AALBC Search
Anne Spencer
Anne Spencer 0000000458445176 Anne Bannister Spencer was a lauded American poet, civil rights activist, and librarian during the Harlem Renaissance. Born in 1882, she was the first African-American w...
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 ...
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...
Wallace Thurman
Wallace Thurman 0000000080916692 Wallace Henry Thurman, born in 1902, was an influential figure during the Harlem Renaissance. Known for his realistic portrayals of lower-class black American society...
Gwendolyn Bennett
Gwendolyn Bennett 0000000041133249 Gwendolyn B. Bennett was an influential American artist, writer, and journalist during the Harlem Renaissance. Born in 1902, she contributed to Opportunity, publish...
Mae V. Cowdery
Mae V. Cowdery 0000000068646714 Mae V. Cowdery (1909–1948) was a gifted poet of the Harlem Renaissance whose work explored racial pride, love, and sensuality with unusual candor for her era. Born in...
Carl Van Vechten
Carl Van Vechten 0000000115587789 Carl Van Vechten, the great popularizer of the Harlem Renaissance for white people. Carl Van Vechten was a renowned photographer and author, best known for his contri...
Zora Neale Hurston
Zora Neale Hurston 0000000109083197 “One of the greatest writers of our time.”—Toni Morrison Zora Neale Hurston is considered one of the titans of twentieth-century African American ...
Dorothy West
Dorothy West 0000000117719538 Dorothy West (1907-1998) was an active participant in the Harlem Renaissance and the last surviving member. Known for her short stories, she debuted with her novel 'The ...
Alain Locke
Alain Locke 0000000108789294 Celebrate the Centennial of Survey Graphic on March 23, 2025, at 6 PM ET. Register Here Born in 1886, Alain LeRoy Locke was an influential educator, writer, and phil...
Rio Cortez
Rio Cortez NONE Rio Cortez is a Pushcart-nominated poet and writer, recognized with fellowships from esteemed literary organizations. Her work has featured in top publications and she also works as a...
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 ...
Louise Meriwether
Louise Meriwether 0000000110768302 Louise Meriwether was a renowned novelist, essayist, journalist, and activist, best known for her children's biographies of significant African Americans. Born in N...
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...
Regina Abraham
Regina Abraham NONE Regina Abraham, a Harlem-based Academic Intervention Coordinator, is an educational consultant and author of the Harlem-inspired children's book series, “The Harlem Legends.” She ...
Richard Bruce Nugent
Richard Bruce Nugent 0000000108136373 Richard Bruce Nugent, a notable figure in the Harlem Renaissance, was a pioneering openly gay writer and painter. Celebrated for his contributions to gay and bla...
Jeffrey C. Stewart
Jeffrey C. Stewart 0000000082117456 Dr. Jeffrey C. Stewart is a renowned professor and chair of Black Studies at UC Santa Barbara. With an academic background from UCLA, UC Santa Cruz, and Yale, he's...
Georgia Douglas Johnson
Georgia Douglas Johnson 0000000139704329 Georgia Douglas Johnson, born September 10, 1880, was an influential African-American poet, pioneering female playwright, and key participant in the Harlem Re...
Charles S. Johnson
Charles S. Johnson 0000000108707076 Charles Spurgeon Johnson was a prominent 20th-century black sociologist, key figure of the Harlem Renaissance, and a Ph.D. graduate from the University of Chicago....
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...
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...
Angelina Weld Grimké
Angelina Weld Grimké 0000000110713205 Angelina Weld Grimké (1880-1958) was an accomplished American journalist, teacher, playwright, and poet. Notably, she was one of the first Black American women ...
Somaiya Daud
Somaiya Daud NONE Somaiya Daud, a PhD candidate at the University of Washington, is a former children's bookseller passionate about Arabic poetry, astronomy, and Gothic novels. “Mirage” is her debut ...
Tyrone Geter
Tyrone Geter NONE Tyrone Geter is an illustrator known for numerous children's books such as Evelyn Coleman's “White Socks Only,” an American Bookseller's “Pick of the Lists.” He resides in Columbia,...
Shannon Holmes
Shannon Holmes NONE Shannon Holmes, a Bronx native, turned his life around while serving a prison sentence by penning his first novel. Achieving success with his debut, “B-more Careful,” he secured a...
J.T. Smith
J.T. Smith 0000000117420835 J.T. Smith, a New Jersey-born author, developed a passion for reading and history at an early age. His interest in Black History and the Harlem Renaissance influenced his ...
Celeste Beatty
Celeste Beatty NONE Celeste Beatty is the first Black woman to own a brewery in the United States. Celeste Beatty (born 1964), entrepreneur and beer pioneer, founded the Harlem Brewing Company in 200...
Valerie Boyd
Valerie Boyd 000000011658992X Valerie Boyd was a notable American author, journalist, and educator, celebrated for her contributions to African American literature. She's best known for her acclaimed...
James Van Der Zee
James Van Der Zee 0000000066571798 James Augustus Van Der Zee (June 29, 1886 – May 15, 1983) began working as a photographer in 1915, and by the following year had opened his photography studi...
Jessie Redmon Fauset
Jessie Redmon Fauset 0000000121319502 Jessie Redmon Fauset was a prominent literary editor for Crisis magazine (1919-1926) and The Brownie's Book (1920-1921). Her first novel, 'There is Confusion', w...
Patricia Mckinney
Patricia Mckinney NONE Patricia McKinney, a professional in Telecommunications with a Bachelor's degree in Photography from Ventura College. She's an avid reader of African American Literature, curre...
James Weldon Johnson
James Weldon Johnson 0000000120206864 James Weldon Johnson was a legendary civil rights activist, renowned author, and key figure in the Harlem Renaissance. His diverse career spans roles as a U.S. c...
Kevin McGruder
Kevin McGruder 0000000071766805 Kevin McGruder is an Assistant Professor of History at Antioch College with interests in African American institutions, urban history, and gay and lesbian history. He ...
Irene Smalls
Irene Smalls NONE Irene Smalls, a Harlem native and Cornell University graduate, is a renowned children's author, inspired by her personal experiences and heritage. Her diverse career spans modelling...
Marie Brown
Marie Brown 0000000376893266 Marie Brown is the first inductee into the Publishing Hall of Fame Marie Dutton Brown, President of Marie Brown Associates, is a highly experienced literary agent with ove...
Arthur R. Flowers
Arthur R. Flowers NONE Arthur Flowers, a Vietnam veteran, blues singer, and Memphis native, is a co-founder of the New Renaissance Writer's Guild and a notable performance poet. He teaches at Syracus...
Peggy M. Fisher
Peggy M. Fisher NONE Peggy M. Fisher, a former educator and counselor with the Philadelphia public school system, is an accomplished author recognized for her literary excellence. A retired Army Nurs...
Lois Brown
Lois Brown 0000000055214322 Lois Brown is an author known for her literary biography of Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins, a pioneering New England writer. Brown's work also extends to essays on American and...
Jerry Jordan
Jerry Jordan 0000000383125839 Jerry Jordan is a contemporary realist painter influenced by Harlem Renaissance artists. Based in Madison, Wisconsin, he's authored his first book for young readers. Con...
Arna Bontemps
Arna Bontemps 0000000108744969 Arna Bontemps (1902-1973) was a significant Harlem Renaissance figure and author of 25 diverse books. He served as the head librarian at Fisk University and curator of ...
Melvin Tolson
Melvin Tolson NONE Melvin B. Tolson Sr. (1898-1966) was a Modernist poet, educator, and politician from Missouri, known for his work on the African American experience and the Harlem Renaissance. His...
Ousmane K. Power-Greene
Ousmane K. Power-Greene NONE Ousmane K. Power-Greene, Africana Studies Chair at Clark University, is the author of “Against Wind and Tide.” His work features in “The Harlem Renaissance Revisited” and...
May Miller
May Miller 0000000066423568 May Miller was born on January 26, 1899, in Washington, D.C. Her father, Kelly Miller, was a well-known scholar, professor, and sociologist at Howard University, and thei...
Tony Hillery
Tony Hillery NONE Tony Hillery, founder and executive director of Harlem Grown, began his journey in 2011, transforming a vacant lot in Harlem into a thriving urban farm. He is based in New York and ...
Judy Tyrus and Paul Novosel
Judy Tyrus and Paul Novosel MULTIPLE Judy Tyrus, a former principal ballerina with the Dance Theatre of Harlem and Oakland Ballet, now serves as a dance industry consultant and co-founder of ChromaDi...
Edward Roy
Edward Roy 0000000108894174 Edward Roy, born in 1945, grew up in Harlem, NY, mentored by influential figures including Malcolm X. He served in the US Army’s Medical Corps during the Cold War and Viet...
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...
Troy Johnson
Troy Johnson 0000000530602616 “I lead the world's oldest and largest online platform dedicated to books by and about people of African descent.” Troy Demetrius Johnson, founder and President of AALBC....
Clara Villarosa
Clara Villarosa 0000000060242379 Clara Villarosa, a celebrated entrepreneur and business coach, founded Hue-Man Experience Bookstore in Denver and New York. She's also co-founder of Villarosa Media, ...
Linda Villarosa
Linda Villarosa NONE Linda Villarosa, a University of Colorado graduate and Harvard journalism fellow, is the journalism program director at City College of New York and a former editor at the New Yo...
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...
Jacki Simmons
Jacki Simmons NONE Bronx-born, Harlem-raised author Jacki Simmons found inspiration in her surroundings from a young age. She completed her first short story at 11 and her first novel at 16. After wi...
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...
Leon Carroll Jr.
Leon Carroll Jr. NONE Leon Carroll Jr., a Chicago native, is the technical advisor for the hit drama NCIS. He has a BS in business economics and served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Marine Co...
Thomas Long
Thomas Long 0000000376122955 Thomas Long, a self-published poet from Baltimore, transitioned to urban fiction, reflecting his experiences growing up in the inner city. His debut novel, Dayvon’s Story...
Asia Hill
Asia Hill NONE Asia Hill, a highly gifted author, earned a rare publishing deal with Good2go Publishing in 2015 from a federal correctional facility, impressively with her debut book, My Besties PT 1...
Monique S. Hall
Monique S. Hall NONE Monique S. Hall, former basketball scholar, overcame a turbulent past involving crime and prison to become a bestselling author. Her debut novel, 'Two Tears In A Bucket', caught ...
Hickson
Hickson 0000000071439935 Hickson, CEO and Founder of Ghettoheat, is a Harlem-born author and entrepreneur. After a career in fashion, including working with Naomi Campbell, he shifted his focus post-...
Gabourey Sidibe
Gabourey Sidibe 0000000120325062 Gabourey Sidibe is an award-winning actress known for roles in 'Precious', 'American Horror Story' and 'Empire'. She also made her directorial debut with 'The Tale of...
Sheree Renée Thomas
Sheree Renée Thomas 0000000019174343 Sheree R. Thomas is a multi-talented writer, editor, publisher, educator, and visual artist. She co-publishes the literary journal Anansi and founded Wanganegress...
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 ...
Max Rodriguez
Max Rodriguez NONE Max Rodriguez is the founder and publisher of QBR/The Black Book Review, one of the nation’s premier publications dedicated to books by and about people of African descent. ...
Sidi
Sidi NONE Sidibe Ibrahima, known as Sidi, is a multilingual entrepreneur from Ivory Coast who started as a book vendor in Harlem. Now a well-known figure in New York's African American literary scene...
Betty J. Dopson
Betty J. Dopson NONE Betty J. Dopson is a cultural activist, administrator, and organizer with a degree in Communications Arts and Sciences. She served as the Director of Public Relations at Harlem H...
David Rivera
David Rivera 0000000119349964 David Rivera Jr., a writer inspired by contemporary black male authors, has been writing since high school. His debut book, Harlem's Dragon, received great acclaim. Draw...
Willis Nathaniel Huggins
Willis Nathaniel Huggins 0000000064958315 Willis Nathaniel Huggins, Ph.D. (1886-1940) was a renowned historian, activist, and mentor. He owned the Blyden Bookstore in Harlem and was a key member of t...
Eartha Watts-Hicks
Eartha Watts-Hicks NONE Eartha Watts-Hicks is a prolific writer for various online publications, including Harlem World's Magazine's blog and TheUrbanBookSource.com. She has been the director of publ...
Greg Thomas
Greg Thomas 0000000055234489 Greg Thomas is an esteemed jazz writer, editor, educator, and broadcaster. With works published in numerous publications, he was the founding Editor-in-Chief of Harlem Wo...
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...
Rosa Guy
Rosa Guy 0000000111564547 Rosa Guy, born in Trinidad in 1925, was an influential Harlem-based writer and activist. A co-founder of the Harlem Writer's Guild, she was also a member of the Black nation...
K’wan
K’wan 0000000417519140 K'wan Foye, born to a poet and painter, faced numerous rejections before his debut novel, Gangsta, was published in 2002. His subsequent novels caught the attention of St. Mart...
Ikwo Ntekim
Ikwo Ntekim NONE Ikwo Ntekim received her MFA in Creative Writing from Stony Brook Southampton, where her fiction appeared in The Southampton Review. She’s been a bookseller for many years and lives...
Saskia Calliste
Saskia Calliste NONE Saskia Calliste is assistant editor for Voice Mag UK, where she writes about societal issues and reviews fringe theatre, including the Edinburgh Fringe in 2019. She freelanced f...
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...
Juanita Havill
Juanita Havill 0000000082638702 Juanita Havill, born in 1949, is an acclaimed children's author with over 30 books including award-winning “Jamaica's Find.” She was raised in Illinois and now resides...
Donna Jo Napoli
Donna Jo Napoli 0000000109071663 Donna Jo Napoli, an award-winning author of fantasy and contemporary novels, received the Golden Kite Award for 'Stones in Water'. Her book 'Zel' earned multiple reco...
Malla Nunn
Malla Nunn 0000000040740979 Malla Nunn, born in Swaziland, is an acclaimed author with two Edgar nominations and a RUSA Best Mystery Novel Award. She won the L.A. Times Book Prize and Josette Frank A...
Katie Mitchell
Katie Mitchell 0000000368018699 Katie Mitchell is a writer, owner of Atlanta-based online and pop-up Black bookstore Good Books. She's been featured on media outlets like The NYT, Oprah Daily, NPR, a...
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...
Whit Frazier
Whit Frazier NONE Dr. Whit Frazier Peterson is a Lecturer and Research Associate at the University of Stuttgart in Stuttgart, Germany Dr. Whit Frazier Peterson is a Lecturer and Research Associate at...
Jamila T. Davis
Jamila T. Davis NONE Jamila T. Davis, a former self-made millionaire and now motivational speaker, uses her experiences from rising to the top of her field, to her fall into bankruptcy and imprisonme...
Clyde R. Taylor
Clyde R. Taylor NONE Clyde Russell Taylor was a vital figure in African American studies, known for his influential work in film and cultural criticism. He focused on the portrayal of Black people in...
Lynda Johnson
Lynda Johnson NONE Lynda Johnson, co-founder of Go On Girl! Book Club, supported authors from the African diaspora and helped fund scholarships. She also founded Kidstylesource.com, a leading website...
Relentless Aaron
Relentless Aaron NONE In 2006 Relentless Aaron, Signed a 14-Book Deal with St. Martin’s Press! Black literati had best take note right here and right now. There’s a new writer on the block ...
The Editors of Life Magazine
The Editors of Life Magazine NONE Life Magazine, an American publication, ran from 1883-2002, initially as a humor and general interest magazine. Bought by Time founder Henry Luce in 1936, it became ...
Leo F. Buscaglia
Leo F. Buscaglia 0000000109193839 Leo Buscaglia, known as “Dr. Love,” was an American author, motivational speaker, and professor at the University of Southern California's Special Education Departme...
Kelvin Bodley
Kelvin Bodley NONE Kelvin D. Bodley, a Chicago native and now Florida resident, is a social change advocate, author, and Minister of the Gospel. He served as the Special Assistant to Mayor Anthony Gr...
Linda Addison and Alessandro Manzetti
Linda Addison and Alessandro Manzetti MULTIPLE Poets Linda D. Addison and Alessandro Manzetti have collaborated to create a unique poetry collection. The book, written across different time zones, fe...
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 ...
Walter Dean Myers
Walter Dean Myers 0000000108718912 Walter Dean Myers, born August 12, 1937, was an award-winning author from Harlem, known for his dedication to children and young adult literature. He received numer...
Bill Duke
Bill Duke 0000000063023892 Actor, Director, and Producer Bill Duke has over 40 years of Hollywood experience, known for his roles in “Predator,” “X-Men 3,” and currently in HBO Max's “No Sudden Move....
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...
Darrin DeWitt Henson
Darrin DeWitt Henson 0000000044888874 Darrin DeWitt Henson is a multi-talented actor, dancer, choreographer, and producer known for films like Stomp the Yard and Tekken. With roles in TV series like ...
Deborah Fletcher Mello
Deborah Fletcher Mello 0000000036839925 Deborah Fletcher Mello is a multi-faceted author and Renaissance woman with diverse career experience. Her debut novel earned her a Best New Author nomination,...
Abel Garcia
Abel Garcia NONE Dallas-based artist Abel Garcia, inspired by The Bible, hip-hop, graffiti, and the high renaissance, creates unique art using screen printing, acrylic and oil painting. Recognized as...
James Ward
James Ward 0000000003087499 James Theodore Ward was a pivotal figure in the Black Chicago Renaissance, known as the “dean of black dramatists.” He co-founded the Negro Playwrights Company and wrote o...
Michele Harper
Michele Harper NONE Michele Harper, an emergency room physician with over a decade of experience, has served as chief resident and worked at multiple institutions. She is an alumna of Harvard Univers...
Nisi Shawl
Nisi Shawl 0000000038176352 Nisi Shawl is a renowned author, critic, and editor, celebrated for their diverse and intersectional speculative fiction, including the acclaimed novel Everfair. Known for...
Ifa Bayeza
Ifa Bayeza NONE Ifa Bayeza is an acclaimed playwright, producer, and theater artist. Known for works like “Amistad Voices” and “The Ballad of Emmett Till,” she's won the 2008 Edgar Award and 2007 Eug...
Toni Cade Bambara
Toni Cade Bambara 0000000109088262 Toni Cade Bambara (1939-1995) was a celebrated writer, activist, feminist, and filmmaker. Born in Harlem, her work was characterized by her capacity for both laught...