AALBC Search
Ronald Fair
Ronald Fair 0000000116782340 Chicago-born African-American author, Ronald L. Fair, inspired by Richard Wright, carved his own literary path. Born in 1932, Fair served in the U.S. Navy before becoming...
Heather Covington
Heather Covington NONE Heather Covington, founder and CEO of Disilgold, is a versatile writer and passionate poet inspired by Langston Hughes. Residing in the Bronx, she serves the Disilgold Literary...
Lowell Hawthorne
Lowell Hawthorne NONE Lowell Hawthorne, born in Jamaica, moved to the U.S. in 1981 and worked as an accountant while studying at Bronx Community College. In 1989, he, his wife, and siblings establish...
Janelle Harper
Janelle Harper NONE Janelle Harper is a Bronx-born author and veteran public school teacher, passionate about creating stories reflecting her diverse classroom. Inspired by city living and the Africa...
Saraciea J. Fennell
Saraciea J. Fennell NONE Saraciea J. Fennell is a Black Honduran American writer, founder of The Bronx is Reading, and creator of Honduran Garifuna Writers. She is also a book publicist who has worke...
Carrie Abron
Carrie Abron NONE Carrie Abron is the pen name of Candace Miller-Brathwaite, who writes urban fantasy rooted in family, friendship, love, and the magic hidden within everyday life. Her stories blend...
C. G. Esperanza
C. G. Esperanza NONE Charles G. Esperanza, a South Bronx native, is a renowned author-illustrator known for his unique fusion of jazz, graffiti, and whimsical truth. Known for his book “Red, Yellow, ...
Stacy Gueraseva
Stacy Gueraseva NONE Born in Moscow, Stacy Gueraseva immigrated to NYC in 1981, growing up in the Bronx amidst diverse cultures and music. She became editor-in-chief of Oneworld magazine at 24, after...
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...
Anika Malone
Anika Malone NONE Anika Malone, author of the acclaimed “10 Minutes Past Too Late”, is celebrated as a fresh voice in contemporary fiction. She has participated in notable book events across the Unit...
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. ...
Zuksiwa Wanner
Zuksiwa Wanner NONE Zukiswa Wanner, born to South African and Zimbabwean parents in Zambia, is a celebrated author known for award-nominated novels like “Men of the South.” As an essayist, she focuse...
Leire Salaberria
Leire Salaberria 0000000360451551 Leire Salaberria, born in Spain in 1983, is a Fine Arts graduate who specializes in Children's Illustration. She's exhibited her work globally and has been featured ...
Esther Phillips
Esther Phillips 0000000073657506 Esther Phillips, founder of The Bim Literary Festival & Book Fair and editor of Bim magazine, is a highly decorated poet with an MFA in Creative Writing. She's won pr...
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...
Alyssa Reynoso-Morris
Alyssa Reynoso-Morris NONE Alyssa Reynoso-Morris is a queer Afro-Latinx/e writer, mother, and community organizer from The Bronx. She currently resides in Philadelphia and has been recognized with mu...
Thomas Glave
Thomas Glave NONE Bronx-born author Thomas Glave, educated at Bowdoin College and Brown University, is recognized for his contribution to LGBT literature. A Fulbright Scholar, he co-founded Jamaica's...
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...
Gloria Naylor
Gloria Naylor 0000000117658077 Gloria Naylor, a prize-winning author, known for her novels like 'The Women of Brewster Place', 'Linden Hills', and 'Mama Day', also wrote essays, screenplays, and stag...
Roger Martin Davis
Roger Martin Davis NONE Roger Martin Davis, also known as Adisa Maina Omar, is a New York-born, globally-traveled author and certified Reiki practitioner. He is a graduate of Cornell University, Kore...
Jerald LeVon Hoover
Jerald LeVon Hoover NONE Jerald L. Hoover is a multi-talented author and entertainment figure, known for his best-selling novella “My Friend, My Hero.” He has received various accolades, including th...
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...
Tanya Wright
Tanya Wright 0000000395292597 Tanya Wright, a Bronx native, is an acclaimed actor known for roles in HBO's True Blood and Netflix's Orange Is the New Black. A Vassar graduate and former New York Time...
Jake Lamar
Jake Lamar 0000000042394002 Jake Lamar, a Bronx native, is a renowned author of the memoir, Bourgeois Blues, and novels including The Last Integrationist and Close to the Bone. Residing in Paris sinc...
Reniqua Allen
Reniqua Allen NONE Reniqua Allen, an Eisner Fellow at the Nation Institute, has written for major publications and produced for renowned media outlets. She's also a former fellow at New America and D...
Krystal Quiles
Krystal Quiles NONE Krystal Quiles, a rising artist from Bronx, NY, graduated from Pratt Institute with a BFA in Communication Design. Now a Brooklyn-based Freelance Illustrator, her lively, dimensio...
Vincent Tirado
Vincent Tirado NONE Vincent Tirado, a non-binary Afro-Latinx from Bronx, holds a Bachelor's in Biology and a Master's in Bioethics. They've contributed short stories to Desert Rose Lit Mag and FIYAH!...
Grandmaster Flash
Grandmaster Flash 0000000368452815 Every DJ set you have ever heard—every seamless beat transition, every manually looped breakbeat, every scratch—runs on an operating system that one person built i...
Aaron Philip
Aaron Philip 000000002322004X "Aaron Philip, a 12-year-old from the Bronx, caught the attention of Tumblr's CEO with his earnest blog, Aaronverse. Despite living with cerebral palsy, Aaron's unique v...
Kem Joy Ukwu
Kem Joy Ukwu NONE Kem Joy Ukwu is a Bronx-born author, currently based in New Jersey. Her fiction has been featured in various magazines and her short story collection, Locked Gray / Linked Blue, was...
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...
Gabby Rivera
Gabby Rivera NONE Gabby Rivera, a queer Puerto Rican from the Bronx, is the first Latina writer for Marvel comics. Known for her solo series 'AMERICA', she was recognized as a top comic creator by Sy...
Joshunda Sanders
Joshunda Sanders NONE Joshunda Sanders is an accomplished journalist, federal speechwriter, and educator based in the Bronx. She's worked for top US news organizations and served as Press Secretary i...
Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa
Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa NONE Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa, born in Puerto Rico and raised in New York, is a renowned writer and educator. Her work, influenced by her Puerto Rican heritage and experiences, i...
Fat Joe and Shaheem Reid
Fat Joe and Shaheem Reid MULTIPLE Joseph Cartagena, known as Fat Joe, is a platinum-selling rapper, actor, and entrepreneur from the Bronx who founded the Terror Squad label. Shaheem Reid is a season...
Remi Adeleke
Remi Adeleke NONE Remi Adeleke, author of 'Transformed', is a former Navy SEAL turned business consultant and filmmaker. Born in Africa and raised in the Bronx, his journey from regrettable decisions...
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...
muMs the schemer
muMs the schemer NONE Craig Grant, known as muMs the Schemer, is a poet and actor from the Bronx, New York. He rose to fame in the documentary SlamNation and through his role as “Poet” in HBO's Oz. H...
Darcel Turner
Darcel Turner NONE Darcel Turner, a New York native, is an accomplished author known for her novel, “Dana Dances on Paper.” She has attended various colleges, transcribed for The 4th National Black W...
DuEwa M. Frazier
DuEwa M. Frazier NONE DuEwa Frazier is an accomplished writer, educator, and poet, renowned for her literary contributions and educational initiatives. Born in Brooklyn and raised in St. Louis, she f...
Treasure Blue
Treasure Blue NONE Treasure Blue is an Essence Magazine best selling author. A former fire inspector with the New York City Fire Department, he is also winner of the Black Issue Book Reviews Urba...
Linda A. Duggins
Linda A. Duggins NONE Linda A. Duggins is the Director of Multicultural Publicity at Hachette Book Group and Co-founder of the Harlem Book Fair. She's a board member of several literacy organizations...
Boubacar Boris Diop
Boubacar Boris Diop 0000000121417292 Boubacar Boris Diop is a renowned Senegalese novelist and screenwriter. His acclaimed work, Murambi, The Book of Bones, made it to Africa's 100 Best Books of the ...
Ted Joans
Ted Joans 0000000081560413 “Jazz is my religion.” Theodore “Ted” Joans was an acclaimed jazz poet, surrealist, trumpeter, and painter, known for his avant-garde work and criticism of compe...
Jack Olsen
Jack Olsen 0000000080864730 Jack Olsen is a celebrated author of 33 books available in 15 countries and 11 languages. As a former Time bureau chief, he contributed to various high-profile publication...
Jean “Binta” Breeze
Jean “Binta” Breeze 0000000025335932 Jean “Binta” Breeze (1956–2021) was a renowned Jamaican poet who published eight books and performed globally. She first gained recognition in 1985 at the Inter...
Laura Nsafou
Laura Nsafou 000000046109520X Laura Nsafou, alias Mrs Roots, is an Afrofeminist blogger and author known for her literature reviews and articles on Afrofeminism in France. As the founder of Afrolab a...
James Kaplan
James Kaplan 0000000114392023 James Kaplan, a Guggenheim Fellow, is a prolific writer whose work has been featured in top magazines like The New Yorker and Vanity Fair. He's penned novels such as 'Pe...
David Margolick
David Margolick 000000011572515X David Margolick is a seasoned editor with roles at Vanity Fair, Newsweek, and Portfolio. Known for his 15-year tenure as a legal affairs correspondent for the New Yor...
Nathan Huggins
Nathan Huggins 0000000110473299 Nathan Irvin Huggins (1927-1989) was a renowned historian, author, and educator specializing in African-American studies. He served as the W. E. B. Du Bois Professor a...
Trey Ellis
Trey Ellis 000000011675397X Trey Ellis is a multi-talented writer, novelist, screenwriter, playwright, essayist, and Associate Professor at Columbia University. He's known for his Emmy-nominated HBO ...
Ronin Ro
Ronin Ro 0000000035931519 Ronin Ro, a New York City-based author, began his career writing for Dance Music Report and The Source, eventually contributing to renowned publications like Rolling Stone a...
Desmond Meade
Desmond Meade NONE Desmond Meade, president of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition and chair of Floridians for a Fair Democracy, is a renowned advocate for voting rights. A former homeless retur...
Tony Medina
Tony Medina 0000000111019127 Tony Medina (Photo: WideVision Photography) was born in the South Bronx, raised in the Throgs Neck Housing Projects, and currently lives in the Washington, D...
Michael A. Gonzales
Michael A. Gonzales NONE Harlem-born essayist and short story writer Michael A. Gonzales, co-authored the seminal hip-hop book Bring the Noise. Known as the “hip-hop Chester Himes,†his fiction a...
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...
Ron Kavanaugh
Ron Kavanaugh NONE Ron Kavanaugh is a literary activist who founded Mosaic Books and the Literary Freedom Project (LFP), a non-profit supporting the literary arts. Through LFP, he launched Mosaic Lit...
Cin Fabré
Cin Fabré NONE Cin Fabré, a former high-earning Wall Street broker from NYC, left her job in search of a more meaningful life. Now an author, she splits her time between Europe and NYC, enjoying fam...
Joyce Hansen
Joyce Hansen 0000000122135457 Joyce Hansen, an author of children's and young adult books for over 20 years, used her New York City upbringing as inspiration for her works. With a BA from Pace Univer...
Dominic Carter
Dominic Carter NONE Veteran newsman Dominic Carter has been described as the best political reporter working in New York television today. A fixture at NY1 since the news channel launched in...
Shaniqka Thomas
Shaniqka Thomas NONE Shaniqka Thomas is a trustworthy individual known for keeping secrets and offering non-judgmental advice. Her animated personality and genuine approachability have fueled her pas...
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...
Dorothy A. Brown
Dorothy A. Brown NONE Dorothy A. Brown is the Martin D. Ginsburg Chair in Taxation at Georgetown University Law Center and one of the nation’s leading scholars on race, class, and tax policy. She au...
Roy Glenn
Roy Glenn 0000000067434664 Roy Glenn, a renowned author famous for his vivid imagination, began his writing career with his self-published novel, “Is It a Crime.” The book birthed the popular charact...
Colin Powell
Colin Powell 0000000108588433 Colin Powell (1937-2021) was a US statesman, diplomat, and retired four-star general. He served four presidential administrations, including as Secretary of State under ...
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...
Alejandro Heredia
Alejandro Heredia NONE Alejandro Heredia is a writer from the Bronx. He has received fellowships from LAMBDA Literary, Dominican Studies Institute, UNLV’s Black Mountain Institute, and elsewhere. He...
Courtne Comrie
Courtne Comrie NONE Courtne Comrie is a poet and writer who prefers tackling heavy topics through simplistic and beautiful verse. Born in Toronto, Canada, but raised in the Bronx and Mount Vernon, N...
Ave Maria Cross
Ave Maria Cross NONE As poet, playwright and teaching artist, Ave Maria Cross has practiced her passion and exercised her God-given talents for over 20 years, through researching and writing i...
Lorraine Avila
Lorraine Avila NONE Lorraine Avila (she/they) is a storyteller. Lorraine was born and raised in the Bronx, NY and is a first-generation Dominican-American. Avila spent a decade as an educator in the...
Synthia SAINT JAMES
Synthia SAINT JAMES 0000000035735390 Synthia SAINT JAMES, a LA and NY-raised artist, sold her first painting at 20. She held her first solo exhibition in LA in 1977 and participated in her first inte...
Diana Murray
Diana Murray NONE Diana Murray, award-winning poet and former art director at Theory, transitioned from graphic design to writing. Known for her impressive sock collection, she now resides in a subur...
Joan Morgan
Joan Morgan NONE Joan Morgan, born in 1965, is an acclaimed author and journalist, noted for her transformative work inspired by women's empowerment. Known for her career at The Village Voice, she ha...
Craig Steven Wilder
Craig Steven Wilder 0000000055180126 Craig Steven Wilder began his career as a community organizer in the South Bronx. He provides curricular and professional development workshops with public s...
Jacqueline Johnson
Jacqueline Johnson NONE Jacqueline Johnson is a multi-disciplined artist and award-winning author known for her work in writing and fiber arts. She has taught poetry at multiple institutions and has ...
Sister Souljah
Sister Souljah 0000000083868534 Sister Souljah, born Lisa Williamson in 1964, is a multidimensional woman renowned as a community activist, radio and TV personality, hip-hop artist, and bestselling a...
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...
Gil Scott-Heron
Gil Scott-Heron 0000000120176415 One of the most influential progenitors of rap music, Gil Scott-Heron’s aggressive, no-nonsense street poetry inspired a legion of intelligent rappers while his en...
Kwame Onwuachi
Kwame Onwuachi NONE Kwame Onwuachi, winner of the 2019 James Beard Foundation Award, shares his inspiring journey in his memoir. From selling candy on the subway, to running a failed acclaimed restau...
Mervyn Taylor
Mervyn Taylor 0000000395906544 Trinidad-born poet, Mervyn Taylor, divides his time between Brooklyn and Trinidad. A teacher at several institutions, he's known for his five poetry books including awa...
Jason Griffin
Jason Griffin NONE Jason Griffin, the artist for “My Name Is Jason. Mine Too”, is a globally recognized artist and collaborator. Notable works include a mural at Montefiore Hospital and a residency a...
Louis Farrakhan
Louis Farrakhan 0000000103319656 Louis Farrakhan, born May 11, 1933, is a renowned former musician turned religious leader of The Nation of Islam. Raised in Massachusetts, he found fame in Boston bef...
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...
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Neil deGrasse Tyson 0000000081589734 Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, the first African American Head of the Hayden Planetarium, is a renowned astrophysicist, and author of ten books. He's a faculty member a...
Mark Green
Mark Green NONE Mark Green serves as Associate Director/General Manager of Lehman Performing Arts Center, Chairman of Artist Relations for The Hip-Hop Museum (THHM), and maintains ownership of Celebr...
Nikki Grimes
Nikki Grimes 0000000029034029 Recipient of the 2022 Virginia Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award Nikki Grimes is a renowned author, poet, and journalist from Harlem, New York. Known for her children a...
Kim Goodlook Seabrook
Kim Goodlook Seabrook NONE Kim “GoodLook” Seabrook is a proud native of the Bronx, New York. Poetry has been a form of therapy. After surviving so much, Kim learned to embrace and live in her truth,...
J. A. Faulkerson
J. A. Faulkerson NONE J.A. Faulkerson is a Northern Virginia-based writer known for classics like Adinkrahene and Real Men Raise CHAMPIONS. He's a Phillis Wheatley Book Award finalist and has recentl...
Rhonda Roumani
Rhonda Roumani NONE Rhonda Roumani is a Syrian-American journalist who has written about Islam, the Arab world, and Muslim American issues for more than two decades. She is also the author of nonfic...
B. Smith
B. Smith 0000000045066151 Barbara Elaine Smith (1949-2020) was a former fashion model and the first African-American woman on Mademoiselle’s cover. She also starred in TV commercials and served as a ...
Saharra K. Sandhu
Saharra K. Sandhu NONE Saharra K. Sandhu is a scientist-turned-romance writer, known for weaving South American and Caribbean folklore into her novels. Her debut, “Daughter Of The Missing”, is a Whea...
Patrick A. Howell
Patrick A. Howell NONE Patrick A. Howell is an accomplished banker, author, and co-founder of the news collective, Diatribe, and the Global International African Arts Movement. Known for his work in ...
Aminatta Forna
Aminatta Forna 0000000123211415 Aminatta Forna, born in Glasgow and raised in Sierra Leone and the UK, is an acclaimed author with works including The Devil that Danced on the Water, Ancestor Stones,...
Shirley Chisholm
Shirley Chisholm 0000000021812965 Shirley Anita Chisholm January 3, 1977 – January 3, 1981 was the first black woman elected to the U.S. Congress in 1969 and was re-elected six times until she...
Junot Diaz
Junot Diaz 0000000121411106 Junot DÃaz, renowned for his debut novel “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” and story collection “Drown”, is celebrated as a distinctive voice in contemporary fiction...
Lisa D. Brathwaite
Lisa D. Brathwaite NONE Lisa D. Brathwaite is a creative self-expression enthusiast and author of children's book, “Miles of Style.” She holds a degree in Community Studies from the University of Mar...
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...
Kurt Boone
Kurt Boone NONE Kurt Boone is a prolific poet with over 350 works and 7 books to his name, including the acclaimed 'Looking For Myself'. Recognized by major media outlets, he has also worked as a mar...
Vladimir Lucien
Vladimir Lucien NONE Vladimir Lucien is an award-winning St. Lucian writer, known for his published works in notable journals and anthologies. His accolades include the Small Axe Prize 2013 and the O...
Daisy Copelin
Daisy Copelin NONE Daisy Copelin, a graduate of Nyack College and self-made author, uses her personal experiences of overcoming adversity to inspire young people through her writings. She founded the...