AALBC Search
K. Elliott
K. Elliott NONE K. Elliott, raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, overcame a difficult early life involving poverty, the drug trade, and jail. Encouraged by a professor, he pursued writing, excelling ...
Zetta Elliott
Zetta Elliott 000000003627950X Zetta Elliott, a Canadian-born Black feminist writer, is known for her poetry, plays, essays, and children's novels. She earned a PhD in American Studies from NYU, taug...
Zetta Elliott and Lyn Miller-Lachmann
Zetta Elliott and Lyn Miller-Lachmann MULTIPLE Zetta Elliott, a black feminist writer known for poetry, plays, essays, novels, and kids' stories, is renowned for her award-winning picture book, Bird....
John H. Bracey Jr., August Meier, and Elliott Rudwick
John H. Bracey Jr., August Meier, and Elliott Rudwick MULTIPLE John Bracey Jr., August Meier, and Elliott Rudwick are renowned authors known for their significant contributions in literature. Their ...
Andrea Elliott
Andrea Elliott NONE Andrea Elliott is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter for The New York Times, formerly with The Miami Herald. She's received multiple journalism awards and served as a...
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...
Amiri Baraka
Amiri Baraka 0000000446460520 Amiri Baraka, also known as LeRoi Jones, was a prolific 20th-century African American writer, poet, and Obie-winning playwright. Known for works such as “Blues People” a...
Saul Williams
Saul Williams 0000000055187280 Saul Williams, hailed as the “Bob Marley of American poets” is a celebrated poet, actor, and spoken-word artist. Known for his vibrant and fearless writing, Williams ha...
Robert Hayden
Robert Hayden 0000000114660665 Hayden was Named U.S. Poet Laureate for (1976–1978) Robert Hayden (1913-1980) was a renowned African-American poet, essayist, and educator. He was the first Africa...
Poet On Watch
Poet On Watch NONE Poet On Watch is a renowned performance poet and multimedia artist, who collaborates globally as an independent art director. She's authored two poetry collections and has contribu...
David Roberts
David Roberts 0000000081109577 David Roberts is a London-based illustrator known for his work on children's books such as the Questioneers series, The Cook and the King, and Happy Birthday, Madame Ch...
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...
Juan Boria
Juan Boria NONE Jaime Torres Torres, known as Juan Boria, was a celebrated Puerto Rican poet and actor born in 1906. Despite humble beginnings, he earned a university degree and taught for 37 years. ...
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 ...
Dudley Randall
Dudley Randall 0000000114554651 Dudley Randall (1914-2000), a prominent Detroit poet and publisher, began his career at 13 with his first publication. He founded Broadside Press in 1965, promoting Af...
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...
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...
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...
Shadra Strickland
Shadra Strickland NONE Shadra Strickland, an award-winning illustrator and teacher, studied at Syracuse University and the School of Visual Arts. She won the Ezra Jack Keats and Coretta Scott King/Jo...
Shawntae Harris and Jesseca Harris-Dupart
Shawntae Harris and Jesseca Harris-Dupart MULTIPLE Shawntae Harris, born in Chicago, Illinois, better known by her stage name “Da Brat,” is an American rap artist, profound writer, television and ra...
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...
Malik Canty
Malik Canty NONE Malik Canty, also known as the Word Bird, is a spiritual poet, teacher, and writer known for giving voice to the voiceless. He has performed at renowned venues including The Apollo T...
Charles R. Smith Jr.
Charles R. Smith Jr. NONE Charles R. Smith Jr. is an acclaimed author, poet, and photographer with over 30 books. He's a recipient of the Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration and Honor Author Aw...
Jupiter Hammon
Jupiter Hammon 000000038947276X Jupiter Hammon (1711-1806), a born slave, became the first African-American writer to be published in the US in 1761. Encouraged to learn reading and writing, he serve...
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 ...
r.h. Sin
r.h. Sin NONE Reuben Holmes, known as r.h. Sin, is a New York Times bestselling poet from New Brunswick, N.J. Overcoming a difficult upbringing through his love for writing, Sin currently lives in Ne...
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...
Chaun Webster
Chaun Webster NONE Chaun Webster, a poet, publisher, and graphic designer, is influenced by the Black Arts Movement, Jazz, and Graffiti. He founded Free Poet’s Press in 2009 to encourage art producti...
Shakir Rashaan
Shakir Rashaan NONE Artistic talent is a gift from God and whoever discovers it in himself has a certain obligation: to know that he cannot waste his talent, but must develop it.” —Pope Jo...
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...
Jim Daniels
Jim Daniels 0000000055106495 James Raymond Daniels, born 1956, is an American poet and writer from Detroit, Michigan. He currently resides in Pittsburgh with his wife, poet Kristin Kovacic, and their...
Chris Hayden
Chris Hayden NONE Chris Hayden, born 1950, is a renowned poet and editor. His work has featured in numerous magazines and e-zines, including Drumvoices, Black Thought, and Delmar. He is known for his...
Paul Laurence Dunbar
Paul Laurence Dunbar 0000000121024640 To possess the distinct writing voices of standard English of the classical poet and the evocative dialect of the turn-of-the-century black community in Am...
Sharrif Simmons
Sharrif Simmons NONE Sharrif Simmons, a poet, musician, writer, and arts educator, has a performance career extending over three decades. Inspired by veteran poet Sonia Sanchez and influenced by vari...
Melania Luisa Marte
Melania Luisa Marte NONE Melania Luisa Marte is a New York-based writer, poet, and musician, known for her viral poem “Afro-Latina.” With over nine million views, her work is recognized by platforms ...
Cathie Wright-Lewis
Cathie Wright-Lewis NONE Cathie Wright-Lewis, a lover of linguistics, ancient history, and metaphysics, is a former NYC high school English teacher with a passion for diverse cultures and dialects. O...
Luvon Roberson
Luvon Roberson NONE Luvon Roberson is a versatile writer recognized for her poetry, flash fiction, and ethnographic fiction. She actively reports on the literary world and contributes to community bu...
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...
Goldie the Poet
Goldie the Poet NONE Goldie the Poet, a Bay-Area native and prominent alumnus of Leimert Park’s World Stage Poets, is a gifted actor and artist. With performances across the U.S. and Europe, his uniq...
Wanda Coleman
Wanda Coleman 0000000116780476 “I have yet to kill anyone—I have exhibited great restraint.” Wanda Coleman (1946-2013) was a renowned poet, former medical secretary, magazine editor,...
Alice Wootson
Alice Wootson NONE Alice Greenhowe Wootson is a retired teacher and acclaimed author of thirteen novels, including romance and romantic suspense. A prize-winning poet, member of various writers' asso...
Kwesi Oginga
Kwesi Oginga NONE Kwesi Oginga, born in Guyana, is a renowned dramatist, author, and pastor. He wrote plays for Guyana's top festivals, directed plays for the president's birthday, and has penned sev...
Alice Dunbar-Nelson
Alice Dunbar-Nelson 0000000081179540 Check out Love, Activism, and the Respectable Life of Alice Dunbar-Nelson Alice Moore Dunbar-Nelson (1875-1935) was an acclaimed American journalist, political act...
Peter Kimani
Peter Kimani 000000004389720X Dr. Peter Kimani, a renowned African author and poet, has contributed to literature, journalism, and academia. Born in Kenya (1971), he began as a journalist, wrote seve...
D-Knowledge
D-Knowledge NONE Writer/Performer Dr. Derrick Gilbert, PhD, a/k/a poet D-Knowledge, lost his battle with liver disease on Sunday morning, November 1, 2015. He was 45. Straddling the worlds of enter...
Jabari Asim
Jabari Asim 0000000027516761 Jabari Asim, an acclaimed poet, playwright, and writer, is known as a leading African American literary critic. Formerly editor-in-chief at The Crisis and an editor at th...
muMs the schemer
muMs the schemer NONE Craig Grant, known as muMs the Schemer, is a poet and actor from the Bronx, New York. He rose to fame in the documentary SlamNation and through his role as “Poet” in HBO's Oz. H...
Kevin Young
Kevin Young 0000000109530225 Kevin Young, born in 1970, is a renowned poet and teacher influenced by Hughes, Berryman, Dickinson, and Basquiat. A Harvard graduate, Young authored multiple poetry book...
Jericho Brown
Jericho Brown 0000000055016908 Jericho Brown is a 2024 MacArthur Foundation’s “Genius” Grant Winner Jericho Brown, born 1976, is a renowned, award-winning poet recognized for his inf...
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...
Amena Brown
Amena Brown NONE Amena Brown is a writer, spoken word poet, and performing artist whose work blends storytelling, poetry, and humor. She is the author of five spoken word albums and two nonfiction b...
Princess F.L. Gooden
Princess F.L. Gooden NONE Born and raised in Atlanta, Princess F. L. Gooden is a gifted writer, poet, and dramatist. She started writing at a young age, and by 13, she had written and directed plays ...
Mari Evans
Mari Evans 0000000108875002 Mari Evans, born July 16, 1919, was a significant figure in the 1960s Black Arts Movement. She was a distinguished writer and educator, teaching at institutions like Corne...
Quartez Harris
Quartez Harris NONE Quartez Harris, Ohio's Poet of the Year and Baldwin House fellow, is renowned for his acclaimed poetry and book, We Made It to School Alive. A former second-grade teacher, he now ...
John Gibson
John Gibson 0000000080602546 John H. Gibson, a former high-tech engineer with over 25 years of experience, is a writer of thrilling political novels. His career in writing began as a hobby while resi...
David Lamb
David Lamb 0000000109308640 David Lamb, a native New Yorker, discovered his passion for writing at an early age. Despite studying Economics in college and attending law school, David's love for writi...
George Moses Horton
George Moses Horton 000000006316904X George Moses Horton (1798–1884) was the first African American poet to be published in the Southern US, while still enslaved. His notable works include “The Hop...
Julian Randall
Julian Randall NONE Julian Randall, a Queer Black poet from Chicago, has received multiple fellowships and was named 2015's Best Poet at CUPSI. He curates for Winter Tangerine Review and is pursuing ...
Brian Gilmore
Brian Gilmore 0000000109671669 Brian Gilmore is a renowned poet, writer, attorney, and columnist associated with the Progressive Media Project. He's a multiple award-winning author with publications ...
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
Robert Lee Brewer
Robert Lee Brewer NONE Robert Lee Brewer is a Senior Content Editor at Writer's Digest, author, and was voted Poet Laureate of the Blogosphere in 2011. He is known for his expertise in editing, onlin...
J. Drew Lanham
J. Drew Lanham NONE J. Drew Lanham is a distinguished author, poet, and professor of Wildlife Ecology. Known for his books 'Sparrow Envy' and 'The Home Place', he's recognized with a MacArthur Grant ...
Carolyn Marie Rodgers
Carolyn Marie Rodgers 0000000066509791 Carolyn Marie Rodgers (1940-2010), a key figure in the Black Arts Movement and co-founder of Third World Press, was born and raised in Chicago. Known for her po...
Jackie Hill Perry
Jackie Hill Perry 0000000500194914 Jackie Hill Perry, born June 21, 1989, is a St. Louis-based writer, poet, and artist. Recognized by the Washington Times, The 700 Club, and other publications, she ...
Nonku Kunene Adumetey
Nonku Kunene Adumetey NONE Nonkululeko “Nonku” Kunene Adumetey is a devoted wife, mother, and children's author. Born in eSwatini, educated in Canada and the US, she's passionate about inspiring chil...
Tracy K. Smith
Tracy K. Smith 0000000049042106 Smith was U.S. Poet Laureate, 2017-2019 Tracy K. Smith, born 1972, is a Pulitzer-winning poet and educator. She has published three poetry collections and teaches creat...
Jasmine Mans
Jasmine Mans NONE Jasmine Mans, a Black American poet and artist from Newark, NJ, is a University of Wisconsin Madison graduate. Author of the 2012 poetry collection, Chalk Outlines of Snow Angels, a...
Cheryl Boyce-Taylor
Cheryl Boyce-Taylor 0000000038283932 Trinidad-born, Queens-bred Cheryl Boyce Taylor is a celebrated poet and visual artist. She's authored several poetry collections, received the Partners in Writing...
DuEwa M. Frazier
DuEwa M. Frazier NONE DuEwa Frazier is an accomplished writer, educator, and poet, renowned for her literary contributions and educational initiatives. Born in Brooklyn and raised in St. Louis, she f...
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 ...
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...
Jamila Woods, Mahogany L. Browne, and Idrissa Simmonds
Jamila Woods, Mahogany L. Browne, and Idrissa Simmonds MULTIPLE Jamila Woods, a Chicago-based poet influenced by Lucille Clifton and Gwendolyn Brooks, explores themes of blackness and womanhood. Maho...
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...
Warsan Shire
Warsan Shire 0000000401939810 Warsan Shire, a Somali British writer and poet, is renowned for her chapbooks, and for winning the inaugural Brunel International African Poetry Prize. She was London's ...
Pat Parker
Pat Parker 0000000106773440 Pat Parker (1944-1989) was a renowned African-American, lesbian-feminist poet and performer. Notable works include 'Jonestown & Other Madness' and 'Movement in Black'. She...
Brenda Marie Osbey
Brenda Marie Osbey 000000002513556X Brenda Marie Osbey, born in 1957, is a distinguished poet from New Orleans who served as Louisiana's Poet Laureate from 2005-2007. She specializes in Afro-Francoph...
Fabu Phillis Carter
Fabu Phillis Carter NONE Poet Fabu was appointed Madison's Poet Laureate in 2008 and served in that position until 2012. Fabu Phillis Carter, professionally known as Poet Fabu, was appointed Madison’...
Rita Dove
Rita Dove 0000000114709625 Dove was U.S. Poet Laureate, 1993-1995 Rita Dove, former U.S. Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner, is known for her poetry collections, novel, and drama. She's been reco...
Beverley Manley
Beverley Manley NONE Beverley Anderson Duncan, known for her influential role in Jamaica's 1970s politics as Prime Minister Michael Manley's wife, helped shape the nation's post-Independence identity...
Margaret Walker
Margaret Walker 0000000120999163 Margaret Walker was a renowned American poet and writer, known for her works “For My People” and “Jubilee.” She was a key figure in the African-American literary move...
Carolyn Joyner
Carolyn Joyner NONE Carolyn Joyner is a dedicated poet with a divine mission to inspire through themes of politics, love, and spirituality. Her performances span from Washington, DC to Chicago and En...
Gloria Oden
Gloria Oden 0000000382838642 Gloria Catherine Oden (1923-2011) was a renowned poet, editor, and English professor from New York. A Pulitzer Prize nominee for her poetry collection 'Resurrections', sh...
Kelly Harris-DeBerry
Kelly Harris-DeBerry NONE Kelly Harris-DeBerry is an award-winning poet and the author of Freedom Knows My Name. Known for her gift to bring poems to life by using her voice as an instrument, audienc...
Etheridge Knight
Etheridge Knight 0000000066439498 Etheridge Knight, born on April 19, 1931, was a renowned poet who began writing while incarcerated and published his notable collection, Poems from Prison, in 1968. ...
Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond
Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond NONE Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond is a writer and cum laude Vassar College graduate. She has written for various publications including AOL and Parenting Magazine. Her works include ...
Chibundu Onuzo
Chibundu Onuzo 0000000369355013 Chibundu Onuzo is a celebrated Nigerian novelist, known for her award-winning debut, The Spider King’s Daughter. Born and raised in Lagos, she holds degrees from King'...
Rondall Brasher
Rondall Brasher NONE Rondall Brasher is a passionate poet with a love for words that spans over three decades. Inspired by great names such as Dr. Seuss and Kahlil Gibran, he seeks to express his sub...
Cicely Lewis
Cicely Lewis NONE Cicely Lewis, a Georgia-based school librarian, is passionate about fostering reading habits. She initiated the Read Woke challenge in 2017, addressing social issues and literature ...
Kerry G. Johnson
Kerry G. Johnson NONE Kerry G. Johnson, a talented cartoonist, caricaturist, and graphic designer from Nashville, is known for his webcomic, Harambee Hills, which was nominated for a 2010 Glyph Comic...
Marcus Jackson
Marcus Jackson NONE Marcus Jackson, an accomplished poet from Toledo, Ohio, studied at the University of Toledo and NYU. His work has been published in prestigious journals like The New Yorker. Curre...
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...
Iceberg Slim
Iceberg Slim 0000000107778710 Iceberg Slim, originally Robert Maupin, was a notorious pimp turned acclaimed author. Known for his icy demeanor and ruthless tactics, he controlled over 400 women durin...
John Edgar Wideman
John Edgar Wideman 0000000110326512 John Edgar Wideman, born in 1941, is a renowned author and professor hailing from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He completed his B.A. in English from the University of...
Mechal Renee Roe
Mechal Renee Roe NONE Mechal Renee Roe is a New York Times #1 bestselling illustrator, writer, designer, and entrepreneur. She gained recognition for her work on Kamala Harris' “Superheroes Are Every...
Parker Curry and Jessica Curry
Parker Curry and Jessica Curry MULTIPLE Jessica Curry, a New York Times published author and blogger, is a full-time mother chronicling her family's adventures in Washington, DC. Her daughter, Parker...