban Carrick Hill
Laban Carrick Hill NONE Laban Carrick Hill (1960 – 2021) has written two young adult novels: A Brush with Napoleon, based on the life of the French Romantic painter David, and Casa Azul, based...
Dinesh Sharma
Dinesh Sharma 0000000057310182 Dinesh Sharma, a Harvard-educated cultural psychologist and acclaimed author, is a respected research professor and senior fellow at various institutes. Known for his b...
Lowell Hawthorne
Lowell Hawthorne NONE Lowell Hawthorne, born in Jamaica, moved to the U.S. in 1981 and worked as an accountant while studying at Bronx Community College. In 1989, he, his wife, and siblings establish...
Muriel Feelings
Muriel Feelings 0000000042175168 Muriel Feelings, born in Pennsylvania, was an educator and author. She taught in East Africa and Brooklyn and collaborated with her illustrator husband, Tom Feelings,...
Felicia Pearson
Felicia Pearson 0000000036169140 Felicia “Snoop“ Pearson, known for her chilling role in HBO's The Wire, has overcome significant life challenges. Born in difficult circumstances in East Baltimor...
Cheryl Cloyd Robbins
Cheryl Cloyd Robbins NONE Cheryl Cloyd Robbins is a passionate writer who began her journey in high school. She self-published her first novel in 2006 and its acclaimed sequel in 2008. Despite being ...
Ayobami Adebayo
Ayobami Adebayo 0000000468271405 Ayá»Ì€baÌmi AdeÌbaÌyá»Ì€ is a Nigerian author, best known for her debut novel, “Stay with Me.” Her work, published across the globe, has been shortlisted for the...
Nansubuga Nagadya Isdahl
Nansubuga Nagadya Isdahl NONE Nansubuga Nagadya Isdahl, born in the USA to Ugandan parents, is a technical writer and editor for international organizations like the UN and the World Bank. With degre...
Vernon Kitabu Turner
Vernon Kitabu Turner NONE Vernon “Kitabu” Turner, an African-American spiritual guru, Zen master, and martial artist, was raised Christian but became a Zen initiate after meeting master Nomura Roshi ...
Debbie Rigaud
Debbie Rigaud NONE YA author Debbie M. Rigaud, known for her work in magazines like Seventeen and CosmoGIRL!, has also co-authored Alyssa Milano's Hope series and penned Truly Madly Royally. Now base...
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...
Layla Saad
Layla Saad 000000049618806X Layla Saad is a global writer, speaker, and podcast host known for her work on race, identity, and social change. As a multicultural woman, she offers unique perspectives ...
Sinfree Makoni and Arthur K. Spears
Sinfree Makoni and Arthur K. Spears MULTIPLE Sinfree Makoni, Geneva Smitherman, Arthur K. Spears, Arnetha Ball, and NgÅ©gÄ© wa Thiong’o are respected professors and scholars in linguistics, English, ...
Vince Bailey
Vince Bailey NONE Vince Bailey is an award-winning author and construction estimator from Central Arizona. His childhood experiences heavily influence his nostalgic fiction writing, particularly his ...
Ayanna Lloyd Banwo
Ayanna Lloyd Banwo 0000000507315926 Ayanna Lloyd Banwo, a writer from Trinidad and Tobago, has been published in several literary magazines. She holds an M.A. in Creative Writing from the University ...
Saara El-Arifi
Saara El-Arifi NONE Saara El-Arifi, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Final Strife, draws from her Ghanaian and Sudanese heritage for her work. Raised in the Middle East before transitioning to ...
John Koehler
John Koehler NONE John L. Koehler, author of 'Stasi: The Untold Story of the East German Secret Police', is a former journalist for the Associated Press and U.S. Army Intelligence Officer. He advised...
Michael A. Gonzales
Michael A. Gonzales NONE Harlem-born essayist and short story writer Michael A. Gonzales, co-authored the seminal hip-hop book Bring the Noise. Known as the “hip-hop Chester Himes,†his fiction a...
Jeannette Caines
Jeannette Caines 0000000084545104 Jeannette Franklin Caines, a celebrated author of children's picture books, is recognized by the National Black Child Development Institute. She hails from Harlem an...
Wyatt Tee Walker
Wyatt Tee Walker 0000000082666762 Rev. Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker was a pastor, civil rights leader, theologian, and historian, best known for his work with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the SCLC. He hel...
Ginger Adams Otis
Ginger Adams Otis 0000000120319922 Ginger Adams Otis is an experienced New York City journalist and author. She's a staff writer at NY Daily News, having covered local politics, City Hall, and the Fi...
Denise Bolds
Denise Bolds NONE Denise Bolds, a Harlem-born single mother, author, and community activist, uses her platform to empower underserved women and children. Known for her book on raising black sons and ...
Yusef A. Salaam
Yusef A. Salaam NONE Yusef A. Salaam, a Harlem-born writer, contributes regularly to the New York Beacon and is a member of the National Writers Union. Known for his appearances on the Oprah Winfrey ...
Richard Kigel
Richard Kigel NONE Richard Kigel is an experienced literacy professional and veteran teacher with a focus on inspiring students in reading and writing. He is notable for his revealing article on Phil...
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 ...