AALBC Search
Ava DuVernay
Ava DuVernay 000000035624500X Ava DuVernay is an award-winning writer, producer, and director in independent film. She founded DVA Media + Marketing and the African-American Film Festival Releasing M...
Alexandra Morton
Alexandra Morton 0000000078676423 Alexandra Morton, host of The Book Look and 2011 Miss Black America-Baltimore, offers a unique online book review show on NewsOne.com. Featuring the latest book news...
D. Amari Jackson
D. Amari Jackson 0000000530897506 D. Amari Jackson is an accomplished creator, award-winning journalist, and author known for his middle grade novel, Jelani's Key. His portfolio includes TV/web/film ...
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...
Mona Ombogo
Mona Ombogo 0000000062004139 Kenyan author and scriptwriter, Mona Ombogo, is known for her award-winning films and novels. With a global education and exposure to diverse cultures, her work addresses...
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina NONE Michael Dequina is a prolific film critic, contributing to numerous platforms including Rottentomatoes.com, Film Threat, and his own site, TheMovieReport.com. He's been reviewing...
Matthew A. Cherry
Matthew A. Cherry 0000000500418922 Former NFL wide receiver, Matthew A. Cherry, transitioned into filmmaking after his retirement in 2007. He's known for directing over 20 music videos, his feature f...
Nick Brooks
Nick Brooks NONE Nick Brooks, an award-winning filmmaker and author from Washington, DC, is known for his short film 'Hoop Dreamin''. A 2020 USC graduate, he won the George Lucas Scholar Award and wa...
Lolita Files
Lolita Files 0000000067722180 Lolita Files, an accomplished African-American author, screenwriter, and producer, is known for her bestselling novels like 'Scenes from a Sistah' and 'Child of God'. Wi...
Kirby Howell-Baptiste
Kirby Howell-Baptiste NONE Kirby Howell-Baptiste is a London-born actress, known for roles in Killing Eve, The Good Place, Barry, Why Women Kill, Veronica Mars and the 2021 films Cruella and Queenpin...
Kam Williams
Kam Williams NONE Lloyd “Kam” Williams was a renowned film and book critic, contributing to AALBC.com and numerous other publications. A member of several critics associations, he was known for his a...
Shirlee Taylor Haizlip
Shirlee Taylor Haizlip 0000000045262996 Shirlee Taylor Haizlip, a Connecticut-born author and former CBS affiliate manager, has made significant contributions to academia, television, and film preser...
Kasi Lemmons
Kasi Lemmons 0000000118746394 Karen “Kasi” Lemmons is a celebrated actress, writer, and director, known for roles in films like “Silence of the Lambs”, and for directing the highest-grossing independ...
Ebony Glenn
Ebony Glenn NONE Ebony Glenn is an Atlanta-based illustrator known for whimsical art that brings joy and magic. She illustrated award-winning books like Mommy’s Khimar, Not Quite Snow White, Beacon t...
Chris Washburn
Chris Washburn NONE "Ex-high school basketball star, Chris Washburn, shares his journey from NBA fame to losing everything due to a 14-year crack addiction in his upcoming memoir. His redemptive stor...
Tessa Gratton
Tessa Gratton 0000000121682336 Tessa Gratton, an acclaimed author of adult and YA SFF novels, is known for her dark queer fairy tales and Shakespearean retellings. Her works, translated into 22 langu...
Tariq Nasheed
Tariq Nasheed 0000000035827594 Tariq Nasheed, also known as Tariq Elite, King Flex, and K-Flex, is a renowned author, film producer, and director. He's known for his advice books on dating and the ho...
Raoul Peck
Raoul Peck 0000000081402175 Raoul Peck is a renowned filmmaker known for narrative films and documentaries like Lumumba and I Am Not Your Negro. A jury member at Cannes and Berlinale, he chairs the b...
Susan Robeson
Susan Robeson 0000000084570270 Susan Robeson is a longtime documentary film and television producer. Her award-winning work has appeared on PBS, NBC and ABC affiliates, and Channel 4 in the UK, and h...
Armond White
Armond White 0000000031792179 Armond Allen White, born in 1953, is a renowned film and music critic. He served as the arts editor for The City Sun and later wrote for New York Press. He was the edito...
Nkem DenChukwu
Nkem DenChukwu NONE Nkem DenChukwu, a multitalented artist with a background in Computer Networking and Health Services Administration, is passionate about filmmaking, writing, and cooking. She has p...
Biyi Bandele
Biyi Bandele 0000000120964833 Biyi Bandele-Thomas (1967-2022) was a renowned Nigerian novelist, playwright, director, and photographer. He was celebrated as one of Africa's top 50 artists. Bandele's ...
Greg Garrett
Greg Garrett 0000000046223577 Greg Garrett is a recognized voice on religion and culture in America, with work featured across major media outlets. He is the co-founder of the Long Long Way Film Fest...
N’Tyse
N’Tyse NONE N'Tyse, a wife, mother, and Dallas native, is a multitalented novelist, screenwriter, and film producer. With a background in banking and a degree from Arizona State University, she is ce...
Aaron McGruder
Aaron McGruder 0000000037086910 Aaron McGruder, born in Chicago in 1974, is best known for creating the comic strip The Boondocks. Inspired by hip hop and politics, he debuted his work online in 1996...
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 0000000081090255 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor in 1947, is widely regarded as the greatest basketball player of all time. A 7-foot-2 Hall of Famer, he dominat...
Malcolm D. Lee
Malcolm D. Lee 0000000041786688 Malcolm D. Lee is an award-winning writer, director, and producer whose celebrated work includes The Best Man, Girls Trip, Night School, and Space Jam: A New Legacy. ...
Sharifa Stevens
Sharifa Stevens NONE Sharifa Stevens is a writer, poet, speaker, and singer. She is the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, born and raised in New York, and currently resides with her family in Dallas,...
Portia Cosby
Portia Cosby NONE Portia A. Cosby is a renowned novelist, screenwriter, and poet from Indianapolis, known for her relatable storytelling. With a background in kinesiology and film, she blends her ski...
Kevin Hart
Kevin Hart 0000000081598956 Kevin Hart, born July 6, 1979, is a record-breaking comedian and actor from Philadelphia. Known for his unique style, he tours like a rockstar, performing in over 100 stad...
Olujimi Ojikutu
Olujimi Ojikutu NONE Olujimi Ojikutu, a University of Lagos graduate, began his career in finance but followed his passion for art and storytelling. He's known for creating comics in his youth, writi...
Ousmane Sembène
Ousmane Sembène 0000000120171534 “Father of African Film” Ousmane Sembène (1923-2007) was a renowned Senegalese director, producer, and writer. Often recognized as the “father of African ...
Lori Nelson Lee
Lori Nelson Lee NONE Lori Nelson Lee, author of children's books like 'Hillary’s Big Business Adventure' and 'Danica Dramatica - Queen Me', introduces entrepreneurship to young readers. Her works are...
Booker T. Mattison
Booker T. Mattison NONE Booker T. Mattison is an author and filmmaker who wrote the screenplay for and directed the film adaptation of Zora Neale Hurston's classic story "The Gi...
Gordon Parks
Gordon Parks 0000000122842071 Gordon Parks (1912-2006) was a self-taught photographer who rose from poverty to become a pioneering African American film director, writer, and composer. Notably, he di...
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...
Peter Kalu
Peter Kalu NONE Peter Kalu is an award-winning poet, fiction writer, and playwright from the UK. He began his writing career at Manchester's Moss Side Write black writers workshop and has produced ei...
Angie Thomas
Angie Thomas 0000000486125057 Angie Thomas, a Mississippi-based author, gained fame with her debut novel 'The Hate U Give'. Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, the novel was a #1 New York Ti...
LaKesa Cox
LaKesa Cox NONE LaKesa Cox is an award-winning author and screenwriter with over 20 years of experience. She has published four novels and has contributed to two anthologies. She was acknowledged as ...
Marvis Johnson
Marvis Johnson NONE Marvis Johnson is a multi-talented entrepreneur, artist manager, director, and author with formal training in Film and Television Arts. Known for his work in the New York City fil...
Jason Wilson
Jason Wilson 0000000109296299 Jason Wilson, founder and CEO of the Yunion, a non-profit youth organization, has impacted over 15,000 youth since 2003 through prevention programming and parental engag...
Stacy Spikes
Stacy Spikes NONE Stacy Spikes, co-founder of MoviePass and founder of Urbanworld Film Festival, is an award-winning entrepreneur and former film marketing executive. Recognized as one of the most in...
Christine List
Christine List NONE Christine List, Ph.D. from Northwestern University, is an award-winning filmmaker recognized globally. She has received numerous grants, served as a media grant evaluator and juri...
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...
Mai Sennaar
Mai Sennaar NONE Mai Sennaar is a graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. The Smithsonian Affiliate Museum of the African Diaspora, the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, and the Class...
Christian Keyes
Christian Keyes NONE Christian Keyes is a versatile actor, singer, and songwriter from Detroit, Michigan, recognized for his consistent performances in Tyler Perry's productions. He's also known for ...
Jesse Byrd
Jesse Byrd NONE Jesse Byrd, Jr., an award-winning author and former Google project worker, used his basketball skills to fund his education at UC Santa Barbara. Known for his debut novel, King Pengui...
Lauren Simmons
Lauren Simmons NONE Lauren Simmons, the youngest female trader and second African American woman at the NYSE, is a genetics graduate, podcast host, and featured on major media outlets. Co-producing a...
Dashawn Taylor
Dashawn Taylor NONE Dashawn Taylor is a contemporary novelist and Rutgers graduate known for his urban edgy style. A former finalist on BET's Ultimate Hustler Show, he's also the author of 'From Pove...
Dwayne Alexander Smith
Dwayne Alexander Smith NONE Born in Harlem, Dwayne Alexander Smith is a professional screenwriter who shifted from electrical engineering to film-making. Inspired by Star Wars, he began with an award...
Michael S. Bandy and Eric Stein
Michael S. Bandy and Eric Stein MULTIPLE Michael S. Bandy and Eric Stein are accomplished authors and screenwriters. Bandy, a founding member of Comedy Shorts, has worked in animation and co-authored...
Akie F. Davis
Akie F. Davis NONE Akie F. Davis is a Houston-based writer and producer with a passion for film and a background in psychology and business. He co-owns Creole Creations and works for the Houston Acce...
Kayla Perrin
Kayla Perrin NONE Kayla Perrin, a USA TODAY and Essence bestselling author, is known for her mainstream and romance novels. Her first novel, Again, My Love, made it on Ingram's Top 50 Most Requested ...
T. D. Jakes
T. D. Jakes 0000000383058082 Bishop T.D. Jakes is the founder of The Potter’s House, a 30,000-member church and global humanitarian organization. Known for his best-selling books, he's recognized as ...
Tina McElroy Ansa
Tina McElroy Ansa 0000000116428851 Tina McElroy Ansa (November 18, 1949 – September 10, 2024) stories and essays have appeared in several anthologies. She lived with her husband, Joneé ...
John Ridley
John Ridley 0000000114963631 John Ridley is an award-winning American screenwriter, film director, and novelist. Best known for “12 Years a Slave” and the series “American Crime,” his latest work is ...
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...
Kirby Roy III
Kirby Roy III NONE Kirby Roy III, introduced to literature at a young age, left Hampton University to pursue writing. After graduating from Clark Atlanta University and while working as a financial a...
Troy Pappy Johnson
Troy Pappy Johnson NONE Troy “Pappy” Johnson, a Brooklyn native, is a Howard University graduate and US Army veteran. He has had a successful career in Theatrical/Film Production in NYC, working with...
Bridgett M. Davis
Bridgett M. Davis NONE Bridgett M. Davis is a Detroit-born author, professor, and filmmaker. A graduate of Spelman College and Columbia University, she now teaches English at Baruch College. Her film...
Thomas Norman DeWolf
Thomas Norman DeWolf 0000000074225246 Author of 'Inheriting the Trade', explores his family's past as the largest slave-trading dynasty in U.S. history. Featured in the Emmy-nominated documentary 'Tr...
Jamal Joseph
Jamal Joseph 0000000049459104 Jamal Joseph, once a fiery advocate for the Black Panther Party, transitioned from the streets of Harlem and prison stints to becoming the chair of Columbia University's...
David Barclay Moore
David Barclay Moore NONE Missouri-born David Barclay Moore is a Brooklyn-based writer, filmmaker, and photographer. Known for his debut young adult novel 'The Stars Beneath Our Feet' and his award-wi...
Lupita Nyong’o
Lupita Nyong’o 0000000065421480 Lupita Nyong'o, born March 1, 1983, is a Kenyan-Mexican actress. Raised in Kenya and educated in the U.S., she began her career in Hollywood, made her acting debut in ...
Cicely Tyson
Cicely Tyson 000000011742385X Cicely Tyson was a respected actress, lecturer, and activist with over sixty years in American theater and film. She was the first African-American woman to win an Emmy ...
Marlon McCaulsky
Marlon McCaulsky NONE Award-winning American author and screenplay writer, Marlon McCaulsky, is celebrated for his Fiction, Romance, and Science Fiction works that often highlight contemporary Africa...
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....
Meagan Good
Meagan Good 0000000066648011 Meagan Good is a sought-after Hollywood actress known for roles in film and TV, including Anchorman: The Legend Continues and NBC's “Deception.” She's worked in various g...
Zeba Blay
Zeba Blay NONE Zeba Blay is a film and culture critic with a career spanning nearly a decade. She has contributed to various publications like The New York Times and was a Senior Culture Writer at Hu...
Keegan-Michael Key and Elle Key
Keegan-Michael Key and Elle Key MULTIPLE Emmy and Peabody Award-winning actor, writer, and producer Keegan-Michael Key is renowned for his diverse talent in comedy and drama, with credits in Key & Pe...
Solomon Northup
Solomon Northup 0000000374327420 Born free, Solomon Northup was kidnapped into slavery in 1841, enduring this for 12 years in Louisiana. Regaining his freedom in 1853, he penned the memoir “Twelve Ye...
Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu
Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu NONE Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu, born in 1977, is a Zimbabwean writer, filmmaker, and academic with a PhD from Stanford. She has published research on Saartjie Baartman and made the ...
Michael Beckwith
Michael Beckwith 0000000110546515 Michael Beckwith is a New Thought minister, author, and founder of Agape International Spiritual Center. He co-founded the Association for Global New Thought and fea...
Dexter Scott King
Dexter Scott King 0000000050308792 Dexter Scott King, a civil rights activist, attorney, author, actor, and film producer, worked to preserve the legacy of his father, Martin Luther King Jr., through...
Regie Gibson
Regie Gibson NONE Regie Gibson is a poet, songwriter, author, workshop facilitator, and educator. Regie has performed, taught, and lectured at schools, universities, theaters and various other ve...
Van Whitfield
Van Whitfield 000000004215157X Van Whitfield, an acclaimed novelist, rose to fame with his debut book, “Beeperless Remote,” earning him 6 Ben Franklin Award nominations. Despite initial struggles wit...
Camryn King
Camryn King NONE Camryn King, a former lifestyle magazine senior writer and managing editor, is a world traveler who's lived in or visited 24+ countries and 42 states. She now writes suspense novels,...
E.B. Goodale
E.B. Goodale NONE E.B. Goodale is a renowned illustrator known for her work on “Windows” and “Here and Now” by Julia Denos, “A Most Unusual Day” by Sydra Mallery, and Richard Jackson's upcoming “A Ki...
Colleen A. Phillip
Colleen A. Phillip NONE “I inspire and encourage women to live with purpose and not just exist!” Colleen A. Phillip is a devoted wife, mother, minister, and seasoned prayer warrior. She has more t...
Remi Blackwood
Remi Blackwood NONE Remi Blackwood is the pen name of series creator Jasmine Richards, and a team of young and upcoming writers, including Chiemeka Nicely and Isaac Hamilton-Mckenzie. Jasmine and th...
Rachel L. Swarns
Rachel L. Swarns NONE Rachel L. Swarns is a renowned journalist and author, focusing on race relations for the New York Times since 1995. She has covered domestic policy, national politics, immigrati...
Vickie M. Stringer
Vickie M. Stringer NONE “I use my life as an example to warn others of the dangers of the drug game.” Vickie Stringer, the Queen of Hip-Hop Literature, has revolutionized the genre throu...
Ayesha Harruna Attah
Ayesha Harruna Attah 0000000389081478 Ayesha Harruna Attah, born in Accra, Ghana, is an acclaimed author known for her novel 'Harmattan Rain', shortlisted for the 2010 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize. He...
Tracy K. Smith and Kevin Young
Tracy K. Smith and Kevin Young MULTIPLE Tracy K. Smith is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author of four poetry books, including 'Life on Mars', and the upcoming 'Such Color: New and Selected Poems'. She ha...
Alvin Romer
Alvin Romer NONE Alvin C. Romer is a Miami-based educator, freelance writer, and journalist. He founded The Romer Review, a platform for book reviews and author showcases. Trained as a journalist, Ro...
Reina Diosa
Reina Diosa NONE Reina Diosa, a graduate of Morgan State University in creative writing, is an emerging author and artist. She uses poetry as a tool to fight AIDS among minority women, leveraging her...
Adam Henig
Adam Henig NONE Adam Henig, San Francisco native and author of “Alex Haley’s Roots: An Author’s Odyssey”, has been featured in numerous book reviews and publications. His upcoming book, “Under One Ro...
Carlotta Arradondo
Carlotta Arradondo NONE Carlotta Arradondo, a Minneapolis-born novelist, poet, and storyteller, discovered her passion for writing at nine. She is the author of the novel “Yearning” and co-author of ...
Debra Phillips
Debra Phillips 0000000080337535 Debra Yvette Phillips is a diverse writer, creating works in categories like romance, mainstream, and chick-lit. She also writes under the pseudonym D.Y. Phillips, spe...
Lisa Teasley
Lisa Teasley 0000000037575087 Lisa Teasley is an acclaimed author of novels and story collections, including the award-winning 'Glow in the Dark'. Her works are translated into multiple languages. Sh...
Jay Lemming
Jay Lemming NONE Jay Lemming is a Washington, DC-based author known for dark literary fiction and horror. Works include 'Billy Maddox Takes His Shot', 'The Curse of Jaxx', and 'Death to the Children ...
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...
Erick S. Gray
Erick S. Gray NONE Erick S. Gray, an accomplished author since 1997, is known for his engaging mix of street style, comedy, and intricate plots. Born in Jamaica, Queens, his first book, Booty Call, w...
Dana Canedy, Darcy Eveleigh, Damien Cave, and Rachel L. Swarns
Dana Canedy, Darcy Eveleigh, Damien Cave, and Rachel L. Swarns MULTIPLE Darcy Eveleigh, a photo editor at The New York Times, is the creator of “The Lively Morgue” blog. Dana Canedy, former senior ed...
Goldie Taylor
Goldie Taylor 0000000051784985 Goldie Taylor is an accomplished journalist and editor at the Daily Beast, known for her work on news networks, talk shows, and publications like Salon and Ebony. She w...
Alicia D. Williams
Alicia D. Williams 0000000493459573 Alicia D. Williams is a beloved teacher, oral storyteller, and award-nominated author. Known for her lively spirit, she blends drama and storytelling in her teachi...
Scott Ellsworth
Scott Ellsworth 0000000082114829 Scott Ellsworth, a Ph.D. graduate from Duke University, is a history professor at the University of Michigan. He served as chief historian for the Tulsa Race Riot Com...
John Keene
John Keene 0000000032165978 Winner 2022 National Book Award for Poetry John Keene, acclaimed author known for Annotations, has been published in various anthologies and journals, earning several award...
Tyler Merritt
Tyler Merritt NONE Tyler Merritt is a multi-talented actor, musician, comedian, and activist known for The Tyler Merritt Project. With a career spanning 20 years, he has worked in TV shows like ABC's...
Alexander Andrews
Alexander Andrews 0000000063097189 Alexander Andrews, a critically acclaimed poet of diverse heritage, is known for exploring themes of love, childhood, and environmental stress. His highly-rated deb...