AALBC Search
Andrea J. Loney
Andrea J. Loney NONE Andrea J. Loney, a versatile author with African American, Jamaican and Panamanian roots, realized her childhood dream of becoming a writer. After developing her craft in college...
Claude McKay
Claude McKay 0000000108625951 Festus Claudius McKay, a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance, was born in Jamaica and authored influential works including the poem “If We Must Die” and novel “Home to ...
Guy Sims
Guy Sims NONE Guy A. Sims is an acclaimed author known for his early publications on Kwanzaa, his collection of American Tall Tales, and his novel, Living Just A Little. He's also the head writer for...
Robin W. Pearson
Robin W. Pearson NONE Robin W. Pearson is a Southern-rooted author whose writing is inspired by her family history and faith. A Wake Forest University graduate and experienced editor, she's been a fi...
N. K. Jemisin
N. K. Jemisin 0000000107503776 Jemisin, in 2018, Became the Only Writer to Win 3 Best Novel Hugo Awards in Consecutive Years (note) Nora K. Jemisin, born in 1972, is a renowned speculative fiction aut...
Jamillah Lamb and David Lamb
Jamillah Lamb and David Lamb MULTIPLE David and Jamillah Lamb are the dynamic duo behind Between The Lines Productions, Inc. The couple co-authored the book Perfect Combination: Seven Key Ingredients...
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...
James Baldwin
James Baldwin 0000000121446704 “No white critic can judge my work. I’d be a fool if I depended upon that judgement.” James Arthur Baldwin (1924-1987), born in Harlem, NY, was a ren...
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...
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 ...
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 ...
Omar Scott
Omar Scott NONE Omar Scott, originally from Los Angeles, grew up in a single-family home in Dallas. After facing struggles with crime, he turned his life around and discovered his passion for writing...
Sarah L. Delany and A. Elizabeth Delany
Sarah L. Delany and A. Elizabeth Delany MULTIPLE Sarah Delany, the last of the Delany sisters, passed away at 109. Born to a former slave, she was the first colored woman to teach home economics in w...
William “Damani” Keene and Carole “Ife” Keene
William “Damani” Keene and Carole “Ife” Keene MULTIPLE William “Damani” Keene and Carole “Ife” Keene, a couple with a long history together, have turned to historical fiction to tell the captivating ...
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...
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...
Carleen Brice
Carleen Brice NONE Carleen Brice, a prolific author and editor, is known for the books 'Orange Mint and Honey' and 'Lead Me Home'. With over 100,000 copies sold of 'Walk Tall: Affirmations for People...
Robert Liu-Trujillo
Robert Liu-Trujillo NONE Robert Liu-Trujillo is a California-based author and illustrator, co-founder of The Trust Your Struggle Collective and founder of Come Bien Books. He uses his art to tell cul...
Erica Kennedy
Erica Kennedy 0000000361335106 Erica Kennedy Johnson (1970-2012) was an accomplished publicist, special news correspondent, and bestselling author. She worked with top designers like Tommy Hilfiger a...
Avery Cunningham
Avery Cunningham NONE Avery Cunningham, a Memphis native and DePaul University graduate, has over a decade of editorial experience. Her work focuses on historical fiction exploring themes of segregat...
Laila Ali
Laila Ali NONE Laila Amaria Ali (born December 30, 1977) is an undefeated five-time boxing world champion with a 24–0 record and a 2022 International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee. As the daughter of...
Dwayne S. Joseph
Dwayne S. Joseph NONE Dwayne S. Joseph, acclaimed for his dramatic storytelling since age 13, has penned 10 novels and contributed to four anthology collections, including the Essence bestseller, Aro...
Richard Morris
Richard Morris 000000002791695X Richard A. Morris is a Harvard Business School alumnus, Vietnam war veteran and former building code specialist turned novelist. Known for his critically acclaimed nov...
Michael Bronski
Michael Bronski 0000000386897201 Michael Bronski, co-author of 'You Can Tell Just By Looking' and professor at Harvard, is an acclaimed writer on LGBT issues for over 40 years. His award-winning work...
Fannie Lou Hamer
Fannie Lou Hamer 0000000072528286 “I am sick and tired of being sick and tired.” —Fannie Lou Hamer Fannie Lou Hamer was a significant civil rights leader and voting rights activist. ...
David Chariandy
David Chariandy 0000000074226038 David Chariandy, a Toronto-born author and professor based in Vancouver, is known for his works such as “I've Been Meaning to Tell You”, “Soucouyant”, and “Brother.” ...
Michael West
Michael West 0000000108034086 Michael West, an enigmatic author, is believed to hail from an ancient, lost culture. Known for appearing only to tell stories, some speculate he is a symbol reflecting ...
Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite
Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite MULTIPLE Maika Moulite, a Miami native and daughter of Haitian immigrants, uses her marketing and MBA degrees to help organizations tell their stories online, while ...
Adijah & Atiya Brabham
Adijah & Atiya Brabham MULTIPLE Adijah and Atiya Brabham, identical twins, are educators, philanthropists, and authors hailing from Queens, NY. Besides their individual achievements in education, the...
D.T. Pollard
D.T. Pollard NONE D.T. Pollard, an Essence Bestselling author from Texas, discovered his passion for writing at a young age but paused during college. After a 25-year career in technology sales, he r...
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...
Brian W. Smith
Brian W. Smith NONE Brian W. Smith, an award-winning author of 15 novels and former U.S. Army member, turned full-time author after being laid off. His personal trauma inspired his first novel, leadi...
Yvvette Edwards
Yvvette Edwards 000000012060298X London-based author, Yvvette Edwards, is best known for her debut novel “A Cupboard Full of Coats,” longlisted for the Man Booker Prize. Her work, focused on diverse ...
Mitchell S. Jackson
Mitchell S. Jackson 0000000409614826 Mitchell S. Jackson Awarded the 2021 Pulitzer Prize in Feature Writing Mitchell S. Jackson is an acclaimed author and educator, known for his debut novel “The Resi...
Nalo Hopkinson
Nalo Hopkinson 0000000084289358 Acclaimed author Nalo Hopkinson, known for her debut novel 'Brown Girl in the Ring', is a winner of multiple awards including the Locus Award and John W. Campbell Awar...
Sofia Samatar
Sofia Samatar 0000000370667268 Sofia Samatar’s first novel, A Stranger in Olondria, won the 2014 William L. Crawford Fantasy Award, the British Fantasy Award, and the World Fantasy Award for Best Nov...
Nigeria Lockley
Nigeria Lockley NONE Nigeria Lockley is a New York-based author and teacher. Her debut novel, Born at Dawn, reflects her Christian faith and everyday issues. She holds two Master's degrees from the C...
Christopher Myers
Christopher Myers NONE Christopher Myers, son of renowned author Walter Dean Myers, is an award-winning illustrator with a deep appreciation for storytelling through images. Myers extends his family'...
Adib Khorram
Adib Khorram 0000000500351000 Adib Khorram is a queer Iranian American author of fiction for all ages. His debut young adult novel Darius the Great Is Not Okay earned the William C. Morris Debut Awa...
April Sinclair
April Sinclair NONE April Sinclair, a Chicago native, is a renowned author and community activist. Known for her dedicated activism in Oakland and her unique approach to her literary debut, Sinclair'...
Keely Hutton
Keely Hutton NONE Novelist and former teacher Keely Hutton collaborates with Ricky Richard Anywar, founder of Friends of Orphans and ex-child soldier, to pen her debut novel, “Soldier Boy.” Hutton al...
Jennifer Davis Carey
Jennifer Davis Carey NONE A native New Yorker, writer Jennifer Davis Carey has family roots in the Caribbean and American South. She learned a keen ear for and appreciation of language from her ...
Linda Dominique Grosvenor
Linda Dominique Grosvenor NONE Linda Dominique Grosvenor-Holland, a New York-born author with Caribbean roots, is known for her impactful writing on life, love, and family. Her novel, “Like Boogie On...
Peggy E. Spiller
Peggy E. Spiller NONE Peggy E. Spiller, a Chicago-born author raised in Shreveport, is known for her novels “Real Dreams” and “For Every Love That Dies.” A Louisiana State University graduate, she no...
Ann Petry
Ann Petry 0000000114367004 Did you know? Ann Petry’s first novel The Street was the first novel by an African American to sell more than a million copies. Ann Petry (1908–1997) was an acclaimed ...
Jessica Lewis
Jessica Lewis NONE Jessica Lewis is a Black author who writes in many eclectic genres. Her first novel, Bad Witch Burning, was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award, and she’s written everything from ...
Tracey Baptiste
Tracey Baptiste 0000000037347738 Tracey Baptiste, a Trinidad-born author, made her debut with 'Angel’s Grace', lauded by NYC librarians. Once a teacher and ballerina, she now writes and edits childre...
Deborah Fletcher Mello
Deborah Fletcher Mello 0000000036839925 Deborah Fletcher Mello is a multi-faceted author and Renaissance woman with diverse career experience. Her debut novel earned her a Best New Author nomination,...
Jewell Parker Rhodes
Jewell Parker Rhodes 0000000120252879 Jewell’s New Book Will’s Race for Home Debuted at #6 on the NY Times Bestsellers List! Jewell Parker Rhodes is an esteemed author and artistic directo...
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...
Tara Sullivan
Tara Sullivan NONE Tara Sullivan, born in Calcutta and raised across South America and the Caribbean, is a global-minded author with a dual Master's degree in Non-Profit Management and International ...
Ashley Antoinette and JaQuavis Coleman
Ashley Antoinette and JaQuavis Coleman MULTIPLE Ashley Antoinette & JaQuavis Coleman are the youngest African American co-authors to appear twice on the New York Times bestsellers list. Discovered by...
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...
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 ...
Malcolm Hansen
Malcolm Hansen NONE Malcolm Hansen, born in Chattanooga, is an adoptee raised by Civil Rights activists in various countries. After leaving home as a teenager, he earned a BA in philosophy from Stanf...
Rachel Moss
Rachel Moss 0000000053187316 Rachel Moss, a Jamaican-born graphic designer, studied animation in England. She's now based in Jamaica, illustrating vibrant, colorful children's books including 'Celebr...
Erin Nielson
Erin Nielson NONE Erin Nielson is a Texas-based freelance illustrator known for her whimsical artwork often featuring animals. She has clients like BYU Independent Study and Cincinnati Children’s Hos...
Jonathan Burke
Jonathan Burke 0000000107799650 Nigerian-born author Jonathan Burke, now residing in Jamaica, finds inspiration in childhood stories from his English mother. A lover of nature and adventure, he cites...
Esther Iverem
Esther Iverem NONE Esther Iverem is a multi-disciplinary artist, writer, curator, and social justice advocate. She's a radio host, founder of the Black website SeeingBlack.com, and author of four boo...
Renée Allen McCoy
Renée Allen McCoy NONE Renée Allen McCoy, a South Carolina native, now resides in Mississippi. She authors a newsletter and a devotional blog, and has written seven books to date. Her work aims to e...
Charis Jackson Barrios
Charis Jackson Barrios NONE Charis Jackson Barrios, also known as Charis JB, is a Black and Paraguayan artist raised and based in the American South. Their art draws from all aspects of their multic...
Marla Washington
Marla Washington NONE Dr. Marla Washington, a PhD in Sociology, is a specialist on daddyless daughters. Drawing from her own experiences and those of others, she authored a book offering strategies t...
Endy
Endy 0000000012374705 Endy was born in Newark, NJ. Like most inner city children she was fascinated by the noise of the busy streets in the "hood. Raised in a two parent home with her younger...
Tia Mowry and Tamera Mowry
Tia Mowry and Tamera Mowry MULTIPLE Tia Mowry-Hardrict & Tamera Mowry-Housley are renowned actresses known for their roles in 'Sister, Sister', Disney's 'Twitches' series, and 'Tia & Tamera'. Tia sta...
Nora Deloach
Nora Deloach NONE “I use [mysteries] as the opportunity to introduce people to real African-American characters.” Nora DeLoach (1940-2001), a mystery novelist and social worker, saw her de...
Zee Edgell
Zee Edgell 000000005844502X Belizean author Zee Edgell, educated in London and the West Indies, is known for her debut novel, “Beka Lamb.” A former journalist and founding editor of The Reporter, she...
Alexs D. Pate
Alexs D. Pate 0000000121304941 Alexs D. Pate is a professor at the University of Minnesota specializing in African studies and literature. An award-winning author, Pate's work has appeared in various...
zaji
zaji NONE Zaji is an accomplished author and freelance writer with a B.A. in English and M.S. in Journalism from Iona College. She's written a novel, poetry book, short stories, and is working on her...
Brandy Colbert
Brandy Colbert 0000000409932699 Brandy Colbert is an award-winning author hailing from Missouri. Her work primarily focuses on young adult and children's literature, with titles such as “Little & Lio...
Nicole Dennis-Benn
Nicole Dennis-Benn 000000050158667X Nicole Dennis-Benn, an acclaimed author and Lambda Literary Award winner, is renowned for her debut novel 'Here Comes the Sun' which has received multiple accolade...
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 ...
Mary Monroe
Mary Monroe 0000000029010860 Mary Monroe, a sharecropper's daughter and the first in her family to graduate high school, returned to the literary scene with her novel “God Don’t Like Ugly”, which sol...
Chigozie Obioma
Chigozie Obioma 000000007886845X “the heir to Chinua Achebe” (New York Times) Chigozie Obioma, born in Nigeria, is an award-winning author and professor of English at the University of Neb...
Colson Whitehead
Colson Whitehead 0000000109128041 Congrats to Colson Whitehead: Winner 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction Colson Whitehead, born in 1969, is an acclaimed writer who began his career at the Village Voice....
Morowa Yejide
Morowa Yejide 0000000418442034 Morowa Yejidé, a Washington, DC native, is an acclaimed author recognized for her novel 'Time of the Locust'. A PEN/Bellwether and PEN/Bingham finalist, and NAACP Imag...
Dorothy West
Dorothy West 0000000117719538 Dorothy West (1907-1998) was an active participant in the Harlem Renaissance and the last surviving member. Known for her short stories, she debuted with her novel 'The ...
E. Lynn Harris
E. Lynn Harris 0000000117647343 Everette Lynn Harris was a successful black author, focusing on the experiences of young, urban professionals. Raised by a single mother in Little Rock, he overcame pe...
Elizabeth Nunez
Elizabeth Nunez 0000000080832288 Elizabeth Nunez, a Trinidad-born, award-winning author, wrote ten novels and a memoir, with several recognized by the New York Times and Oprah's book club. Her works,...
Elsie Augustave
Elsie Augustave NONE Elsie Augustave, born in Haiti, is a Fulbright Scholar and accomplished educator, teaching French and Spanish at Stuyvesant High School. With degrees in foreign language and lite...
Helen Elaine Lee
Helen Elaine Lee NONE Helen Elaine Lee is a Harvard-educated author known for her novels “The Serpent’s Gift” and “Water Marked.” As a professor at MIT, she directs the Women’s & Gender Studies Progr...
Kopano Matlwa
Kopano Matlwa 0000000081937583 Kopano Matlwa, a South African writer and physician, is known for her novels 'Spilt Milk' and 'Coconut', both of which explore post-Apartheid era themes. Her debut nove...
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...
Jacqueline Leigh
Jacqueline Leigh NONE Jacqueline Leigh is a children's book author and poet with a focus on Sierra Leone. Her notable works include a historical novel, The Heritage Keeper, and a nonfiction account o...
Autumn J. Bright
Autumn J. Bright NONE Autumn J. Bright is an acclaimed American fiction writer, known for her debut novel 'Love Sick'. She enjoys family time in Charleston, SC and travelling when not creating recomm...
Frank Hercules
Frank Hercules NONE Frank Hercules, born in Trinidad and Tobago (1917), was a renowned author and scholar. Known for his insightful novels on colonial oppression and interracial marriage, and his his...
Abi Daré
Abi Daré 0000000496183410 Abi Daré, a Nigerian-born author based in the UK, has studied law, International Project Management, and Creative Writing. She won the Bath Novel Award in 2018 for her debu...
Johnathan Isom
Johnathan Isom NONE Johnathan Isom, a Memphis-based anesthesiologist, turned novelist, was driven to write a book he'd enjoy. Tired of deceit-focused contemporary fiction, he sought to create a diffe...
K’wan
K’wan 0000000417519140 K'wan Foye, born to a poet and painter, faced numerous rejections before his debut novel, Gangsta, was published in 2002. His subsequent novels caught the attention of St. Mart...
Malla Nunn
Malla Nunn 0000000040740979 Malla Nunn, born in Swaziland, is an acclaimed author with two Edgar nominations and a RUSA Best Mystery Novel Award. She won the L.A. Times Book Prize and Josette Frank A...
Zariah L. Banks
Zariah L. Banks NONE Zariah L. Banks, a multi-award-winning author, is renowned for her contemporary romance novels. She gained fame with her debut novel, “Beauty Beheld,” and Amazon bestselling nove...
Sam Greenlee
Sam Greenlee 000000005809192X Samuel Greenlee, best known for his novel “The Spook Who Sat by the Door”, was a writer and former USIA officer. Born in Chicago, he served in the military, worked in po...
Nisi Shawl
Nisi Shawl 0000000038176352 Nisi Shawl is a renowned author, critic, and editor, celebrated for their diverse and intersectional speculative fiction, including the acclaimed novel Everfair. Known for...
William Craft and Ellen Craft
William Craft and Ellen Craft MULTIPLE William and Ellen Craft, escaped slaves from Georgia, became famous fugitives in the 1840s. Disguised as a white man and his servant, they reached the North and...
Hari Ziyad
Hari Ziyad NONE Hari Ziyad, a bestselling author, screenwriter, and Editor-in-Chief of RaceBaitr, hails from Cleveland and currently resides in Brooklyn. They are known for their book, Black Boy Out ...
g. haron davis
g. haron davis NONE G. Haron Davis is a New York-born, Tennessee-raised writer based in Kansas City specializing in horror and fantasy. They co-founded Marginsbox and co-edited the anthology “All Sig...
Renée Watson
Renée Watson 0000000060818307 Renée Watson, acclaimed author of young adult and children's literature, uses art to help youth deal with trauma and discuss social issues. Known for her book “This Side...
Rhonda McKnight
Rhonda McKnight NONE Rhonda McKnight, owner of Legacy Editing and Urban Christian Fiction Today, is a dedicated fiction writer and editor based in Atlanta. Originating from New Jersey, her passion li...
Malaika Adero
Malaika Adero 0000000384232281 Malaika Adero runs a literary agency, Adero's Literary Tribe, where she works with publishers and individual clients. She is the author of several books including “Up S...
Christine Kendall
Christine Kendall NONE Christine Kendall transitioned from a corporate career to a successful author of children's literature. Her book, Riding Chance, was recognized as one of the 50 Best Books for ...
Lalanii Wilson-Jones and Treavion Davenport
Lalanii Wilson-Jones and Treavion Davenport MULTIPLE Lalanii Wilson-Jones is a Dallas-based entrepreneur involved in Home Health Care, Hospice, Child Care, and event planning, as well as mentoring em...