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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...
Mark Doty, Martin Espada, Joy Harjo, Marilyn Nelson, Ishmael Reed, Sonia Sanchez, Yusef Komunyakaa, Afaa Michael Weaver, and Rita Dove
Mark Doty, Martin Espada, Joy Harjo, Marilyn Nelson, Ishmael Reed, Sonia Sanchez, Yusef Komunyakaa, Afaa Michael Weaver, and Rita Dove MULTIPLE Prominent authors Mark Doty, Martin Espada, Joy Harjo, ...
Nah Dove
Nah Dove NONE Nah Dorothy Dove, Ph.D. is a proud mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She has lived in Ghana, Nigeria, Canada, the U.S., and the UK. She graduated with a PhD from the State Un...
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...
Molefi Kete Asante and Nah Dove
Molefi Kete Asante and Nah Dove MULTIPLE Molefi Kete Asante and Nah Dove are renowned authors known for their significant contributions to African studies. They have enriched the field with their pro...
April Ryan
April Ryan 0000000437119582 April Ryan is a White House correspondent for American Urban Radio Networks since the Clinton era and a CNN political analyst. She has been featured in numerous renowned p...
Rita Daniels
Rita Daniels NONE Rita Daniels is the great-great-great grandniece of Harriet Tubman, is the President and Founder of the Harriet Tubman Learning Center. Rita Daniels, the great-great-great grandnie...
Ibi Zoboi, Tracey Baptiste, Coe Booth, Dhonielle Clayton, Brandy Colbert, Jay Coles, Lamar Giles, Leah Henderson, Justina Ireland, Varian Johnson, Kekla Magoon, Jason Reynolds, Nic Stone, Renée Watson, Rita Williams-Garcia, and others
Ibi Zoboi, Tracey Baptiste, Coe Booth, Dhonielle Clayton, Brandy Colbert, Jay Coles, Lamar Giles, Leah Henderson, Justina Ireland, Varian Johnson, Kekla Magoon, Jason Reynolds, Nic Stone, Renée Watso...
Rita Woods
Rita Woods NONE Rita Woods is a family doctor, wellness center director, and author of her debut novel, Remembrance. Balancing her professional life with family time and involvement in her local libr...
Rita Williams-Garcia
Rita Williams-Garcia 0000000067575336 Rita Williams-Garcia, a PEN/Norma Klein Award winner, is known for her distinguished young adult and middle-grade novels, including ALA Best Books and Coretta Sc...
April Sinclair
April Sinclair NONE April Sinclair, a Chicago native, is a renowned author and community activist. Known for her dedicated activism in Oakland and her unique approach to her literary debut, Sinclair'...
Valjeanne Jeffers
Valjeanne Jeffers NONE Valjeanne Jeffers, a graduate of Spelman College and North Carolina Central University, is a member of the Carolina African American Writer’s Collective. She is a published poe...
Jean Marie Wiesen and Rita Daniels
Jean Marie Wiesen and Rita Daniels MULTIPLE Jean Marie Wiesen, is a noted investigative author and mystery crime writer. Rita Daniels, the great-great-great grandniece of Harriet Tubman.
C. J. Chase, Carrie Fancett Pagels, Erica Vetsch, Gabrielle Meyer, Kathleen L. Maher, Lorna Seilstad, Rita Gerlach, and Vanessa Riley
C. J. Chase, Carrie Fancett Pagels, Erica Vetsch, Gabrielle Meyer, Kathleen L. Maher, Lorna Seilstad, Rita Gerlach, and Vanessa Riley MULTIPLE "C.J. Chase, Carrie Fancett Pagels, Erica Vetsch, Gabrie...
Rita Lorraine Hubbard
Rita Lorraine Hubbard NONE Rita Lorraine Hubbard is a renowned author of nonfiction books for adults and children, including the award-winning 'Hammering for Freedom'. She also manages the children's...
April Maria Williams
April Maria Williams NONE April Maria Williams is a Juris Doctor from Florida A&M University College of Law and a Master of Tax Law from the University of Houston. A prominent advocate for social jus...
April Reynolds
April Reynolds NONE April Reynolds, award-winning author of 'Knee-Deep in Wonder', is a distinguished faculty at Sarah Lawrence College. She has also taught at NYU and the 92nd Street Y. April Reynol...
April R. Silver
April R. Silver NONE April R. Silver is a renowned marketing strategist, cultural curator, and social justice activist. As the founder of AKILA WORKSONGS, she's known for creating influential social ...
April Simpkins
April Simpkins NONE April Simpkins is a mental health advocate, serving as an ambassador for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and a board member for NAMI Piedmont Tri-County, where she...
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...
Cheslie Kryst and April Simpkins
Cheslie Kryst and April Simpkins MULTIPLE Cheslie Kryst (left) and April Simpkins (mother)
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...
Michelle Rhnea Yisrael, Jamillah Kareem, April Weaver, and Marcella Graves
Michelle Rhnea Yisrael, Jamillah Kareem, April Weaver, and Marcella Graves MULTIPLE Michelle Rhnea Yisrael, Jamillah Kareem, April Weaver, and Marcella Graves are distinguished authors, each bringing...
Ursula M. Burns
Ursula M. Burns 0000000445332455 Ursula M. Burns is a pioneering American businesswoman, the first black woman to become a Fortune 500 CEO at Xerox, where she served from 2009-2016. She was also Chai...
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 ...
Catherine Mann
Catherine Mann 0000000121252993 Catherine Mann is a USA Today bestselling author and RITA Award winner who has written over 60 contemporary romance books. A former theater school director with degree...
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. ...
Paul Beatty
Paul Beatty 0000000084014450 Paul Beatty, born 1962, the first American to win the Man Booker Prize in 2016 for his novel “The Sellout.” An LA native and graduate of Brooklyn College and Boston Unive...
RAWSISTAZ
RAWSISTAZ NONE The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers were a group of 13 women, including founder Tee C. Royal, who promoted books by and about African Americans. These avid readers, reviewers and members of the Re...
Nicole Dennis-Benn
Nicole Dennis-Benn 000000050158667X Nicole Dennis-Benn, an acclaimed author and Lambda Literary Award winner, is renowned for her debut novel 'Here Comes the Sun' which has received multiple accolade...
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...
Delores Thornton
Delores Thornton NONE Indianapolis author Delores Thornton, celebrated for her novels “Ida Mae” and its sequel, is a member of the International Women’s Writing Guild and the African-American Online ...
Elizabeth Wein
Elizabeth Wein 0000000058378066 Elizabeth Wein, a recreational pilot and avid map collector, is a celebrated author of young adult novels. Her works include the NY Times bestseller 'Code Name Verity'...
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...
Farrah Rochon
Farrah Rochon NONE Farrah Rochon, a Louisiana native and award-winning author, launched her writing career at Xavier University. She's known for her Holmes Brothers series, starting with her debut no...
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 ...
Tumika Patrice Cain
Tumika Patrice Cain NONE Tumika Patrice Cain is an award-winning author and media personality, known for her work in women's contemporary fiction and poetry. She's a champion for indie authors, a res...
Crystal Wilkinson
Crystal Wilkinson 0000000041499179 Crystal Wilkinson is an award-winning author known for novels like The Birds of Opulence and Blackberries, Blackberries. She has received recognition from instituti...
Dorothea Smartt
Dorothea Smartt 0000000035456594 Dorothea Smartt is a London-born poet with Barbadian roots, known for her significant contributions to British culture. As a former Live Artist at London's Institute ...
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...
Cedella Marley
Cedella Marley 0000000373966159 Cedella Marley, daughter of Rita and Bob Marley, is the CEO of Tuff Gong International, part of the Melody Makers quartet, and a dedicated mother of three. Cedella Mar...
Ziggy Marley
Ziggy Marley 000000011476515X Ziggy Marley, five-time Grammy-winning musician, actor, and activist, was born in Jamaica to Bob and Rita Marley. He began his career in music at just 10 years old and l...
Kennedy Ryan
Kennedy Ryan 0000000504460634 Kennedy Ryan, an award-winning author, uses her work to empower women and raise Autism awareness. As the first African American to win the RITA award, she leverages her ...
Cathy Finch White
Cathy Finch White NONE Cathy Finch White, a former medical professional turned author, advocates for child education through reading. She has written four award-winning books, including “Anna Learn's...
T. Friday
T. Friday NONE T. Friday, a Detroit native and mother of five, found her passion for reading at an early age. After a life-altering event in 2016, she pursued her dream of writing. Now an author of o...
Diane McKinney-Whetstone
Diane McKinney-Whetstone 000000006771958X Diane McKinney-Whetstone, acclaimed author of eight novels, tells stories of Philadelphia communities. Her latest novel, Lazaretto, was released in 2016. She...
Teju Cole
Teju Cole 0000000077460567 Teju Cole, an acclaimed writer, art historian, and photographer, serves as the Distinguished Writer in Residence at Bard College and is a photography critic for the New Yor...
Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor
Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor 0000000067552695 Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor was a multi-talented figure known for her work as a culinary anthropologist, food writer, actress, singer, dancer, and costume desig...
George E. Curry
George E. Curry 0000000109873981 George E. Curry (1947-2016) was a renowned journalist and editor-in-chief of the National Newspaper Publishers Association News Service. He also served as editor of E...
Aleshea Harris
Aleshea Harris NONE Aleshea Harris, an award-winning playwright known for her epic western revenge play “Is God Is,” and her critically acclaimed work “What to Send Up When It Goes Down.” She's a rec...
Maurice Ashley
Maurice Ashley 0000000082047654 Maurice Ashley, the first African-American International Chess Grandmaster, is a renowned coach, commentator, author, app designer, and motivational speaker. Known for...
Astrid Roemer
Astrid Roemer 0000000109985764 Astrid Heligonda Roemer, born in 1947, is a Surinamese-Dutch cosmopolitan writer. Known for her poetic prose exploring themes of race, gender, and identity, she's a rec...
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...
Patricia C. Mckissack
Patricia C. Mckissack 0000000108593937 Patricia L'Ann Carwell McKissack (1944-2017) was a renowned children's author who wrote over 100 books highlighting African American history and Southern folklo...
Michael Strahan
Michael Strahan 0000000045587838 Michael Strahan is a retired American football player who spent his career with the New York Giants. Post-retirement, he became a media personality, co-hosting “Live!...
Trevor Noah
Trevor Noah 0000000430715306 Trevor Noah, a successful African comedian and host of the award-winning 'The Daily Show', joined the show in 2014. He has multiple comedy specials, including his 9th, 'A...
Kerry Washington
Kerry Washington 0000000114635056 Kerry Washington, an Emmy-winning actor, director, and producer from The Bronx, is known for her groundbreaking role in ABC's Scandal and films like Django Unchained...
Ethan Michaeli
Ethan Michaeli NONE Ethan Michaeli, the author of Twelve Tribes: Promise and Peril in the New Israel (Custom House Books, 2021), was praised by National Book Award-winner Evan Osnos as a “master por...
Mandisa Hundley
Mandisa Hundley 0000000046764760 Mandisa Lynn Hundley was a Grammy-award winning artist known for her Christian music. She began her career singing backup for renowned artists and later topped Christ...
Patrick M. Oliver
Patrick M. Oliver NONE Patrick Oliver is a program manager and literary consultant promoting literacy as empowerment. He hosts Literary Nation Talk Radio, is a publisher and editor, and has worked in...
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...
Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou 0000000121191991 Maya Angelou, born Marguerite Johnson on April 4, 1928, was a renowned American author, actress, and civil rights activist. She held numerous roles, from cook to editor,...
Safia Elhillo
Safia Elhillo 0000000464340864 Safia Elhillo, author of 'The January Children', is a celebrated Sudanese-American poet. She's notable for her 2016 Sillerman First Book Prize, 2018 Arab American Book ...
Tiana Clark
Tiana Clark NONE Tiana Clark is the author of the poetry collections Scorched Earth (Washington Square Press/Simon & Schuster, 2025) and I Can’t Talk About the Trees Without the Blood (Universit...
Tracie Morris
Tracie Morris 0000000031997991 Born in Brooklyn, interdisciplinary poet and sound artist Tracie Morris earned an MFA at Hunter College and a PhD at New York University. She studied acting at the Roy...
Kweku Abimbola
Kweku Abimbola NONE Kweku Abimbola, a poet of West African descent, is known for his acclaimed poetry collection “Saltwater Demands a Psalm.” His work explores themes like colonization and climate ch...
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...
Debra Owsley
Debra Owsley NONE Debra Owsley, avid reader and hairstylist, transformed her passion into a business, Simply Said Reading Accessories and LitVersation. She collaborates with bestselling authors, book...
Marilyn Tyner
Marilyn Tyner NONE Marilyn Tyner (1943-2014) was an author from Pittsburgh, PA. An avid reader, Tyner attended Howard University studying psychology and zoology, and worked on the college literary ma...
David Simon
David Simon 0000000122782515 David Simon, award-winning author of novels, plays, and poetry, is also known for his bestselling educational series and workbooks for children. His contributions in offe...
Michelle Cliff
Michelle Cliff 0000000110018763 Michelle Carla Cliff (1946-2016) was a renowned Jamaican-American author known for her explorations of colonialism and racism through novels, short stories, and poetry...
Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Guy LeCharles Gonzalez NONE Guy LeCharles Gonzalez is a publishing professional and poetry enthusiast with a diverse background, including service in the US Army and political campaigns. A firm belie...
Essex Hemphill
Essex Hemphill 0000000029631982 Essex Hemphill (1957-1995) was a notable poet and activist, significant in the 1980s Washington D.C. art scene. Raised in poverty, he sought solace in poetry, explorin...
LaChelle Weaver
LaChelle Weaver NONE LaChelle Weaver, a bestselling author from North Carolina, contributed to Brown Girls Books' award-nominated anthology, The Dating Game. An English graduate with a passion for st...
Hanif Abdurraqib
Hanif Abdurraqib 0000000476031401 Hanif Abdurraqib is an acclaimed poet, essayist, and critic from Ohio. Known for his poetry in various journals and music criticism in high-profile publications, his...
William Evans
William Evans NONE William Evans, a renowned author, speaker, and MFA candidate, is a co-founder of Black Nerd Problems and creator of the Writing Wrongs Poetry Slam. He's a recipient of multiple gra...
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...
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...
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...
Gerren Liles
Gerren Liles NONE Gerren Liles, a Morgan State University graduate and poet, uses his work to promote literacy and self-empowerment among black youth. A finalist for MTV's Real World: Hawaii, his poe...
C. Liegh McInnis
C. Liegh McInnis NONE C. Liegh McInni, an English instructor at Jackson State University, is a former editor of Black Magnolias Literary Journal. He was invited by the NAACP to read poetry at the 200...
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...
Nichole L. Shields
Nichole L. Shields NONE Nichole L. Shields (1969-2009) was a celebrated poet and essayist, renowned for her impactful story-telling as a black woman. She was a two-time Gwendolyn Brooks poetry winner...
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....
Phoebe Wang, Canisia Lubrin, and Dionne Brand
Phoebe Wang, Canisia Lubrin, and Dionne Brand MULTIPLE Phoebe Wang, an Ottawa-born author and teacher based in Toronto, holds degrees from York University and University of Toronto. She's published t...
Didi Anofienem
Didi Anofienem NONE Didi Anofienem, a Houston-born novelist and educator based in Los Angeles, holds degrees from Columbia University, University of San Francisco, UT-Austin, and University of Housto...
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...
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...
Loretta Collins Klobah
Loretta Collins Klobah NONE Loretta Collins Klobah is a Caribbean Literature and creative writing professor at the University of Puerto Rico. She's lived in various Caribbean-related locations and ho...
Danez Smith
Danez Smith 0000000529080232 Danez Smith is an award-winning poet from St. Paul, Minnesota. Known for his works such as [insert] boy, his poetry explores themes of race, class, sexuality, faith, and ...
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...