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State of the Black Union 2008
State of the Black Union 2008 Kam Williams Article Obama’s Conspicuous Absence Overshadows Annual Gathering State of the Black Union 2008 by Kam Williams Senator Barack Obama...
Colin Channer On His Novel, Satisfy My Soul
Colin Channer On His Novel, Satisfy My Soul Colin Channer Article What is SATISFY MY SOUL saying about the American experience? That the destruction of African gods has shaped the destiny of...
Gone to Where the Bong Trees Grow
Gone to Where the Bong Trees Grow L. E. Rainey Article The next time you pick up a picture book written by a contemporary children’s author flip through the pages. Take a few minutes to...
Child’s Play: A Poem
Child’s Play: A Poem Frederick K. Foote, Jr. Article Another young Black man knocked unconscious, lying motionless on the fake grass His fellow players move around him in hushed groups radiating fea...
50 Best Places to Meet Other Book Lovers Online
50 Best Places to Meet Other Book Lovers Online Anna Miller Article Editor’s Note: This article was updated in April 2017 to show sites that are no longer active or have completely shut d...
Terry McMillan Speaks out on the ill of the publishing industry
Terry McMillan Speaks out on the ill of the publishing industry Troy Johnson Article The following link points to a letter, written by Terry McMillan, on the ills of the publishing industry. The let...
Prince Among Slaves - Abdul Rahman Sori’s Story
Prince Among Slaves - Abdul Rahman Sori’s Story Troy Johnson Article With the recent popularity of the film 12 Years a Slave and focus on Solomon Northup’s the tragic story story, we tend to forget ...
An Author You Should Know (Married Couples Edition)
An Author You Should Know (Married Couples Edition) Troy Johnson Article “An Author You Should Know” is a regular feature of AALBC.com where we promote noteworthy authors on our homepage, blog (see r...
Voices of The Harlem Renaissance
Voices of The Harlem Renaissance Alain Locke Article From Locke’s essay “Harlem,” published in the March 1925 issue of Survey Graphic. If we were to offer a symbol of what Harlem...
Anita Diggs
Anita Diggs Troy Johnson Article Anita Diggs is the author of three novels: A Mighty Love, A Meeting in the Ladies Room and The Other Side of the Game. She has worked as a Senior Editor...
Etheridge Knight Poetry Fest 2001
Etheridge Knight Poetry Fest 2001 Loading THIS EVENT HAS TAKEN PLACE AND IS RECORDED HERE AS AN HISTORICAL ARCHIVE. FRIDAY, APRIL 20TH THRU SUNDAY, APRIL 22ND, 2001 THE 10TH ANNUAL ETHERIDGE KN...
Anita Diggs
Anita Diggs Loading Anita Diggs is the author of three novels: A Mighty Love, A Meeting in the Ladies Room and The Other Side of the Game. She has worked as a Senior Editor for Random House, Time Warn...
Ellis Cose: An Author You Should Know
Ellis Cose: An Author You Should Know Troy Johnson Article [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Author Ellis Cose (l) with childhood buddy Verdeen White of Earth White and Fire"][/...
List of Contributors to Step into a World
List of Contributors to Step into a World Kevin Powell Article The Following is the List of Contributors to This Amazing Volume Toyin Adewale is a native of Emure-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeri...
Back to (Mysteries) School
Back to (Mysteries) School Mel Hopkins Article Is the oldest storytelling format, the monomyth, also known as The Hero’s Journey, one of the templates used for awakening the human consciousness...
Black Belt Press
Black Belt Press Troy Johnson Article The Black Belt, defined by its dark, rich soil, stretches across central Alabama. It was the heart of the cotton belt. It was and is a place of great beauty,...
St. Martin's Press - Backlist
St. Martin's Press - Backlist Loading St. Martin's New Releases | Writer's Home | AALBC.com Home St. Martin's Press � 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010 � 21...
Black Belt Press
Black Belt Press Loading The Black Belt, defined by its dark, rich soil, stretches across central Alabama. It was the heart of the cotton belt. It was and is a place of great beauty, of e...
Visitor’s day at Camp Grant – Research & Share Your Family History (Part 3)
Visitor’s day at Camp Grant – Research & Share Your Family History (Part 3) Connie Bradley Article The author of the next installment of “Research & Share Your History” is my virtual ...
2015 Year End Thank You!
2015 Year End Thank You! Troy Johnson Article Coming in the New Year The biggest news for the new year is our website upgrade. We are redesigning AALBC.com from scratch, and we have the benefit of 1...
How Bloggers Can Help Each Other
How Bloggers Can Help Each Other Troy Johnson Article A few years ago I created a website, Huria Search, to showcase and highlight the websites of Black content providers, including magazines, ne...
The Power of Blogs Part 3
The Power of Blogs Part 3 Troy Johnson Article OK, so I built this blog almost a week ago but how will anyone know to visit it? As with a web site, I have to believe content is the most important th...
Neshee Publication
Neshee Publication Troy Johnson Article http://nesheepublication.com Neshee Publication� was founded in January, 2001 by Aalim & Heather Elitou, a husband and wife team also known as...
Neshee Publication
Neshee Publication Loading http://nesheepublication.com Neshee Publication� was founded in January, 2001 by Aalim & Heather Elitou, a husband and wife team also known as Neshee. Neshee in t...
Getting in Dialogue
Getting in Dialogue Loading INDEPENDENT FILMMAKERS Interested in being interviewed or having your project considered for DIALOGUE? Mail your biographical sketch and a detailed description of yo...
Terrific Books Coming in May, Beyond Adichie, and More!
Terrific Books Coming in May, Beyond Adichie, and More! Troy Johnson Article Terrific New Books Coming in May Former U.S. Poet Laureate, Rita Dove will publish a collection of her poetry from the 30...
Why Diversity in Children’s Literature is Important
Why Diversity in Children’s Literature is Important Jewell Parker Rhodes Article A Keynote Address Delivered by Jewell Parker Rhodes April 30, 2015, during the American Booksellers Association&rs...
Is Amazon the Reader's Friend?
Is Amazon the Reader's Friend? Troy Johnson Article Is Amazon, who accounts for 75% of all new books sold online and 67% of all e-book sales, doing right by readers and the future of books? If you...
A Great Tip and Advice for Creating a Blog or Website (Part II)
A Great Tip and Advice for Creating a Blog or Website (Part II) Troy Johnson Article (Continued from Part I) The following Plugins are the ones I've kept so far: WP-FB-AutoConnect (Version 1.5...
Harlemnite Prays for Shootings... So Say the New York Times
Harlemnite Prays for Shootings... So Say the New York Times Troy Johnson Article Someone forwarded me a NY Times Article. The Times usually pisses me off when they write about Black folks 'cause they...
BET's Hot Ghetto Mess or Stop supporting the negative literature
BET's Hot Ghetto Mess or Stop supporting the negative literature Troy Johnson Article A prominent individual in Black publishing recently suggested that “I choose a side”. Basically I need to stop su...
A Profile of the Late Hugh Holton
A Profile of the Late Hugh Holton Michael Marsh Article Hugh Holton, passed May 18, 2001 at age 54, just eight days after his eighth novel, The Devil’s Shadow Books Behind the Ba...
Booking Matters Magazine
Booking Matters Magazine Troy Johnson Article Shunda Leigh Editor-in-Chief Booking Matters Magazine June 2005 - Video � AALBC.com Booking Matters Magazine takes pride in...
Submission Guidelines
Submission Guidelines Troy Johnson Article SUBMISSIONS GUIDELINES (January - June 2000) Poetry BlackWords Poetry Chapbook Series Please submit two hard-copy versions of five (5) of your mos...
Youth Poetry Contest Guidelines
Youth Poetry Contest Guidelines Troy Johnson Article 20 02 THE ETHERIDGE KNIGHT 8TH ANNUAL YOUTH POETRY CONTEST GUIDELINES Open to Elementary, Middle and High School Students O...
Writersandpoets.com
Writersandpoets.com Troy Johnson Article Writersandpoets.com Born to Lust Click to order via Amazon or Barnes and Noble by Johnny Archer ISBN: 0975341308 Format: Paperback...
Youth Poetry Contest Guidelines
Youth Poetry Contest Guidelines Loading 20 02 THE ETHERIDGE KNIGHT 8TH ANNUAL YOUTH POETRY CONTEST GUIDELINES Open to Elementary, Middle and High School Students Only Poems must be...
Submission Guidelines
Submission Guidelines Loading SUBMISSIONS GUIDELINES (January - June 2000) Poetry BlackWords Poetry Chapbook Series Please submit two hard-copy versions of five (5) of your most represen...
Booking Matters Magazine
Booking Matters Magazine Loading Shunda Leigh Editor-in-Chief Booking Matters Magazine June 2005 - Video � AALBC.com Booking Matters Magazine takes pride in implementing the vision of be...
Writersandpoets.com
Writersandpoets.com Loading Writersandpoets.com Born to Lust Click to order via Amazon or Barnes and Noble by Johnny Archer ISBN: 0975341308 Format: Paperback, 216pp Pub. Date: August 2004 Publ...
I'm Voting for Barack Obama - Period!
I'm Voting for Barack Obama - Period! Troy Johnson Article He is Black and that is all I care about period.I don't give a crap if he has funny colored lips, a white mother, and African Father.I don't...
We Must Patronize Black-Owned Websites or Lose Them
We Must Patronize Black-Owned Websites or Lose Them Troy Johnson Article Part of AALBC.com’s mission is to help support Black-owned websites. Historically, I've focused on sites related to books i...
2 Ways Google is Killing Online Booksellers & How You Can Help
2 Ways Google is Killing Online Booksellers & How You Can Help Troy Johnson Article (1) Google Uses its Dominance in Search to Hijack Traffic from Websites Google does this by placing content, it ha...
7 Free Tools Guaranteed to Make Your Website Better!
7 Free Tools Guaranteed to Make Your Website Better! Troy Johnson Article Managing a large website can be a difficult, requiring a wide variety of skills. As the sole developer of AALBC.c...
Random Thoughts About Facebook
Random Thoughts About Facebook Troy Johnson Article I originally wrote this post in March of 2011, over 4½ years later, a life time in WWW years, I decided to revisit this article. My November 2015 ...
The Best of The Black Book Web Sites - and other thoughts
The Best of The Black Book Web Sites - and other thoughts Troy Johnson Article Having published and monitored the activity of on-line newsletters for over 7 years I have a good feel for what subjects...
Hyena Women and Other Strange Tales of Social Chaos
Hyena Women and Other Strange Tales of Social Chaos L. E. Rainey Article Several years ago I watched a documentary about a pride of lions and a pack of hyenas living in the African savannah. By e...
Hilton Publishing
Hilton Publishing Troy Johnson Article http://www.hiltonpub.com The Hilton Publishing Company has been established to promote the successful and profitable publication of two kinds of manuscri...
My Sacred Texts
My Sacred Texts Troy Johnson Article My Sacred Texts by Leah Mullen I was skimming the shelves at the LIBRARY when I saw a book that almost made me drop the one I was holding. The spi...
Need Inspiration to Write? Begin Within
Need Inspiration to Write? Begin Within Troy Johnson Article Need Inspiration to Write? Begin Within by Leah Mullen It was a beautifully cool late summer evening, and I was walking down M...
My Sacred Texts
My Sacred Texts Loading My Sacred Texts by Leah Mullen I was skimming the shelves at the LIBRARY when I saw a book that almost made me drop the one I was holding. The spine was rather plain and ...
Hilton Publishing
Hilton Publishing Loading http://www.hiltonpub.com The Hilton Publishing Company has been established to promote the successful and profitable publication of two kinds of manuscripts: by multic...
Dialogue
Dialogue Loading Please note Dialogue is currently on hiatus (as of this notice, March 2002) Visit Dialogue's web site http://www.ace-dialogue.org D I A L O G U E A Discussion of African-Americ...
2004's List
2004's List Loading Making the Best of the World Wide Web or Troy's Top 10 Web Resources (October 2004) by Troy Johnson, Founder AALBC.com The World Wide Web (WWW) continues to be an invaluable...
Need Inspiration to Write? Begin Within
Need Inspiration to Write? Begin Within Loading Need Inspiration to Write? Begin Within by Leah Mullen It was a beautifully cool late summer evening, and I was walking down Montague Street...
Ghost Boys, a Powerful New Novel, for Young Readers, from Jewell Parker Rhodes
Ghost Boys, a Powerful New Novel, for Young Readers, from Jewell Parker Rhodes Troy Johnson Article The #1 Kids’ Indie Next Pick A heartbreaking and powerful story about a black boy killed by a po...
SECRETS World Premieres, September 16 at 8:00 p.m. on BET
SECRETS World Premieres, September 16 at 8:00 p.m. on BET Troy Johnson Article One Man’s Lustful Affair, A Brother's Jealousy and A Wife’s Suspicions Collide and Unravel a Once Perfect Home in Debu...
Visitor’s day at Camp Grant – Research & Share Your Family History (Part 3)
Visitor’s day at Camp Grant – Research & Share Your Family History (Part 3) Troy Johnson Article The author of the next installment of "Research & Share Your History" is my virtual friend Connie ...
For Black History Month: Research & Share Your Family History
For Black History Month: Research & Share Your Family History Troy Johnson Article [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="640"] Troy Johnson's Maternal Father Rev. Freeman Foster his 2nd Wife Hazel ...
African Rhytms: The Autobiography of Randy Weston - Read This Book
African Rhytms: The Autobiography of Randy Weston - Read This Book Troy Johnson Article [caption id="attachment_316" align="alignnone" width="572" caption="Randy Weston performs at the Brooklyn Museu...
Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters by Barack Obama - Book Review
Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters by Barack Obama - Book Review Troy Johnson Article "Of Thee I Sing is basically a baker’s dozen of brief biographies of important figures in American hist...
“The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain”
“The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain” Langston Hughes Article One of the most promising of the young Negro poets said to me once, “I want to be a poet—not a Negro poet,” meanin...
Thumper’s Picks
Thumper’s Picks Thumper Article It’s been a while but I’m back with a whole new set of books that I have fallen in love with, passed around, and will sing the praises of at the drop of ...
Book Club Kit: The Thing About Home
Book Club Kit: The Thing About Home Rhonda McKnight Article Download the Book Club Kit Dear Reader, I am delighted you choose The Thing About Home for your book discussion. In the story you&rsq...
Why I Wrote One Blood
Why I Wrote One Blood Denene Millner Article I discovered my adoption certificate at age twelve, while snooping in my parents’ private papers. They’d kept it a secret because doing so mad...
What I’d Say: On Writing “Frankie Five Hundred”
What I’d Say: On Writing “Frankie Five Hundred” Michael A. Gonzales Article Recently my short story “Frankie Five Hundred” was published on the literary website Evergreen Review. Founded ...
AALBC is Done with Amazon!
AALBC is Done with Amazon! Troy Johnson Article For almost 22, years AALBC has exposed readers of all backgrounds to books written by, or about, people of African descent. AALBC has published th...
★ AALBC Now Sells Audiobooks and Accomplishes a First
★ AALBC Now Sells Audiobooks and Accomplishes a First Troy Johnson Article 12 Audiobooks You’ll ♥ Libro.fm Helps AALBC Sell Digital Audiobooks Membership Supports AALBC$14.99 m...
Would You Stop Buying Books from Amazon.com to Save the Book Industry?
Would You Stop Buying Books from Amazon.com to Save the Book Industry? Troy Johnson Article Boycotting Amazon’s bookstore might mean, at least initially, that you’ll have pay a little more for books,...
Bestselling Books, The Top 25 Black-Owned Sites, New Books, and More
Bestselling Books, The Top 25 Black-Owned Sites, New Books, and More Troy Johnson Article Bestselling Books July – August 2017 Fiction titles outsold all other genres this period, led by the stren...
How Facebook is Perverting Your Internet.
How Facebook is Perverting Your Internet. Troy Johnson Article A friend shared a link to a video on Facebook with me. The video, shown at the end of the article, is a short New York Times documentar...
June 2017 eNewsletter: The Best New Books, Author Info, and More
June 2017 eNewsletter: The Best New Books, Author Info, and More Troy Johnson Article This Month’s Newsletter is Made Possible by Support From Amistad Authors You Should Know Tracy K. Smith...
Notes: The Impact of Amazon, Google, and Facebook on the “Black Book Ecosystem”
Notes: The Impact of Amazon, Google, and Facebook on the “Black Book Ecosystem” Troy Johnson Article Presented at the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority’s House in Sacramento CA, June 3rd 2017 Amazo...
March 28, 2017 Newsletter — Book Recommendations, News, Contests, and More
March 28, 2017 Newsletter — Book Recommendations, News, Contests, and More Troy Johnson Article Top 120 Children’s Books from the Past 50 Years Our list of the Top 120 Children’s Books published ove...
December 2016 Newsletter - Great New Books, Best Film of the Year, and More
December 2016 Newsletter - Great New Books, Best Film of the Year, and More Troy Johnson Article Cerece Rennie Murphy – Our eNewsletter Sponsor for December Experience The Love of A Lifetime ~ T...
Celebrating the Best in Black Literature (May 31, 2016 Newsletter)
Celebrating the Best in Black Literature (May 31, 2016 Newsletter) Troy Johnson Article Subscribe to AALBC.com’s eNewsletter Books to be Published in June Summer will heat up with some great new ...
The 2016 Black Pack Party: A Wonderful Celebration!
The 2016 Black Pack Party: A Wonderful Celebration! Troy Johnson Article The 10th Black Pack Party, like all the others, was a wonderful celebration. Hosted during Book Expo America each year, the B...
Our Future is Cyberspace
Our Future is Cyberspace Troy Johnson Article “Outsiders” have often dictated the trends of African American Culture, sometimes doing the job themselves, sometimes using what authors John A. Williams...
In Remembrance of Dr. Walter Rodney, Martyred on June 13, 1980
In Remembrance of Dr. Walter Rodney, Martyred on June 13, 1980 James McIntosh Article This talk was delivered by Dr. McIntosh at John Henrik Clarke House on June 7, 2015 Today our topic is Walt...
Join Effort to Make “Forever an Ex” a Best-Selling Book
Join Effort to Make “Forever an Ex” a Best-Selling Book Troy Johnson Article Join the National Initiative to Propel Victoria Christopher Murray’s new novel, Forever an Ex, to Best-seller Status. Ab...
There is a Lack of Unity Among Black Websites
There is a Lack of Unity Among Black Websites Troy Johnson Article Over the last year, I’ve invested a lot of effort informing the public about the adverse impact of the corporate take over of the we...
3 Must Read Books for Social Media Advocates, Addicts & Sharecroppers
3 Must Read Books for Social Media Advocates, Addicts & Sharecroppers Troy Johnson Article These are three books I recommend we should all read. The strength of the Internet and promise it held ...
Join the Fight for Independence on the Web
Join the Fight for Independence on the Web Troy Johnson Article This article is intended for writers and other content providers, who are active on social media and have a goal of generating reve...
Happy New Year From AALBC.com’s Troy Johnson
Happy New Year From AALBC.com’s Troy Johnson Troy Johnson Article 2013, what a year! With so many great new books and films last year, there was a lot to celebrate. We also extended our reach through...
The 100 Best Films of 2012
The 100 Best Films of 2012 Troy Johnson Article Kam Williams’ Annual Assessment of the Cream of the Cinematic Crop It’s impossible for me to limit my favorite films of 2012 to just 10 of the year’s ...
The Lit Bit Celebrates Women’s History Month
The Lit Bit Celebrates Women’s History Month Charisse Carney-Nunes Article Welcome to Women’s History Month! So often we African Americans complain that the preceding month of February, Bla...
Free eBooks - Great Reads Available for Download Now
Free eBooks - Great Reads Available for Download Now Troy Johnson Article There are so many free, high quality, eBooks available for immediate download, it is really quite astonishing. One can down...
Google Worsens Web Experience by Retuning Poor Search Results
Google Worsens Web Experience by Retuning Poor Search Results Troy Johnson Article Please read the notes at the end of the article for important updates to this Blog post (the last note added Februar...
Don't Bring Home a White Boy
Don't Bring Home a White Boy Troy Johnson Article A couple of days ago I posted a video (below) of Karen Hunter and Karyn Langhorne Folan, who are the publisher and author, respectively, of the b...
Bestselling eBooks for 2010
Bestselling eBooks for 2010 Troy Johnson Article Check Out AALBC.com's bestselling eBooks for all of 2010. http://bit.ly/top10ebooks This our first eBook bestsellers list was derived from Kindle eB...
Winner's Announced! The Best Book Trailer of 2010
Winner's Announced! The Best Book Trailer of 2010 Troy Johnson Article Here are the winners of the Best Book Trailer's of 2010. Please join me in congratulation off of the winners. 1st Prize ...
Social Media Conversation with Two Successful Webmasters
Social Media Conversation with Two Successful Webmasters Troy Johnson Article Here Ron Kavanaugh, founder of Mosaicbooks.com and I, founder of AALBC.com, speak with Darryl J. Jenkins (my cousin) ...
Facebook Profile Photo Trick
Facebook Profile Photo Trick Troy Johnson Article I'm often inspired by the things other people do. While checking out the Facebook profile of a recent contributor to my discussion board yesterday I...
Please Pardon the Appearence of My Blog
Please Pardon the Appearence of My Blog Troy Johnson Article Earlier in the year Google made a change in their Blogger application which forced me to relocate my Blog to Google's servers. This chang...
AALBC.com has changed a lot over the last 13 years.
AALBC.com has changed a lot over the last 13 years. Troy Johnson Article Sometimes I'm amazed at how an experiment started 13 years ago turned into my livelihood today. While AALBC.co...
New Reviews by one of AALBC.com's Favorite Reviewers - Thumper
New Reviews by one of AALBC.com's Favorite Reviewers - Thumper Troy Johnson Article Thumper went on hiatus for a couple of years, to complete another graduate degree. He is working his way back slowl...
Two Years Ago - Black New Yorkers: Booklover hopes to profit from his passion
Two Years Ago - Black New Yorkers: Booklover hopes to profit from his passion Troy Johnson Article Black New Yorkers: Booklover hopes to profit from his passionby Tanangachi Mfuni, Amsterdam News Sta...
Stevie Wonder Concert Clip
Stevie Wonder Concert Clip Troy Johnson Article Stevie Wonder Concert Clip I drove from NYC and paid almost 3 times face for a pair of tickets to see Stevie Wonder perform on a chilly evening on the ...
Author Martha Southgate Reflects on the State of African American Fiction
Author Martha Southgate Reflects on the State of African American Fiction Troy Johnson Article This article was brought to my attention by author Eisa Ulen (www.EisaUlen.com/blog).Author Martha South...
We are offering a Great New Service
We are offering a Great New Service Troy Johnson Article I must say after a almost 15 years of building web pages and even longer surfing the net, there is very little that make me say "wow". Recentl...