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Barbara Brandon
Barbara Brandon 0000000031564723 Barbara Brandon is the first nationally syndicated African-American female cartoonist. Barbara Brandon-Croft, creator of the comic strip 'Where I’m Coming From', is ce...
Brandon Harrison
Brandon Harrison NONE Brandon “B-Shatter” Harrison is a recognized author known for his engaging narratives and compelling storytelling. Brandon “B-Shatter” Harrison
Hubert Henry Harrison
Hubert Henry Harrison 0000000012399179 Hubert Henry Harrison (1883–1927) was a St. Croix-born writer, orator, and activist known for founding the “New Negro” movement and influencing the Civil Righ...
Suzette D. Harrison
Suzette D. Harrison NONE Suzette D. Harrison, a west coast native, began her literary career in junior high school. Inspired by African American literary voices such as Gloria Naylor, Maya Angelou, A...
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...
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...
Harrison Mooney
Harrison Mooney NONE Harrison Mooney, a renowned writer and journalist from Vancouver, has a decade of experience with The Vancouver Sun and has received numerous awards. Known for captivating storyt...
Brandon Massey, Tananarive Due, and Leslie Esdaile Banks
Brandon Massey, Tananarive Due, and Leslie Esdaile Banks MULTIPLE Brandon Massey, Tananarive Due, and L.A. Banks are renowned authors, each recognized for their unique contributions to literature. ...
Brandon Massey, Eric Jerome Dickey, and Tananarive Due, L. A. Banks
Brandon Massey, Eric Jerome Dickey, and Tananarive Due, L. A. Banks MULTIPLE "Brandon Massey, Eric Jerome Dickey, Tananarive Due, and L.A. Banks are renowned authors known for their captivating works...
Brandon Massey
Brandon Massey 0000000038345320 Brandon Massey, born on June 9, 1973, is a passionate writer from Illinois now based in Atlanta. With an early fascination for words and stories, he began writing in h...
Brandon McCalla
Brandon McCalla NONE Brandon Dewitt McCalla, a Brooklyn native, is an author inspired by comic books and J.R.R. Tolkien. After studying English in college and exploring the music industry, he realize...
Pearl Cleage, Omar Tyree, Margaret Johnson-Hodge, Timmothy B. McCann, Brandon Massey, Kambon Obayani, Earl Sewell, and Maxine Thompson
Pearl Cleage, Omar Tyree, Margaret Johnson-Hodge, Timmothy B. McCann, Brandon Massey, Kambon Obayani, Earl Sewell, and Maxine Thompson MULTIPLE "Pearl Cleage, Omar Tyree, Margaret Johnson-Hodge, Timm...
Rashad Harrison
Rashad Harrison NONE Rashad Harrison, a skilled writer educated at San Francisco State, Columbia, and NYU, is a recipient of the Jacob K. Javits Fellowship. He's taught creative writing and authored ...
April Harrison
April Harrison NONE April Harrison is an acclaimed folk artist and award-winning illustrator known for Patricia C. McKissack's picture book. Her work is featured in institutions like Vanderbilt Unive...
Renee K. Harrison
Renee K. Harrison NONE Renee K. Harrison is an associate professor at Howard University specializing in African American and US religious history. She's the author of notable works on enslaved women'...
K. Reshay, Brandon Williams, and Derrick Williams
K. Reshay, Brandon Williams, and Derrick Williams MULTIPLE K. Reshay, Brandon Williams, and Derrick Williams are authors known for their compelling storytelling. Their work spans various genres, capt...
Brandon Williams
Brandon Williams NONE Brandon Williams, author of “Self-Value: The Story of Me,” shares his inspiring journey from childhood homelessness and delinquency to success. Raised in a low-income community,...
Brandon Taylor
Brandon Taylor 0000000510801896 Brandon Taylor, senior editor at Electric Literature and staff writer at Literary Hub, is a celebrated writer with fellowships from Lambda Literary, Kimbilio Fiction, ...
Brandon M. Terry
Brandon M. Terry NONE Brandon M. Terry is the John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Social Sciences at Harvard University and the co-director of the Institute on Policing, Incarceration, and Publi...
Brandon Kilbourne
Brandon Kilbourne NONE Brandon Kilbourne is a Pushcart-nominated poet and biologist, whose work has appeared in Poet Lore, Obsidian, Ecotone, Terrain.org, West Trade Review, Split Rock Review, and n...
Stephana I. Colbert and Valerie I. Harrison
Stephana I. Colbert and Valerie I. Harrison MULTIPLE
Brandon Easton, Karl Bollers, Greg Anderson Elysée, Lindsay Faye, and Steven Grant
Brandon Easton, Karl Bollers, Greg Anderson Elysée, Lindsay Faye, and Steven Grant MULTIPLE
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...
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...
John G. Jackson
John G. Jackson 0000000027592692 John Glover Jackson, one of our greatest cultural historians, was born on April 1, 1907 (he died October 13, 1993) in Aiken, South Carolina. Jokingly, he would somet...
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...
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...
Jackie Ormes
Jackie Ormes 0000000055572904 Jackie Ormes, the first nationally syndicated African-American woman cartoonist, revolutionized the portrayal of black characters in the 1930s-50s. Her four comic strips...
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Davina Ward
Davina Ward NONE Davina Ward, a Certified Christian Life Coach and author, empowers women to overcome challenges, shatter limiting beliefs, and embrace their true purpose. As the P.U.S.H. Coach, she ...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
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. ...
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 ...
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...
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...
Bill Withers
Bill Withers 000000006309931X Bill Withers was a singer-songwriter and musician. He received numerous awards in his lifetime and won three GRAMMY Awards. William Harrison Withers Jr. (July 4, 1938 &...
J. A. Rogers
J. A. Rogers NONE Joel Augustus Rogers was a self-taught Jamaican author, journalist, and historian who greatly contributed to African and African American history. His work challenged racial ideas, ...
Brenda Jackson
Brenda Jackson 0000000117535931 Jackson is New York Times bestselling with of 150 romance novels. Brenda Jackson, a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author, has written over 150 novels and nov...
Carolyn Holland
Carolyn Holland NONE Carolyn Holland, a bibliophile and historical romance enthusiast, is dedicated to diversifying the genre by writing books for and about people of color. Inspired by LA Banks and ...
Mel Hopkins
Mel Hopkins NONE Mel Hopkins is an experienced multimedia journalist with a 10-year career in social and consumer news, and a skilled writer/editor with a focus on marketing communications. A former ...
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...
Mara Brock Akil
Mara Brock Akil 0000000072980141 Mara Brock Akil (born May 27, 1970) is an award-winning writer, producer, director, and showrunner, known for her groundbreaking body of work including Girlfriends, ...
Sterling D. Plumpp
Sterling D. Plumpp 0000000081297870 “You can not ever get free as a result of legislationHellip;you always have to take freedom.” Sterling Dominic Plumpp, born 1940, is an esteemed poet, e...
Carole Boston Weatherford
Carole Boston Weatherford 0000000042539806 Carole Boston Weatherford, a New York Times best-selling author, has written over 50 books, earning multiple awards including three Caldecott Honors and two...
Ed Bullins
Ed Bullins 0000000108602549 Ed Bullins (1935-2021) was a renowned figure in American theater, significantly contributing to African American drama during the Black Arts Movement. A playwright, poet, ...
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...
Jess Marie
Jess Marie NONE Jessica Marie Smith, known as Poet Jess Marie, is an inspirational writer from Detroit, MI, best known for her book “Anthology for Hope in the Hood.” A graduate of Michigan State Univ...
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...
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...
Lemn Sissay
Lemn Sissay 0000000079088199 Lemn Sissay is a British author, poet, and broadcaster, known for his contributions to BBC Radio 4 and his role as the first poet commissioned for the London Olympics. He...
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. ...
Aimé Césaire
Aimé Césaire 0000000121474035 One of the Founders of the Négritude Movement in Francophone Literature Aimé Césaire (1913-2008) was a Martinican poet, playwright, and politician who co-founded...
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...
Haki Madhubuti
Haki Madhubuti 0000000114735014 Haki R. Madhubuti, a leading figure in Black literature, is a poet, publisher, editor, and educator. With over 30 published books and 3 million copies in print, he's o...
Staajabu
Staajabu NONE Staajabu is a multi-talented poet, activist, and Straight Out Scribes member from Philadelphia, now based in Sacramento. She is a mother, U.S. Air Force veteran, health advocate, prison...
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...
James Grey
James Grey NONE James Grey is an author and poet. Has been writing since the age of 13 or 14. After winning a contest for young writers he was motivated to continue writing poetry and short stories....
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...
Lenard D. Moore
Lenard D. Moore 0000000079037447 Lenard D. Moore is a celebrated poet, anthologist, and U.S. Army Veteran, known globally for his works published in 15+ countries and translated into multiple languag...
Artress Bethany White
Artress Bethany White NONE Artress Bethany White, PhD, is an award-winning poet, essayist, and literary critic known for her poetry collections and scholarly essays. Her notable works include 'My Afm...
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...
Tracy K. Smith and John Freeman
Tracy K. Smith and John Freeman MULTIPLE Tracy K. Smith is a Pulitzer-winning poet, author of four books, including 'Life on Mars', and editor of 'American Journal'. She served as the US Poet Laureat...
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...
Judith Falloon-Reid
Judith Falloon-Reid NONE Judith Falloon-Reid is a renowned author, filmmaker, and motivational speaker. Her versatile career involves writing books, directing films, and inspiring audiences through h...