AALBC Search
Blacc Topp
Blacc Topp NONE Blacc Topp, an award-winning author born in Benton Harbor, MI, and raised in South Dallas, used his love for writing to navigate personal loss and a challenging upbringing. From journ...
Echo Brown
Echo Brown NONE Echo Brown is a renowned storyteller, author, and performer known for her one-woman show, 'Black Virgins Are Not for Hipsters'. She's also the author of 'Black Girl Unlimited'. Echo f...
Danzy Senna
Danzy Senna 0000000121437007 “Is Danzy Senna Black?” Danzy Senna, a celebrated novelist and essayist, focuses on identity, motherhood, race, and gender in her work. A Stanford BA and UC Ir...
Charles Johnson
Charles Johnson 0000000000042498 Charles Richard Johnson, a novelist, essayist, and cartoonist from Evanston, Illinois, is renowned for his balanced mix of philosophy and folklore. His novel, Middle ...
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...
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, ...
Ben Okri
Ben Okri 0000000121401864 Ben Okri, an award-winning poet and novelist, was born to an Igbo mother and Urhobo father in Nigeria. He had his early education in London, furthered his studies in England...
KR Bankston
KR Bankston NONE KR Bankston is an accomplished Fiction Novelist, Publishing Consultant, and CEO of Kirabaco Media Group. Known for her commercial publishing debut, 'A Deadly Encounter' in 2008, she ...
Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Dolen Perkins-Valdez 0000000074479879 Dolen Perkins-Valdez, a Memphis-born novelist, is renowned for her New York Times bestselling novel 'Wench.' A Harvard graduate and former University of Californ...
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 ...
Primrose Cameron
Primrose Cameron NONE Primrose Cameron is an experienced motivational speaker, life coach, teacher, and counselor based in West Volusia. She offers personal and professional development through her t...
Heidi R. Lewis
Heidi R. Lewis NONE Dr. Heidi R. Lewis is an Associate Professor and Director of the Feminist & Gender Studies Program at Colorado College. Specializing in Feminist Theory, Hip Hop Culture, and Criti...
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...
Dashawn Taylor
Dashawn Taylor NONE Dashawn Taylor is a contemporary novelist and Rutgers graduate known for his urban edgy style. A former finalist on BET's Ultimate Hustler Show, he's also the author of 'From Pove...
Fred Beauford
Fred Beauford NONE Fred Beauford is a prolific novelist, essayist, and editor, known for his eight novels, memoir, essay collections, and contributions to notable literary series. He's also the found...
Albert Murray
Albert Murray 0000000083695821 Albert L. Murray (1916-2013) was a respected critic, novelist, and biographer. Born in Alabama, he divided his time between teaching and serving in the air force before...
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, ...
Ronald Gauthier
Ronald Gauthier NONE Ronald M. Gauthier, a former social service counselor, adult education instructor, and library manager, is a novelist whose works are shaped by his love for New Orleans and his p...
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...
Monique Roffey
Monique Roffey 0000000046732443 Monique Roffey, an award-winning novelist and essayist, is known for her novel “The Mermaid of Black Conch,” which won the Costa Book Award. A Trinidadian-born British...
Mũkoma wa Ngũgĩ
Mũkoma wa Ngũgĩ 0000000048742231 Mũkoma wa Ngũgĩ, an acclaimed novelist, poet, and essayist, is an Assistant Professor of English at Cornell University. He was shortlisted for the Caine Prize and Pen...
William Melvin Kelley
William Melvin Kelley 0000000108984997 William Melvin Kelley was a notable American novelist and short-story writer, known for using African American comedy to critique racial attitudes. He taught li...
Melvin Van Peebles
Melvin Van Peebles 000000038553859X Melvin Van Peebles, founding father of Black American cinema, was a multi-talented artist known for directing, writing, and acting in groundbreaking films. He was ...
Jesse Byrd
Jesse Byrd NONE Jesse Byrd, Jr., an award-winning author and former Google project worker, used his basketball skills to fund his education at UC Santa Barbara. Known for his debut novel, King Pengui...
Jean Toomer
Jean Toomer 0000000120198120 Jean Toomer (1894-1967), born as Nathan Pinchback Toomer, was a leading African American poet and novelist of the Harlem Renaissance and Modernism. Born to wealthy parent...
Calvin C. Hernton
Calvin C. Hernton 0000000082664863 Calvin Coolidge Hernton, a pivotal figure in the Black Arts Movement, was a renowned poet, novelist, and social critic known for his exploration of race and sexuali...
Zakes Mda
Zakes Mda 0000000109273150 Zakes Mda is a South African novelist, playwright, and painter, currently a professor at Ohio University. He has won major literary awards in South Africa and the USA, incl...
Devon Vaughn Archer
Devon Vaughn Archer NONE Devon Vaughn Archer, pseudonym for R. Barri Flowers, is a celebrated mystery novelist, non-fiction author, and criminologist. Renowned for his multicultural romance novels, h...
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...
Ian Williams
Ian Williams NONE Ian Williams is a renowned Canadian poet, short story writer, and novelist. Recognized by CBC as a writer to watch, he has been shortlisted for prestigious poetry awards and is a Da...
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...
Kwame Anthony Appiah
Kwame Anthony Appiah 0000000121244918 Kwame Anthony Appiah, born in London and raised in Ghana, is the son of a Ghanaian lawyer/politician and an English novelist. He received his education in Ghana ...
George Lamming
George Lamming 0000000114972132 George William Lamming (1927-2022) was a renowned Barbadian novelist and critic, celebrated for his exploration of colonialism and identity in the 20th century Caribbe...
Heru Ptah
Heru Ptah NONE Heru Ptah is a multifaceted writer, known for his work as a poet, novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. He's appeared on HBO's Def Poetry Jam, CNN, and has a novel published by MTV B...
Douglas S. Reed
Douglas S. Reed NONE Douglas S. Reed wins the 2020 BookLife Fiction Prize Douglas S. Reed, a Brooklyn-based screenwriter/novelist, has vast experience in the motion picture industry, including working...
Darryl Pinckney
Darryl Pinckney 0000000063076310 Darryl Pinckney, born in 1953, is an acclaimed American novelist, playwright, and essayist. Educated at Columbia University, he regularly contributes to renowned publ...
Trey Ellis
Trey Ellis 000000011675397X Trey Ellis is a multi-talented writer, novelist, screenwriter, playwright, essayist, and Associate Professor at Columbia University. He's known for his Emmy-nominated HBO ...
Charles Wright
Charles Wright 0000000119446967 Charles Wright (1932-2008) was an American novelist, avid reader, and high school dropout who served in the Army during the Korean War. Moving to New York in his 20s, ...
Tim McLoughlin
Tim McLoughlin NONE "Tim McLoughlin, a Brooklyn-born author, acclaimed for his debut novel 'Heart of the Old Country'. Editor of the 'Brooklyn Noir' series. Thomas Adcock, an Edgar Award-winning nove...
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 ...
Johnnie Christmas
Johnnie Christmas 0000000459674376 Johnnie Christmas, a #1 New York Times Best Selling graphic novelist, is known for his work on Swim Team, Tartus, Crema, and FIREBUG. He co-created Angel Catbird, a...
Gabriel Okara
Gabriel Okara 0000000109284773 Gabriel Okara, a self-taught Nigerian poet and novelist, is known for his multilingual poetry and award-winning piece 'The Call of the River Nun'. His works, characteri...
K. Sello Duiker
K. Sello Duiker NONE South African novelist, Kabelo “Sello” Duiker, known for award-winning novels Thirteen Cents & The Quiet Violence of Dreams, also worked in advertising and screenwriting. Raised...
Nalo Hopkinson
Nalo Hopkinson 0000000084289358 Acclaimed author Nalo Hopkinson, known for her debut novel 'Brown Girl in the Ring', is a winner of multiple awards including the Locus Award and John W. Campbell Awar...
Boubacar Boris Diop
Boubacar Boris Diop 0000000121417292 Boubacar Boris Diop is a renowned Senegalese novelist and screenwriter. His acclaimed work, Murambi, The Book of Bones, made it to Africa's 100 Best Books of the ...
Harold Courlander
Harold Courlander 0000000108696709 Harold Courlander (1908-96) was a renowned novelist and journalist, known for his extensive work on African and African American cultures. He authored over 40 books...
Chinua Achebe
Chinua Achebe 0000000122774961 The novelist Chinua Achebe (November 16, 1930 — March 21, 2013), a fine stylish and an astute social critic, is one of the best-known African writers in the ...
Rashid Darden
Rashid Darden NONE Rashid Darden, a renowned novelist, is celebrated for his trilogy telling the story of a gay college student in a black fraternity. His work resonates with the African American, LG...
Elnathan John
Elnathan John 0000000460091813 Elnathan John is a distinguished Nigerian novelist and satirist known for his short stories, “Bayan Layi” and “Flying,” both shortlisted for the Caine Prize for African...
Helon Habila
Helon Habila 0000000109652265 Helon Habila Ngalabak, born in 1967, is a renowned Nigerian novelist and poet. After working as a lecturer and journalist, he moved to England and became an African Writ...
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...
Jonathan Todd
Jonathan Todd 0000000028238169 Jonathan Todd, co-founder of Boston Kids Comics Fest and former teacher, is a distinguished comics author and illustrator. A Jacqueline Woodson Fellow, he studied writi...
Sarah E. Farro
Sarah E. Farro NONE Sarah E. Farro, a black author born in 1859, wrote 'True Love: A Story of English Domestic Life' in 1891, making her the second known African-American woman novelist of the 19th c...
Leone Ross
Leone Ross 0000000114886285 Leone Ross is an acclaimed British novelist, short story writer and lecturer. Born in England, raised in Jamaica, her works include “All The Blood Is Red” and “Orange Laug...
Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison 0000000368636040 Winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Literature Celebrated American novelist Toni Morrison, born Chloe Ardelia Wofford, won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993. A profes...
Quntos Kunquest
Quntos Kunquest NONE Quntos KunQuest is a multifaceted artist born in 1976, currently incarcerated in Louisiana. He is a musician, rapper, visual artist, and novelist. Zachary Lazar, author of six bo...
Jewelle Gomez
Jewelle Gomez 0000000081931974 Jewelle Gomez is a Cape Verdean/Wampanoag/Ioway novelist, poet, and cultural worker. She authored eight books, including the first Black Lesbian vampire novel, The Gild...
Nea
Nea 0000000121527379 Indiana-born Nea, the publisher of Truly Outspoken Publications, combines her 20+ years experience in the tax industry with her passion for writing. Known for her urban romance f...
Nnedi Okorafor
Nnedi Okorafor 0000000037028083 Nnedi Okorafor, Ph.D., is a Nigerian-American novelist known for blending African culture into her creative works. The New York Times has praised her stunning imaginat...
Olympia Vernon
Olympia Vernon 0000000034189981 Olympia Vernon, born 1973 in Louisiana, is a critically-acclaimed novelist known for her unique voice. With three books under her belt, including a Pulitzer Prize nomi...
John Ridley
John Ridley 0000000114963631 John Ridley is an award-winning American screenwriter, film director, and novelist. Best known for “12 Years a Slave” and the series “American Crime,” his latest work is ...
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Raymond Obstfeld
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Raymond Obstfeld MULTIPLE Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a retired NBA player, known for his record-breaking career with the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers, and inventing the ...
Nate Powell
Nate Powell 0000000078269174 Nate Powell, born in 1978, is a New York Times best-selling graphic novelist known for “March,” the autobiography of John Lewis. A self-publisher from age 14, Powell's aw...
Christopher C. Bell Jr.
Christopher C. Bell Jr. NONE Chris Bell Jr., a Black poet, essayist, educationist, novelist, and retired army Major, holds a Doctorate in Education. Born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia during racial...
Keely Hutton
Keely Hutton NONE Novelist and former teacher Keely Hutton collaborates with Ricky Richard Anywar, founder of Friends of Orphans and ex-child soldier, to pen her debut novel, “Soldier Boy.” Hutton al...
Abdulrazak Gurnah
Abdulrazak Gurnah 0000000109376264 Winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature Abdulrazak Gurnah, a UK-based novelist and academic, won the 2021 Nobel Prize for Literature for his exploration of colo...
Wesley Brown
Wesley Brown 0000000110297977 Wesley Brown, born in 1945, is a renowned novelist, playwright, and professor emeritus at Rutgers University. Known for works like Darktown Strutters and Tragic Magic, h...
Mike Gayle
Mike Gayle 0000000117509151 UK author Mike Gayle, formerly a journalist and magazine editor, became a full-time novelist in 1997. He has written thirteen novels, translated into 30+ languages. He res...
Ray Anthony Shepard
Ray Anthony Shepard 0000000084780219 “As a fifth-grader in Nebraska, I was one of the few Black students in the class, and when American slavery was taught I was embarrassed by the topic.”...
Shay Youngblood
Shay Youngblood 0000000066793518 Shay Youngblood is an award-winning novelist and playwright, known for her drama 'Shakin’ the Mess Outta Misery'. Passionate about reading and writing since childhood...
Pauline Hopkins
Pauline Hopkins 0000000110597507 Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins (1859-1930) was a distinguished novelist, journalist, historian, and editor, known for pioneering the exploration of social and racial theme...
Sherley Anne Williams
Sherley Anne Williams 0000000114970321 Sherley Anne Williams was an influential poet, novelist, and professor known for her works portraying her experiences within the African-American community. Bor...
Tia Williams
Tia Williams 0000000037585947 Tia Williams, hailed as a style insider, is a renowned novelist known for her candid style. She's a veteran beauty editor with experience at top magazines, creator of aw...
Suzan-Lori Parks
Suzan-Lori Parks 0000000115844503 Suzan-Lori Parks, born 1963, is a Pulitzer-winning playwright, screenwriter, and novelist. Notable for her work on Spike Lee’s ‘Girl 6’ and Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo P...
Véronique Tadjo
Véronique Tadjo 0000000081825936 Véronique Tadjo, an Ivorian poet, novelist, academic, and artist, holds a doctorate in Black American Literature and Civilization. She served as the head of the Fren...
J.J. Phillips
J.J. Phillips NONE Jane J. Phillips, born in 1944, is an acclaimed poet, novelist, and civil rights activist. Recognized for her works including 'Mojo Hand: an Orphic Tale' and 'The Passion of Joan P...
Jamie McGhee
Jamie McGhee NONE Jamie McGhee is a distinguished novelist, playwright, and essayist, recognized with fellowships in France and Brazil. She has received artist residencies in the US, Germany, and Spa...
Danica Novgorodoff
Danica Novgorodoff 0000000115661248 Danica Novgorodoff is an award-winning artist, writer, and graphic novelist based in Louisville, KY. Her accolades include the 2022 Yoto Kate Greenaway Medal and a...
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...
C. S. Lewis
C. S. Lewis 0000000121235691 C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) was a renowned British novelist, poet, academic, and lay theologian. He taught English Literature at Oxford, later becoming the Chair of Medieval a...
Clarence Major
Clarence Major 0000000108792602 Clarence Major, born in 1936, is a multifaceted artist: poet, novelist, and painter. With a B.S. from SUNY and a PhD from Union for Experimenting Colleges, he has rece...
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-...
NIMROD
NIMROD 0000000120858651 Nimrod, born in Chad in 1959, is a multi-talented author known for his work as a poet, philosopher, novelist, and journalist. Awarded various prestigious prizes, he has author...
Aaron Philip Clark
Aaron Philip Clark NONE Aaron Philip Clark is a LA-based novelist, screenwriter, and educator, known for his International Thriller Writers Award-nominated Detective Trevor Finnegan series. He also c...
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...
Pearl Cleage
Pearl Cleage 0000000031900424 “The purpose of my writing, often, is to express the point where racism and sexism meet.” Pearl Cleage, born in 1948, is an acclaimed playwright, journalist, ...
Nora Deloach
Nora Deloach NONE “I use [mysteries] as the opportunity to introduce people to real African-American characters.” Nora DeLoach (1940-2001), a mystery novelist and social worker, saw her de...
Tiphanie Yanique
Tiphanie Yanique 0000000071326295 Tiphanie Yanique, a novelist, poet, and professor from Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, is renowned for her numerous awards including the Mary Grant Charles Award ...
Rosalyn McMillan
Rosalyn McMillan NONE Rosalyn McMillan (1953-2017) was a prolific author from Michigan who penned six popular novels. She lived in Memphis, Tennessee with her husband and enjoyed knitting and fishing...
Alain Mabanckou
Alain Mabanckou 0000000121422753 Alain Mabanckou is a French-Congolese novelist, poet, journalist, and academic based in the United States, where he is a Professor of Literature. Alain Mabanckou is a...
David Haynes
David Haynes 0000000072463259 David Haynes, a novelist and professor emeritus of English at Southern Methodist University, is the co-founder and board chair of Kimbilio Center for Fiction, serving fi...
René Maran
René Maran 0000000121258172 René Maran (1887-1960) was a French Guyanese poet and novelist. Notably, he was the first Black writer to win the prestigious Prix Goncourt in 1921. René Maran was...
Nelly Rosario
Nelly Rosario 0000000114903006 Dominican American novelist and creative writing instructor, Nelly Rosario (born 1972), is currently teaching in the MFA Program at Texas State University. Born in the ...
Sassy Sinclair
Sassy Sinclair NONE "Sassy Sinclair is the pen name for acclaimed novelist Pamela Samuels Young, renowned for her captivating storytelling.” Sassy Sinclair is a pseudonym for novelist Pamela Samuels ...
Eva Clark
Eva Clark NONE Eva Clark, a psychologist and award-winning young adult novelist, specializes in mental health, social justice, and sports. Her novels inspire young individuals to discover their best ...
Ivy Claire Pochoda
Ivy Claire Pochoda 0000000058923861 Ivy Claire, a former world-ranked squash champion turned full-time writer, holds a degree in classics. A literary novelist in a parallel life, she resides in Los A...
Annie Matthew
Annie Matthew NONE Annie Matthew, a former professional athlete, is now a renowned novelist and poet residing in Iowa with her dog, Gus. Annie Matthew is a novelist and a poet. In a former life, she ...
Andrea Hairston
Andrea Hairston 000000004096098X Andrea Hairston, an Afrofuturist novelist and playwright, is also the L. Wolff Kahn 1931 Professor Emerita at Smith College. With award-winning novels like 'Redwood a...
Portia Cosby
Portia Cosby NONE Portia A. Cosby is a renowned novelist, screenwriter, and poet from Indianapolis, known for her relatable storytelling. With a background in kinesiology and film, she blends her ski...
Anita Doreen Diggs
Anita Doreen Diggs 0000000117054812 Anita Doreen Diggs is a renowned editor, novelist, and lecturer, with experience at Random House, Time Warner Trade Publishing, and Thunder’s Mouth Press. She's a ...