AALBC Search
Lawrence Deron Thomas
Lawrence Deron Thomas NONE Lawrence Deron Thomas, a Bay Area native, was inspired by his parents to pursue strength, courage, and success. After a brief stint as a rapper, he found his passion for wr...
Sarah Gordon Weathersby
Sarah Gordon Weathersby NONE Born in a Virginia rectory, Sarah Weathersby attended segregated schools before moving to DC, graduating from Drew University, and raising two sons in North Carolina. Aft...
LaShonda Katrice Barnett
LaShonda Katrice Barnett 0000000384767200 LaShonda Katrice Barnett is a renowned author and educator, known for her trilogy of plays and debut novel, “Jam on the Vine.” Twice nominated for the Pushca...
Sarah Warren
Sarah Warren NONE Sarah Warren is a dedicated author and educator, committed to promoting multicultural heroes in literature for children. She teaches teen writers and conducts workshops for young pe...
Alice Walker
Alice Walker 0000000114547953 “…a genius of African-American literature.” Alice Walker, born 1944 in Georgia, is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author known for her novel, “The Color Purp...
Sarah Bird
Sarah Bird 000000011726115X Sarah Bird, acclaimed author of ten novels, is recognized for her literary contributions through awards like Texas Writer of the Year and the Texas Institute of Letters Li...
Lawrence Otis Graham
Lawrence Otis Graham 0000000117846836 Lawrence Otis Graham, born 1961, was a prolific author of 14 books, including the New York Times bestseller “Our Kind of People.” A Princeton and Harvard Law Sch...
Michael Bennett and Sarah Bennett
Michael Bennett and Sarah Bennett MULTIPLE Michael Bennett and Sarah Bennett are a father-daughter duo who have co-authored several books. Michael, a psychiatrist and Sarah, a comedy writer, combine ...
Sarah J. Heidelberg
Sarah J. Heidelberg NONE Kansas-born Sarah Jane Heidelberg, an artistic, music-loving author and tutor, runs her own publishing company, Ophelia Brown Publishing. Inspired by a childhood German tale,...
Tracy Snipe with Sarah Collins Rudolph
Tracy Snipe with Sarah Collins Rudolph MULTIPLE Dr. Tracy Snipe, Associate Professor at Wright State University, specializes in Politics and Film, Black Women and Politics, and French Politics. He's ...
Sarah Jakes Roberts
Sarah Jakes Roberts NONE Sarah Jakes Roberts is a successful businesswoman, bestselling author, and media personality, known for her work in film marketing and inspiring community programs. Daughter ...
Brenda Ross
Brenda Ross NONE Brenda Ross, a BA in creative writing from SUNY Empire State College, has honed her skills through writing workshops and a novel-writing course at Sarah Lawrence College. She started...
Lawrence Hill
Lawrence Hill 0000000073673418 Lawrence Hill is a renowned Canadian author and professor of creative writing at the University of Guelph. Known for his award-winning novel, “The Book of Negroes”, whi...
John A. Williams
John A. Williams 0000000081606231 “…arguably the finest African-American novelist of his generation.” John Alfred Williams (1925-2015), a renowned author and professor, had a distin...
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...
Eisa Nefertari Ulen
Eisa Nefertari Ulen NONE Eisa Nefertari Ulen, an award-nominated author, contributes to various publications. She pens essays on African American culture, exploring wide-ranging topics. She's a recip...
Lawrence P. Jackson
Lawrence P. Jackson 000000004075078X Dr. Lawrence P. Jackson is a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor, specializing in English and History at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Lawrence P. Jackson is Bloomb...
Lawrence Brown
Lawrence Brown 0000000116141842 Lawrence Brown from Atlanta is a renowned cultural critic. Lawrence Brown is a cultural critic from Atlanta
Lawrence Jackson
Lawrence Jackson 000000004075078X Lawrence Jackson, former White House Photographer for President Obama for eight years, now operates a photography business in Washington, DC, where he resides with h...
Paul Buhle, Lawrence Ware, and E. Ethelbert Miller
Paul Buhle, Lawrence Ware, and E. Ethelbert Miller MULTIPLE Paul Buhle, Lawrence Ware, and E. Ethelbert Miller are distinguished authors, each renowned for their unique contributions to literature, s...
Paul Lawrence Guthrie
Paul Lawrence Guthrie NONE Paul Lawrence Guthrie is a renowned author known for his insightful works. His writings reflect his profound understanding of various subjects, making him a respected figur...
Lawrence Lindell
Lawrence Lindell NONE Lawrence Lindell is a renowned author, artist, and musician, best known for his work in comics and education, focusing on self-care and mental health. His work is celebrated for...
Lawrence E. Roberts II and Sally-Ann Roberts
Lawrence E. Roberts II and Sally-Ann Roberts MULTIPLE Lawrence E. “Butch” Roberts II was born in Akron, Ohio. He is a graduate of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, with a BA in Englis...
Patrice Lawrence
Patrice Lawrence 000000047779067X Patrice Lawrence is an award-winning writer. Her debut YA novel, Orangeboy (Hachette), won the Bookseller YA Prize and the Waterstones Prize for Older Children’s Fi...
Sarah Allen, Yasufumi Nakamori, and Zanele Muholi
Sarah Allen, Yasufumi Nakamori, and Zanele Muholi MULTIPLE Zanele Muholi is an accomplished author. Sarah Allen serves as an assistant curator at Tate, while Yasufumi Nakamori functions as the senior...
Sarah Lewis
Sarah Lewis 0000000434612603 Sarah Lewis is the founder of Vision & Justice and the John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Humanities and Associate Professor of African and African American Studies ...
Sarah L. Delany and A. Elizabeth Delany
Sarah L. Delany and A. Elizabeth Delany MULTIPLE Sarah Delany, the last of the Delany sisters, passed away at 109. Born to a former slave, she was the first colored woman to teach home economics in w...
Sarah Ladipo Manyika
Sarah Ladipo Manyika 0000000062634157 Sarah Ladipo Manyika is a Nigerian-raised author and literature professor at San Francisco State University. Educated at the University of California, Berkeley, ...
Sarah M. Broom
Sarah M. Broom 000000049590524X “My writing attempts to fill in the ‘blank spaces’ on the map…” Sarah M. Broom is a renowned writer from New Orleans, with works featured...
Sarah Florini
Sarah Florini NONE Sarah Florini, Assistant Professor of Film and Media Studies at Arizona State University, is a pioneering researcher in Black American cultural practices and emerging technologies....
Kamilah Aisha Moon
Kamilah Aisha Moon 0000000073434556 Kamilah Aisha Moon (1973-2021), a Nashville native, was a renowned author featured in numerous publications and a professor of English and Creative Writing. She wa...
Lawrence C. Ross Jr.
Lawrence C. Ross Jr. NONE Lawrence Ross is an acclaimed author, journalist, and college lecturer whose work explores race, higher education, and African American culture. He is the author of The Div...
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...
Catherine E. McKinley
Catherine E. McKinley 0000000035142640 Catherine E. McKinley is a renowned curator and writer, known for her acclaimed works 'Indigo' and 'The Book of Sarahs'. She has taught creative nonfiction at S...
Carolyn Ferrell
Carolyn Ferrell 0000000067622171 Carolyn Ferrell, the acclaimed author of “Don't Erase Me”, is a recipient of numerous awards including the Art Seidenbaum Award and John C. Zacharis Award. Her works ...
Leah Johnson
Leah Johnson NONE Leah Johnson, a Midwestern writer and editor, is a graduate of Indiana University and Sarah Lawrence College. She teaches writing, authored her first novel in 2021, and owns Loudmou...
Denisha Jones and Jesse Hagopian
Denisha Jones and Jesse Hagopian MULTIPLE Denisha Jones, a member of the national Black Lives Matter at School committee, is an activist and advocate for education justice. She is the Director of the...
Sarah L. Webb
Sarah L. Webb NONE Dr. Sarah L. Webb is an international colorism expert helping businesses advance their JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) missions. She launched the global initiativ...
Pamela Sneed
Pamela Sneed 0000000035258600 Pamela Sneed is a New York-based poet, writer, and actress, featured in prestigious publications and has performed globally. She's included in “The 100 Best African Amer...
Sarah Roberts
Sarah Roberts 0000000498649771 Sarah Roberts is the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Curator and Head of Painting and Sculpture at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA).
Sarah Dass
Sarah Dass NONE Sarah Dass is a Trinidadian author of young adult and romantic fiction. Her debut novel Where the Rhythm Takes You (2021) reimagines Jane Austen’s Persuasion set against the lush bac...
Sheryl Lister
Sheryl Lister NONE Sheryl Lister is an established author specializing in contemporary, inspirational romance and romantic suspense since 2009. Living in California, she's a dedicated wife, mother, a...
Jim Lawrence
Jim Lawrence 0000000114683541 Sure, however, I need you to provide me with the author bio that you want summarized.
Jason Lawrence Moore
Jason Lawrence Moore NONE "Jason Moore, a Connecticut-based writer, pens one-page poems on diverse subjects, drawing from his experiences in Indianapolis, the US Navy, and corporate America. His work...
Thomas Sayers Ellis
Thomas Sayers Ellis 0000000052292843 AALBC Mourns Thomas Sayers Ellis Passing July 17, 2025 Thomas Sayers Ellis is a poet, photographer, and educator. He co-founded the Dark Room Collective, promoting...
Randall Kenan
Randall Kenan 0000000108991919 Randall Kenan (1963-2020) was a notable author and professor born in Brooklyn and raised in North Carolina. He has taught at numerous esteemed universities and is known...
Beverly Daniel Tatum
Beverly Daniel Tatum 0000000082603083 Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum is a renowned psychologist and educator, known for her research and publications on race and education. She was the ninth president of S...
Brianna-Christine Alicea
Brianna-Christine Alicea NONE Brianna-Christine Alicea, raised in South Bronx, is the first-generation college student on her mother's side, currently studying at Medgar Evers College after overcomin...
Sam Anderson
Sam Anderson 0000000119000682 Dr. Sam Anderson, a veteran activist and educator, is a renowned mathematics professor and Senior Editor of NOBO. A founding member of the Network of Black Organizers an...
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...
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...
Angeli R. Rasbury
Angeli R. Rasbury NONE Angeli R. Rasbury is a versatile writer and attorney who has served as an editor for several major publications. She's a co-editor of a notable book, interviewed distinguished ...
Tommie Thomas
Tommie Thomas NONE Tommie Lee Thomas, a determined individual of Cherokee Indian and African descent, overcame poverty and adversity to become a retired employee of Ford Motor Company, the City of De...
Pamela Thomas-Graham
Pamela Thomas-Graham 0000000120062776 Pamela Thomas-Graham, a Harvard graduate, is currently the president and CEO of CNBC Television, and founder of luxury blog Dandelion Chandelier. She has extensi...
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...
Tonya Lewis Lee
Tonya Lewis Lee NONE Tonya Lewis Lee is an attorney, author, and health expert, known for her work as a children's television producer with Disney and Nickelodeon. She is an award-winning author of c...
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...
Moses Ose Utomi
Moses Ose Utomi NONE Moses Ose Utomi is a Nigerian-American fantasy writer and nomad currently based out of Honolulu, Hawaii. He has an MFA in fiction from Sarah Lawrence College and short fiction p...
Denne Michele Norris
Denne Michele Norris NONE Denne Michele Norris is the editor in chief of Electric Literature, winner of the Whiting Literary Magazine Prize. She is the first Black, openly trans woman to helm a major...
Arriel Vinson
Arriel Vinson NONE Arriel Vinson is a Reese’s Book Club LitUp Fellow and Midwesterner who writes about being young, Black, and in search of freedom. She earned her MFA in Fiction from Sarah Lawrence...
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...
Vinson Cunningham
Vinson Cunningham NONE Vinson Cunningham, a staff writer and theatre critic for The New Yorker, has contributed to several publications and taught at top universities. He is also a former Obama campa...
Joseph Earl Thomas
Joseph Earl Thomas NONE Joseph Earl Thomas is an author known for his unique and poignant storytelling. His first major work, Sink: A Memoir, published in 2022, explores his challenging upbringing i...
Damaris B. Hill
Damaris B. Hill 0000000454814480 DaMaris B. Hill, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Kentucky. Inspired by theories of “rememory” and inclusive history, Hill has ...
Benjamin Brawley
Benjamin Brawley 000000010856022X Benjamin G. Brawley was a prominent author and educator, born in 1882. He earned degrees from Morehouse College, University of Chicago, and Harvard. Brawley taught E...
Maulana Karenga
Maulana Karenga 0000000116973657 Maulana Karenga, a professor of Africana Studies and influential figure in the Black Power movement, created the African-American holiday of Kwanzaa. A graduate of UC...
Kakwasi Somadhi
Kakwasi Somadhi NONE Kakwasi Somadhi Kakwasi is a seasoned writer and educator with an MFA in creative writing from Goddard College. She made her debut with the novel “Coming Forth by Day.” Besides t...
Meta Smith
Meta Smith NONE "MÑta Smith is a multi-talented individual from Chicago with experience in acting, dancing, DJing, and writing. Having served in various roles in music, film, and philanthropy, she h...
Maryemma Graham
Maryemma Graham 0000000117495503 Maryemma Graham is a Distinguished Professor at the University of Kansas, Lawrence. Maryemma Graham is Distinguished Professor at the University of Kansas, Lawrence.
Larry Neal
Larry Neal 0000000108601036 Lawrence Paul Neal (1937-1981) was a significant scholar in African-American theatre and a key figure in the Black Arts Movement. Lawrence Paul Neal (September 5, 1937 &nd...
Taraji P. Henson
Taraji P. Henson 0000000078264891 Taraji P. Henson is an acclaimed actress, writer, and producer recognized for her Academy Award nomination and Golden Globe win. In 2018, she founded the Boris Lawre...
Winfred Rembert
Winfred Rembert 0000000034199338 Winfred Rembert (1945-2021) was a renowned artist from Georgia, celebrated for his unique leather paintings. Compared to greats like Lawrence and Bearden, his work ha...
De’Shawn Charles Winslow
De’Shawn Charles Winslow NONE De'Shawn Charles Winslow, a North Carolina native, is a Brooklyn-based author and 2017 Iowa Writers’ Workshop graduate. He holds a BFA in creative writing and an MA in E...
ZZ Packer
ZZ Packer 0000000079830912 ZZ Packer is a celebrated writer recognized by Book magazine. A Yale, Johns Hopkins, and University of Iowa alumna, she's acclaimed for her short fiction in her debut colle...
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...
Jerry W. Ward
Jerry W. Ward 0000000108699053 Dr. Jerry W. Ward, Jr. is a renowned professor of English and African American World Studies at Dillard University. He spent 20 years at Tougaloo College, is a leading ...
Patricia Reid-Merritt
Patricia Reid-Merritt NONE Dr. Patricia Reid-Merritt is a distinguished professor at Richard Stockton College, founder of Afro-One Dance, Drama and Drum Theatre, and an award-winning social worker. K...
Eugene Stovall
Eugene Stovall NONE Oakland-born Eugene Stovall is a magna cum laude graduate and PhD holder from the University of California. He worked in academia and the corporate world, notably at Pacific Bell ...
Fred Lee Hord
Fred Lee Hord NONE Dr. Fred Lee Hord, born in 1941, is the founder and Executive Director of the Association for Black Culture Centers. He's a professor at Knox College and Director of its Africana S...
Joi-Marie McKenzie
Joi-Marie McKenzie NONE Joi-Marie McKenzie is an ABC News lifestyle writer, author of “The Engagement Game,” and creator of the award-winning website, The Fab Empire. Also a sought-after panelist, Mc...
Michelle Rhnea Yisrael
Michelle Rhnea Yisrael NONE Michelle Rhnea Yisrael is an empowering educator with 30+ years of experience. With advanced degrees in English and Online Teaching, she's served as a district leader, dir...
Ahmad Wright
Ahmad Wright NONE Ahmad Wright is an accomplished writer and assistant professor of English at the University of the District of Columbia Community College. With a rich writing career, his book revie...
Paule Marshall
Paule Marshall 0000000110812465 Watch a Powerful Tribute to Paule Marshall and John A. Williams Paule Marshall, born Valenza Pauline Burke, was a renowned author and educator. She was selected by Lang...
Naomi Jackson
Naomi Jackson 000000011074508X Naomi Jackson, author of award-nominated “The Star Side of Bird Hill,” is a recognized writer who studied fiction at the Iowa Writers' Workshop and received an M.A. in ...
Miriam Decosta-Willis
Miriam Decosta-Willis 0000000033083659 Dr. Miriam DeCosta-Willis is a renowned academic, holding degrees from Johns Hopkins and Wellesley College. She made history as the first African American facul...
Olympia Scott
Olympia Scott NONE Olympia Scott, a Brooklyn native and English major at Medgar Evers College, is a creative writer and intern at AALBC. She contributes useful content and aims to help other writers ...