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The Last Poets
The Last Poets 0000000109403584 The Last Poets, formed in 1969, are influential street poets who gained fame with their debut LP in 1970, reaching the U.S. Top 10 album charts. Members include Abiodu...
NOMMO
NOMMO NONE "NOMMO Lyrical Alchemy Volume One is a collaborative project featuring original artists like Erykah Badu. It's the first in a series aimed at presenting artistic expression and cultural el...
Adrian Matejka
Adrian Matejka 0000000037525872 Adrian Matejka is a Germany-born, Indiana-based author and educator. A graduate of Indiana University and Southern Illinois University Carbondale, he has penned award-...
Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson
Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson MULTIPLE Matt Barnes scrapped and clawed his way through fourteen NBA seasons, which included a championship in 2017 with the Golden State Warriors. He is a father of...
aja monet
aja monet 0000000370068724 aja monet is a surrealist blues poet, storyteller, and organizer born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. She won the legendary Nuyorican Poets Cafe Grand Slam poetry award title i...
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...
Abiodun Oyewole and Umar Bin Hassan
Abiodun Oyewole and Umar Bin Hassan MULTIPLE The Last Poets are a group of musicians and poets, known for their African-American-themed performances that blend jazz, rhythm, and spoken words. Their i...
Courtney Faye Taylor
Courtney Faye Taylor NONE Courtney Faye Taylor is a celebrated writer and visual artist, known for winning the Discovery/Boston Review Poetry Prize and the Academy of American Poets Prize. Her work i...
Abiodun Oyewole
Abiodun Oyewole NONE Abiodun Oyewole is a pioneering poet, teacher, and founding member of the influential American music and spoken-word group, The Last Poets. With a rich contribution to Hip-Hop's ...
Cornelius Eady
Cornelius Eady 0000000025783225 Cornelius Eady is a renowned poet and author of eight books, including award-winning “Victims of the Latest Dance Craze.” He co-founded the Cave Canem workshop for Afr...
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...
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...
Sojourner Truth
Sojourner Truth 0000000109884285 One of the “100 Most Significant Americans of All Time” Sojourner Truth (c. 1797 – November 26, 1883) was an abolitionist and women’s rights a...
Andre Seward
Andre Seward NONE Andre Seward, also known as Poetryman7, is a poet who has been writing since 1998. His works are deeply grounded in faith and spirituality, exploring themes of love, grace, and fami...
Toi Derricotte and Cornelius Eady
Toi Derricotte and Cornelius Eady MULTIPLE Toi Derricotte and Cornelius Eady are co-founders of the Cave Canem Foundation, established in 1996 to support African American poets and address their unde...
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...
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...
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...
Damone Bester
Damone Bester NONE Damone Bester was born and raised on Chicago’s Southside to blue-collar parents who were married 49 years and one older brother whose backyard scuffles taught Damone one lesson: n...
Sonya Atkins
Sonya Atkins NONE Sonya Atkins: "I am a twenty-five-year-old English instructor at Northeast Louisiana University. However, I received my undergraduate and graduate degrees from Grambling State...
Lynda Jones Mubarak
Lynda Jones Mubarak NONE Dr. Lynda Jones Mubarak, a native Texan and passionate educator, has dedicated her life to teaching and writing. Known for her works that promote personal growth, she's also ...
C.J. Watson
C.J. Watson NONE Former NBA star, C.J. Watson, penned a children's book in 2020, “C.J.'s Big Dream”, inspiring kids to work hard for their dreams. The book, potentially a series, follows a young boy ...
Haelee Moone
Haelee Moone NONE Haelee P. Moone, a 13-year-old CEO and Founder of The Rules of a Big Boss, LLC, is the author of several self-help books. As an 8th Grader and Honor Student, she uses her platform t...
Michael Eric Markland
Michael Eric Markland NONE Michael Eric Markland is a Computer Science graduate with a minor in Psychology. His invaluable experience as a big brother and father has led him to share his insights on ...
Rodney D. Coates
Rodney D. Coates NONE Rodney D. Coates, Ph.D., is a Professor of Sociology and Gerontology and Director of Black World Studies at Miami University with extensive publications in critical race and eth...
The Bag Lady Experience
The Bag Lady Experience NONE "The Bag Lady Experience” is a collective of poets comprising Martha Bradley, Dawn C. Funderbirk, Cassandra R. McKibben, and Tonya D. Zeigler. Poets, Martha Bradley, Dawn...
Tara Betts
Tara Betts NONE Tara Betts, a celebrated author and poet, is known for her educational efforts in arts programs and her work with GirlSpeak. She has been featured on HBO's Def Poetry Jam and the Blac...
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...
Desiree C. Bailey
Desiree C. Bailey 0000000507276998 Desiree C. Bailey, born in Trinidad and Tobago, is an accomplished author known for her fiction chapbook, In Dirt or Saltwater. Her work has been featured in Best A...
Zetta Elliott
Zetta Elliott 000000003627950X Zetta Elliott, a Canadian-born Black feminist writer, is known for her poetry, plays, essays, and children's novels. She earned a PhD in American Studies from NYU, taug...
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...
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...
Carl Phillips
Carl Phillips 0000000034354617 Carl Phillips, born 1959, is a renowned author and professor, best known for his dozen books of poetry and two works of criticism. With an educational background from H...
Russell Atkins
Russell Atkins 0000000067797174 Russell Atkins, born in 1926, is a Cleveland-based musician, playwright, poet, and national figure in American avant garde poetry. He studied at renowned Cleveland ins...
Ras Baraka
Ras Baraka NONE "Ras Baraka, son of famed poets and father of three, is a published author. His latest work, 'Black Girls Learn Love Hard', is a tribute to his late sister, Shani Baraka.” Ras Baraka ...
Marcia Wilson
Marcia Wilson NONE Marcia E. Wilson, a British-born photographer, has extensively documented poets, writers, and literary events of the African Diaspora since 1995. Her work, featured in major print ...
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...
Miguel Algarin
Miguel Algarin 0000000108989771 Miguel Algarin, a key figure of the Nuyorican movement and founder of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, has significantly contributed to Puerto Rican literature and American a...
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...
Sierra Kay
Sierra Kay 0000000461326725 Sierra Kay is an award-winning author with a love for the written word. Encouraged by her mother to read widely, she has a fondness for everything from classical literatur...
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...
Camonghne Felix
Camonghne Felix NONE Camonghne Felix, M.A., is a poet, political strategist, and cultural worker with degrees from NYU and Bard College. She's a recipient of multiple fellowships and a 2012 Pushcart ...
Ladan Osman
Ladan Osman NONE Somali-born poet and essayist, Ladan Osman, is renowned for her award-winning works including “The Kitchen-Dweller’s Testimony” and “Exiles of Eden.” She's also contributed to the Se...
t’ai freedom ford
t’ai freedom ford NONE t’ai freedom ford is a NYC high school English teacher, Cave Canem Fellow, and award-winning poet. She has been published in numerous reviews and anthologies, and is an editor ...
jessica Care moore
jessica Care moore 0000000043767122 jessica Care moore is an internationally renowned poet/ publisher/ activist/ rock star/ playwright and actor. She is a five-time Showtime at the Apollo winn...
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...
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...
Destiny O. Birdsong
Destiny O. Birdsong NONE Destiny O. Birdsong is a critically acclaimed poet published in prominent outlets like The Paris Review. She's a recipient of the American Poets Prize and Richard G. Peterson...
Lucille Clifton
Lucille Clifton 0000000117802788 Lucille Clifton (1936-2010) was a distinguished poet and professor, notable as the first African American woman to win the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize. She also won the N...
Athena Dixon
Athena Dixon NONE Athena Dixon, a Northeast Ohio native, is a renowned poet, essayist, and editor, featured in 'The BreakBeat Poets Vol.2: Black Girl Magic'. An alumna of VONA, Callaloo, and Tin Hous...
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...
W.D. Foster-Graham
W.D. Foster-Graham NONE W.D. Foster-Graham, a Minneapolis native and multi-Grammy Award-winning ensemble member, is a distinguished author and poet. He's a psychology graduate, guest writer, and book...
Richard Ellmann and Robert O’Clair
Richard Ellmann and Robert O’Clair MULTIPLE Richard Ellmann, an influential literary critic and biographer, and Robert O’Clair, a scholar specializing in modern poetry, were key contributors to the s...
Omotara James
Omotara James NONE Omotara James is a writer, editor, and visual artist. She is the author of the chapbook Daughter Tongue, selected by the African Poetry Book Fund, in collaboration with Akashic Bo...
Matthew Shenoda
Matthew Shenoda 0000000045678350 Matthew Shenoda is a writer, professor, and author and editor of several books. His poems and essays have appeared in a variety of newspapers, journals, radio progra...
Steven Willis
Steven Willis NONE Chicago-based storyteller Steven Antoine Willis uses his background in fine arts to illustrate African American culture. With art influenced by urban life and religion, Steven mix...
Nikky Finney
Nikky Finney 0000000358800804 Nikky Finney, a South Carolina-born poet, is renowned for her first-person literary accounts of significant American historical events. She debuted with “On Wings Made o...
Barbara Fant
Barbara Fant 0000000114483152 Barbara Fant is an acclaimed poet who has been writing and performing for over fifteen years. She has competed in nine National Poetry Slam competitions and placed 8th ...
Quraysh Ali Lansana
Quraysh Ali Lansana NONE Quraysh Ali Lansana is a prolific author, educator, and radio producer based in Tulsa. He has written 23 books spanning poetry, nonfiction, and children's literature. Lansana...
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...
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...
Dedrick Moone
Dedrick Moone NONE Dedrick L. Moone, COO of The Rules of a Big Boss LLC, is an author, philanthropist, and motivational speaker offering empowerment products and services. He authored 'The Unexpected...
Tanisia Moore
Tanisia Moore NONE Tanisia “Tee” Moore is an author who uses her writing to inspire and empower. Her picture books 'I Am My Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams' and 'When Black Girls Dream Big' promote strengt...
Kwame Alexander
Kwame Alexander 0000000042691031 “He truly is a renaissance man.”—Nikki Giovanni Kwame Alexander is a bestselling author, poet, and educator, known for his award-winning book “The Cr...
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 ...
Jerdine Nolen
Jerdine Nolen 000000006390290X Jerdine Nolen is an acclaimed children's book author known for award-winning works like “Thunder Rose” and “Hewitt Anderson's Great Big Life.” She lives in Ellicott Cit...
Frank Smith
Frank Smith NONE Frank “Big Black” Smith, a 1971 Attica State Prison inmate, led a historic prison rebellion against injustices. Post-riot, he was a key voice in the prisoners' lawsuit against New Yo...
Anna Membrino
Anna Membrino NONE Anna Membrino is a New York-based editor and writer, known for her works like “I Want to Be a Ballerina”, the “Big Shark, Little Shark” series, and the “I Look Up To…” series. Sh...
Ty Allan Jackson
Ty Allan Jackson NONE Ty Allan Jackson is a celebrated author and publisher, renowned for his children's book 'Danny Dollar Millionaire: The Lemonade Escapade.' Inspired by his son's curiosity about ...
DK
DK NONE DK is an author who creates books to inspire curiosity and discovery about our world. Covering topics from first words to the Big Bang and city adventures, their books offer expert knowledge ...
Olivia Amoah
Olivia Amoah NONE Olivia Amoah is a children's book illustrator with an animation background. Known for the “Little People, BIG DREAMS” series, her art humorously connects to her African roots. She r...
Katura J. Hudson
Katura J. Hudson NONE Katura J. Hudson, a marketing professional and editor from New Jersey, is known for leading marketing campaigns for numerous children's books. A Rutgers University graduate and ...
Damilare Kuku
Damilare Kuku NONE Damilare Kuku is a multi-talented Nigerian author, known for her bestseller story collection, Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad. She has experience in radio, scripts, film, and a...
Cheyenne M. Stone
Cheyenne M. Stone NONE Cheyenne M. Stone, a Paiute from Big Pine Reservation, California, is an active tribal member, skilled in jewelry making, basket weaving, and holistic medicine. As an ethnograp...
Katheryn Russell-Brown
Katheryn Russell-Brown 0000000110004863 Katheryn Russell-Brown, author of award-winning book 'Little Melba and Her Big Trombone', is a Law professor and director of the Center for the Study of Race a...
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...
Victor Lavalle
Victor Lavalle 0000000114589002 “If the literary gods mixed together Karuki Murakami and Ralph Ellison, the result would be Victor Lavaelle.” Victor D. LaValle, born in 1972, is an award-w...
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...
Tony Dungy
Tony Dungy 0000000036530143 Tony Dungy, the first African American coach to lead the Indianapolis Colts to a Super Bowl victory, has an impressive coaching history with multiple teams. Prior to coach...
Tracy Brown
Tracy Brown 0000000037835870 Bestselling author Tracy Brown, known for her inspiring novels and contributions to anthologies, dedicated her life to empowering women and youth through her work and non...
Michael Gurian
Michael Gurian 0000000084041467 Michael Gurian, a social philosopher, family therapist, and bestselling author, has pioneered efforts in neurobiology and brain research. He has worked as a consultant...
Chancellor Williams
Chancellor Williams NONE Dr. Chancellor James Williams (1898-1992) was a pivotal scholar in the study of Nile Valley Civilization. Born to former slaves, he became an acclaimed author, university pro...
Larry Neal Shorter
Larry Neal Shorter NONE Larry Neal Shorter, also known as “Big Larry”, is a Baltimore-born author who has made a name for himself in the urban literature scene. After moving to Los Angeles and studyi...
Tiffany Golden
Tiffany Golden NONE Tiffany Golden is an award-winning author, illustrator, and teaching artist. She won the 2020 New Visions Award and the Judith Tannenbaum Teaching Artist Fellowship. A Spalding Un...
Jill Scott
Jill Scott 0000000071428662 Jill Scott, born April 4, 1972, rose from a humble upbringing in North Philly to become a successful R&B singer. Her debut album “Who Is Jill Scott” went double platinum i...
Wendy Jones
Wendy Jones NONE “I come from a family of storytellers. My mother and my grandmother were my first teachers.” The author, raised in a family of storytellers, learned the art of dialogue an...
Bernard N. Lee, Jr.
Bernard N. Lee, Jr. MULTIPLE Bernard N. Lee, Jr., also known as Bernie, is a former military kid whose childhood experiences shaped his memoir series, “A Look Back in Time.” He studied engineering an...
Javette Jenkins
Javette Jenkins NONE I’m the sister who writes contracts by day, And with poetry, seek to find a better way; A way to understand the road to love A way to thank my Father above, A way t...
Hannibal B. Johnson
Hannibal B. Johnson NONE Harvard Law graduate Hannibal B. Johnson is an esteemed author, attorney, and consultant specializing in diversity and human relations. He's taught at prestigious universitie...
KT Alozie
KT Alozie NONE KT Alozie is an award-winning writer and scriptwriter with a fascination for history, particularly the Greenwood District of Tulsa. With a background in writing and Wall Street banking...
Bella Makatini
Bella Makatini NONE Bella Makatini, born 1980 in Den Bosch, NL, has been writing since childhood. She successfully blends her passion for writing with her background in communication sciences and soc...
Danielle Murrell Cox
Danielle Murrell Cox NONE Danielle Murrell Cox is a Canadian graphic designer, illustrator, and toy designer. She graduated from Dawson College and gained fame for her self-published coloring books, ...
Glen Ford
Glen Ford 0000000368549254 Glen Ford (1949-2021) was the executive director of Black Agenda Report and co-founder of BlackCommentator.com. A Vietnam War veteran and Black Panther member, he had a pro...
Kosoko Jackson
Kosoko Jackson NONE Kosoko Jackson is a vocal champion of diversity in YA literature, the author of YA novels featuring African American queer protagonists, and a sensitivity reader for Big Five Publ...
Lisa Jackson
Lisa Jackson 0000000388255181 Lisa Jackson is an author known for her compelling narratives and exploration of emotions in her works. Her writing often explores themes of desire, trust, belief, and a...
Carmella Van Vleet
Carmella Van Vleet NONE Carmella Van Vleet, a former teacher turned full-time author, has penned over a dozen books including the award-winning Eliza Bing Is (Not) A Big, Fat Quitter. She co-authored...
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...
Anne Wynter
Anne Wynter NONE Anne Wynter is the Ezra Jack Keats Award-winning author of the picture books Everybody in the Red Brick Building and Nell Plants a Tree as well as the board books Hands On! and One B...
Electa Rome Parks
Electa Rome Parks NONE Electa Rome Parks is a successful self-published author known for best-selling novels like The Ties That Bind and Loose Ends. After initially self-publishing through her own co...