AALBC Search
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...
Donna M. Gray-Banks
Donna M. Gray-Banks NONE Donna M. Gray-Banks, founder of F.R.E.S.H. Book Festival, is a successful author known for her suspense erotic trilogy and a guest columnist for various outlets. She hosts tw...
Jael Richardson
Jael Richardson NONE Jael Ealey Richardson is a Toronto-based author and educator with an MFA in Creative Writing. Known for her memoir and children's book, both titled The Stone Thrower, her work re...
Toni Blackman
Toni Blackman 0000000036920264 Toni Blackman, an international champion of hip-hop culture, is known for her captivating performances and powerful presence. She's the first hip-hop artist to work as ...
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 ...
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...
Rose Brock
Rose Brock 0000000107888362 Rose Brock, a professor at Sam Houston State University, is renowned for inspiring youth to love books. In addition to her career as a librarian and educator, she co-found...
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...
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...
Lola Shoneyin
Lola Shoneyin 0000000041835603 Lola Shoneyin is a renowned Nigerian poet and author, best known for her debut novel, “The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives.” Identified as a promising African writer ...
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...
Darlene Williams
Darlene Williams NONE Darlene Williams is an award-winning businesswoman, adjunct lecturer, bestselling author, and nationally recognized youth and literacy advocate. She serves as President of the ...
Charlotte Watson Sherman
Charlotte Watson Sherman 0000000067613072 Charlotte Watson Sherman, a Seattle-born author, is known for her novels, children's books, and short fiction collection. Formerly a librarian, her works inc...
Patricia A. Saunders
Patricia A. Saunders NONE Patricia A. Saunders, an author from Connecticut, now based in San Francisco, began her writing journey after her mother's passing. She released her first book in 2012 and i...
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...
Kellie Magnus
Kellie Magnus 0000000114740104 Kellie Magnus is a Jamaican children's author and media writer. An alumna of Harvard and Columbia Universities, she's the Chair of the Kingston Book Festival and serves...
Melica Niccole
Melica Niccole NONE Melica Niccole, a Columbus-native author, poet, and Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, has a passion for writing which she uses to explore various subjects. She created an annua...
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...
Colette Bancroft
Colette Bancroft NONE Colette Bancroft is the book editor for the Tampa Bay Times since 2007, directs the annual Festival of Reading, and served on the National Book Critics Circle board. She holds E...
justin a. reynolds
justin a. reynolds NONE Justin A. Reynolds is an acclaimed author renowned for his debut YA novel, “Opposite of Always,” and second novel “Early Departures.” His work includes a Marvel graphic novel ...
David Washington
David Washington NONE Dr. David Washington decision to write a graphic novel stemmed from his dissatisfaction with the lack of diversity in the superhero genre. He hoped to provide his children with ...
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...
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...
Thando Mgqolozana
Thando Mgqolozana 0000000071220474 Thando Mgqolozana, born in 1983, is a renowned South African novelist and Mandela Rhodes Scholar. He authored novels like 'Hear Me Alone' and 'Unimportance' and co-...
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...
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...
Alberto O. Cappas
Alberto O. Cappas NONE Alberto O. Cappas, a Puerto Rican-born poet, writer, and community activist, is known for his work in economic development, literature, and advocacy in New York and Buffalo. He...
Cheryl Clarke
Cheryl Clarke 0000000383377198 Cheryl L. Clarke, born in 1947, is a lesbian poet, essayist, and a Black feminist activist. Her work emphasizes African-American women's literature and black lesbian fe...
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...
Louis Edwards
Louis Edwards 0000000028382400 Louis Edwards, a Guggenheim Fellowship and Whiting Award-winning author, has written four novels including Ramadan Ramsey and Ten Seconds. Louisiana-born Edwards is als...
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 ...
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...
Nancy Churnin
Nancy Churnin NONE Nancy Churnin is a celebrated children's book author, known for inspiring kids to be heroes through her stories. She's a Eureka Silver Award winner and has been recognized with the...
Cathy Finch White
Cathy Finch White NONE Cathy Finch White, a former medical professional turned author, advocates for child education through reading. She has written four award-winning books, including “Anna Learn's...
Donna Drew Sawyer
Donna Drew Sawyer NONE Donna Drew Sawyer, author of Provenance, has a rich background in arts administration, advertising, and public relations. A New Yorker with over three decades of experience in ...
Breena Clarke and Amy Newmark
Breena Clarke and Amy Newmark MULTIPLE Amy Newmark is the author, editor, and publisher of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Breena Clarke, a distinguished Black scholar and novelist, penned the ...
Ayana Mathis
Ayana Mathis 0000000367812022 Ayana Mathis, an Iowa Writers' Workshop graduate and Michener-Copernicus Fellowship recipient, is best known for her NYT best-selling novel 'The Twelve Tribes of Hattie'...
Sharon M. Draper
Sharon M. Draper 0000000374578086 Sharon M. Draper, acclaimed author of the Sassy series and numerous teen novels, is a New York Times bestseller and multiple Coretta Scott King Award winner. A forme...
Shane W. Evans
Shane W. Evans 0000000038504360 Shane Evans is a renowned illustrator, artist and designer whose work has been recognized by The Boston Globe-Horn Book Award and The Orbis Pictus Award. His illustrat...
Olive Senior
Olive Senior 0000000110714769 Jamaican-born Olive Senior is an accomplished scholar, journalist, and editor. Educated at Carleton University and the Thomson Foundation, she's held roles at the Daily ...
V. Brooks Dunbar
V. Brooks Dunbar NONE Dr. V. Brooks Dunbar is a renowned author, speaker, and leadership consultant. Known as the Confidence Commander, she empowers individuals and organizations to unlock their pote...
Gwen Richardson
Gwen Richardson NONE Gwen Richardson, co-founder of Cushcity.com, the largest African-American internet retailer, is a successful entrepreneur and writer with a marketing degree from Georgetown Unive...
Tamiya Davis
Tamiya Davis NONE Tamiya Davis, a Virginia native, is a longshoreman, fashion entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker. Her achievements include running a rights restoration chapter, owning a f...
Jacquelin Thomas
Jacquelin Thomas NONE Award-winning author Jacquelin Thomas has published over 50 titles across romance, women’s fiction, inspirational, and young adult genres. She's received multiple awards includi...
Yani
Yani 0000000118166410 Yani, an Amazon Best Selling Author from Philadelphia, is renowned for her six novels and unique storytelling style. She's celebrated in genres like African American Fiction-Ur...
Panashe Chigumadzi
Panashe Chigumadzi 0000000454298041 Panashe Chigumadzi is an acclaimed Zimbabwean novelist and essayist, known for her award-winning debut novel, Sweet Medicine. A prominent voice in African literatu...
Davida Siwisa James
Davida Siwisa James NONE Davida Siwisa James, a globe-trotting author with roots in Philly and Harlem, has experience as a freelance journalist and has several published works, including an award-win...
Suheir Hammad
Suheir Hammad 0000000084052510 Suheir Hammad, born October 25, 1973, is a Palestinian-American poet, author, performer, and activist renowned for her work in the spoken-word scene. She's had success ...
Kadija Sesay
Kadija Sesay NONE Kadija George is a renowned literary activist, poet, and publisher of Sierra Leonean descent. She's known for her debut poetry collection, Irki, and has edited numerous anthologies....
Kevin Coval
Kevin Coval 0000000053723529 Kevin Coval, author of ALA “Book of the Year†finalist Slingshots: A Hip-Hop Poetica, is the Artistic Director of Louder Than a Bomb: The Chicago Teen Poetry Festival...
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...
Wanjiku Wa Ngugi
Wanjiku Wa Ngugi NONE Wanjikũ Wa Ngũgĩ, author of 'The Fall of Saints', is a former director of the Helsinki African Film Festival. Her short stories and essays are featured in various publications i...
Colin Channer
Colin Channer 0000000066632589 Colin Channer, born in Jamaica, is a celebrated author and editor known for his poetry collection 'Providential' and bestselling novel 'Waiting in Vain'. He's also the ...
Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor
Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor 0000000049060048 Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor is a renowned Kenyan writer, recognized for her contribution to literature and arts in Kenya. She won the 2003 Caine Prize for her story “...
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...
Justin Phillip Reed
Justin Phillip Reed 0000000497688533 Justin Phillip Reed is a South Carolina-born author, known for his work in various publications and his MFA in poetry from Washington University. Recognized for h...
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...
Glodean Champion
Glodean Champion NONE Glodean Champion is a multifaceted artist, educator, and coach based in Monterey, CA. She is a published author, whose work explores themes of sexuality, gender, and African Ame...
January Gill O’Neil
January Gill O’Neil NONE January Gill O’Neil, author of Rewilding, Misery Islands, and Underlife, is a former executive director of Massachusetts Poetry Festival and ex-Grisham Writer-in-Residence. C...
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...
Willard Jenkins
Willard Jenkins 0000000114808113 Willard Jenkins, born in 1949, is an influential figure in jazz, serving as Artistic Director of the DC Jazz Festival, arts consultant, producer, educator, and journa...
Keela Buford
Keela Buford NONE Keela Buford, a content strategist and author of 'Pride, and Joy,' is recognized in film and screenplay festival circuits. Her work ranges from science fiction to contemporary, with...
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...
William Byrd
William Byrd 0000000109367704 Dr. William “Super” Byrd, a Newark native, is an acclaimed author and educator specializing in Sports Education. A holder of multiple degrees and professional licenses, ...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...