AALBC Search
Tracee Lydia Garner
Tracee Lydia Garner NONE Tracee Lydia Garner is a best-selling, award-winning author from Virginia. Known for her engaging presentations, she writes inspirational fiction and nonfiction, teaching abo...
Lydia Mba
Lydia Mba NONE Born in Madrid, Spain, Lydia Mba is a renowned illustrator known for her warm, colorful works. With a degree from ESDIP, she specializes in creating diverse stories featuring strong wo...
C. Michelle Atkins, Dannielle Brown, Amanda Garcia, Nisha, Lori Obayomi, Lisa McGovern, Stephanie Thomas, Tracee Upteen, and Elona Washington
C. Michelle Atkins, Dannielle Brown, Amanda Garcia, Nisha, Lori Obayomi, Lisa McGovern, Stephanie Thomas, Tracee Upteen, and Elona Washington MULTIPLE C. Michelle Atkins, Dannielle Brown, Amanda Garc...
Margaret Garner
Margaret Garner NONE Margaret Garner, a fugitive slave from Kentucky, killed one of her children rather than permit her to be returned to slavery. She drowned in a shipwreck as she was being ...
Earl Douglas, Jr.
Earl Douglas, Jr. MULTIPLE Earl Douglas, Jr. is a key figure in the music industry, renowned for his role with the Black Rock Coalition (BRC). As an executive director, he supports and promotes diver...
NoNieqa Ramos
NoNieqa Ramos NONE NoNieqa Ramos is an award-winning author and educator renowned for her books 'The Disturbed Girl’s Dictionary' and 'The Truth Is.' Her work has received acclaim from YALSA, Booklis...
Ama Codjoe
Ama Codjoe NONE Award-winning author, recognized by Cave Canem, Saltonstall, Jerome, and Robert Rauschenberg Foundations. Recipient of 2017 Rona Jaffe Writer’s Award, 2018 Loraine Williams Poetry Pri...
Olatunde Osinaike
Olatunde Osinaike NONE Olatunde Osinaike is a Nigerian American poet and software developer from Chicago. He won the 2019 Lucille Clifton Poetry Prize and is the author of Tender Headed, a 2022 Natio...
LL Cool J
LL Cool J 0000000368571427 LL Cool J is a multi-talented figure: a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Grammy-winning Hip-Hop artist, honored actor, best-selling author, philanthropist and CEO of Rock...
April Ryan
April Ryan 0000000437119582 April Ryan is a White House correspondent for American Urban Radio Networks since the Clinton era and a CNN political analyst. She has been featured in numerous renowned p...
Breanna J. McDaniel
Breanna J. McDaniel NONE Breanna J. McDaniel is a children's literature author and scholar, holding an MA from Simmons University and currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Cambridge. Her rese...
Huey P. Newton
Huey P. Newton 000000010924806X Huey P. Newton, born February 17, 1942, was a key figure in the US civil rights and Black Power movements. A co-founder of the Black Panther Party, he championed self-...
Steve Cannon
Steve Cannon 0000000363821597 Steve Cannon (1935-2019) was a key figure in the Black Arts Movement and a prominent Black writer from New Orleans. He moved to NYC in 1962, where he engaged in literary...
Esi Edugyan
Esi Edugyan 0000000073726743 Canadian author Esi Edugyan, renowned for acclaimed novels like 'Half-Blood Blues' and 'Washington Black', has earned prestigious recognition, including the Scotiabank Gi...
William Loren Katz
William Loren Katz 0000000115886981 Bill Katz (1927-2019) was a prolific author and lecturer, known for his contributions to African American history. A graduate of Syracuse University and New York U...
Steven Van Patten
Steven Van Patten NONE Steven Van Patten, a Brooklyn-born author, is renowned for his Brookwater's Curse trilogy and Killer Genius series. His short fiction contributions include horror anthologies a...
Jackie Sibblies Drury
Jackie Sibblies Drury NONE Jackie Sibblies Drury is a Brooklyn-based playwright, known for plays including 'We Are Proud to Present...' and 'Really'. Her work has been showcased by prominent institut...
Elijah E. Cummings
Elijah E. Cummings NONE Elijah E. Cummings (1951-2019) was a dedicated public servant and congressman representing Maryland's 7th District. Born and raised in Baltimore, he studied at Howard Universi...
Ran Walker
Ran Walker NONE Ran Walker, award-winning author of 30 books and 2019 Indie Author of the Year, teaches creative writing at Hampton University. He lives in Virginia with his family. Connect with him ...
Cheslie Kryst
Cheslie Kryst NONE Cheslie Kryst was and attorney, former Miss USA. and News Correspondent. She died by suicide and her story was told in the award-winning book, By the Time You Read This: The Space...
Amena Brown
Amena Brown NONE Amena Brown is a writer, spoken word poet, and performing artist whose work blends storytelling, poetry, and humor. She is the author of five spoken word albums and two nonfiction b...
Chuck D
Chuck D 0000000368402543 Chuck D, born Carlton Douglas Ridenhour, is a renowned hip-hop artist, social activist, and multimedia producer. Best known as the leader of Public Enemy, he has significantl...
Kiran H. J. Dellimore
Kiran H. J. Dellimore NONE Kiran Dellimore, a scientist, inventor, and author based in Utrecht, has authored three books on diverse topics. A keen runner, squash player, and rock climber, he is curre...
Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick 0000000078273077 Marie Dionne Warwick (born December 12, 1940) ranks among the 40 biggest US hitmakers between 1955–1999, based on her chart history in Billboard’s Hot 100 pop singles...
Julia Hare
Julia Hare NONE Dr. Julia Hare (1939-2019) was a renowned motivational speaker and influential figure in black communities both in America and abroad. Known for her powerful speeches about black lead...
Drusilla Dunjee Houston
Drusilla Dunjee Houston NONE Drusilla Dunjee Houston (January 20, 1876 – February 8, 1941) was born in Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia. Her parents were Rev. John William Dunjee and Lyd...
Melba Pattillo Beals
Melba Pattillo Beals 0000000063828949 Melba Pattillo Beals, born in 1941, is a renowned journalist and a pioneering member of the “Little Rock Nine”, who first integrated Central High in Arkansas. Me...
Naleighna Kai, Renee Bernard, J.L. Woodson, Joyce A Brown, D. J. McLaurin, Candy Jackson, Janice Pernell, Valarie Prince, Martha Kennerson, Susan D. Peters, Tanishia Pearson-Jones, and L. A. Lewis
Naleighna Kai, Renee Bernard, J.L. Woodson, Joyce A Brown, D. J. McLaurin, Candy Jackson, Janice Pernell, Valarie Prince, Martha Kennerson, Susan D. Peters, Tanishia Pearson-Jones, and L. A. Lewis MUL...
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 ...
Debbie Allen
Debbie Allen 0000000114435847 Debbie Allen, born in 1950, is a bestselling children's book author, actress, dancer, and choreographer from Houston, Texas. She is renowned for her role in the 1982 ser...
Cicely Lewis
Cicely Lewis NONE Cicely Lewis, a Georgia-based school librarian, is passionate about fostering reading habits. She initiated the Read Woke challenge in 2017, addressing social issues and literature ...
Ibi Zoboi, Tracey Baptiste, Coe Booth, Dhonielle Clayton, Brandy Colbert, Jay Coles, Lamar Giles, Leah Henderson, Justina Ireland, Varian Johnson, Kekla Magoon, Jason Reynolds, Nic Stone, Renée Watson, Rita Williams-Garcia, and others
Ibi Zoboi, Tracey Baptiste, Coe Booth, Dhonielle Clayton, Brandy Colbert, Jay Coles, Lamar Giles, Leah Henderson, Justina Ireland, Varian Johnson, Kekla Magoon, Jason Reynolds, Nic Stone, Renée Watso...
Alexander Smalls with Veronica Chambers
Alexander Smalls with Veronica Chambers MULTIPLE Alexander Smalls is a renowned American chef, former owner of NYC restaurants including the award-winning Cecil, and a Grammy and Tony-winning opera s...
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...
Delia Mercado
Delia Mercado NONE Delia Mercado, a NY licensed entrepreneur and mother of three, is pursuing an English degree at Medgar Evers College. Passionate about literature, she aspires to become an author a...
Cynthia Freeman Gibbs
Cynthia Freeman Gibbs NONE Cynthia Freeman Gibbs is a Michigan-born author, MBA holder, and former Merck Pharmaceutical corporate worker. She launched her writing career in 2016 and published her boo...
Jane Friedman
Jane Friedman 0000000036696549 Jane Friedman, a publishing industry veteran with 20 years of experience, specializes in author and publisher business strategies. She edits The Hot Sheet, an essential...
Regina Black
Regina Black NONE Regina Black, a former civil litigator and current law school administrator, is passionate about depicting Black women in popular culture. She resides in Little Rock, Arkansas with ...
Echo Brown
Echo Brown NONE Echo Brown is a renowned storyteller, author, and performer known for her one-woman show, 'Black Virgins Are Not for Hipsters'. She's also the author of 'Black Girl Unlimited'. Echo f...
Troy Johnson
Troy Johnson 0000000530602616 “I lead the world's oldest and largest online platform dedicated to books by and about people of African descent.” Troy Demetrius Johnson, founder and President of AALBC....
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...
Celeste Headlee
Celeste Headlee 0000000049531591 ` Celeste Headlee is an award-winning journalist, author, and expert in human communication. Known for her work on NPR and American Public Media, she advises on racial...
Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace
Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace MULTIPLE Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace are acclaimed authors known for their nonfiction works such as First Generation and Blood Brother, which have earned...
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant 0000000045677868 Kobe Bryant, born August 23, 1978, was a celebrated athlete and accomplished author. In his 20-year NBA career with the Lakers, he won numerous accolades. Post retirement...
Kam Williams
Kam Williams NONE Lloyd “Kam” Williams was a renowned film and book critic, contributing to AALBC.com and numerous other publications. A member of several critics associations, he was known for his a...
Natasha S. Alford
Natasha S. Alford NONE Natasha S. Alford is a celebrated journalist and digital host known for her impactful reporting on politics, culture, and social issues. She's a Harvard graduate and an Emmy aw...
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...
Natasha Anastasia Tarpley
Natasha Anastasia Tarpley NONE Natasha Anastasia Tarpley, a Chicago native, nurtured her love for writing from a young age. She began publishing poetry in high school and honed her craft at Harvard U...
Susanne Tedrick
Susanne Tedrick NONE Susanne Tedrick is a technical specialist for a top tech company, dedicated to promoting diversity in STEM. She mentors for IBM’s P-TECH Initiative and volunteers for Black Girls...
Antwaun Sargent
Antwaun Sargent 000000049991731X Antwaun Sargent is an acclaimed art critic and writer, contributing to The New York Times, The New Yorker, Vice, and various museum publications. He authored his firs...
J K Chukwu
J K Chukwu NONE J K Chukwu is a Midwest writer and visual artist, with an MFA in Literary Arts from Brown University. She was honored as a 2019 Lambda Fellow and has contributed to publications such ...
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, ...
Kagiso Lesego Molope
Kagiso Lesego Molope 0000000109531455 Kagiso Lesego Molope is an Indigenous novelist and playwright of the San people of Southern Africa. She is the author of four other novels: Dancing in the Dust,...
Torman Jahi
Torman Jahi NONE Torman Jahi, for the last 27 years, has been known as an international hip-hop artist, born and raised in East Cleveland, Ohio, and calling Oakland home for the last 25 years. Jahi,...
Naleighna Kai, Pat G’Orge Walker, Lisa Watson, Martha Kennerson, Michelle D. Rayford, Janice Pernell, J. L. Campbell, Kisha Green, and Terri Ann Johnson
Naleighna Kai, Pat G’Orge Walker, Lisa Watson, Martha Kennerson, Michelle D. Rayford, Janice Pernell, J. L. Campbell, Kisha Green, and Terri Ann Johnson MULTIPLE "Naleighna Kai, Pat G’Orge Walker, Li...
Mark Doty, Martin Espada, Joy Harjo, Marilyn Nelson, Ishmael Reed, Sonia Sanchez, Yusef Komunyakaa, Afaa Michael Weaver, and Rita Dove
Mark Doty, Martin Espada, Joy Harjo, Marilyn Nelson, Ishmael Reed, Sonia Sanchez, Yusef Komunyakaa, Afaa Michael Weaver, and Rita Dove MULTIPLE Prominent authors Mark Doty, Martin Espada, Joy Harjo, ...
Colnese M. Hendon
Colnese M. Hendon NONE Colnese M. Hendon is a published author of memoirs, short stories, and poetry with fellowships from multiple foundations. She holds a BA in Professional Communications/Public R...
Brian Broome
Brian Broome NONE Brian Broome is a poet, screenwriter, and University of Pittsburgh instructor pursuing an MFA. He's been a Moth storytelling finalist, won Carnegie Mellon's Martin Luther King Jr. W...
Melvin Gibbs
Melvin Gibbs 0000000055545607 Melvin Gibbs is a Grammy-nominated composer, musician, artist, and writer born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Widely recognized for his groundbreaking work across ja...
Hester Bass
Hester Bass NONE Hester Bass, an award-winning author, was influenced by her upbringing near Atlanta and time in Mississippi. Her diverse experiences, from singing in a rock band to appearing on game...
Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen
Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen MULTIPLE Bruce Springsteen, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and recipient of 20 Grammy Awards, is the acclaimed author of NYT bestseller “Born to Run.” Honored with an ...
Jimmie Allen
Jimmie Allen 0000000465260495 Jimmie Allen is a multi-platinum American recording artist and the first Black artist to achieve two consecutive #1 hits on country radio and win the ACM New Male Artist...
Darrell M. McNeill
Darrell M. McNeill NONE Darrell M. McNeill is a Santa Barbara-based producer, musician, and journalist. He is the director of operations for the Black Rock Coalition, a nonprofit supporting artists o...
J. Michael Dash
J. Michael Dash 0000000081152794 Professor Jean Michael Dash (1948-2019) was a renowned scholar of Francophone Caribbean literature. Born in Trinidad and Tobago, and educated at the University of the...
Caroline Randall Williams
Caroline Randall Williams 0000000371378337 Caroline Randall Williams, born in 1987, is a multi-genre writer and educator based in Nashville, Tennessee. She's well-recognized for her award-winning wor...
Rosheena Beek
Rosheena Beek NONE Rosheena Beek (1969-2019) was a successful author and bookstore owner known for her best-selling book, “I Find It So Hard.” Her works, including the popular second edition “Mommy S...
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.” ...
Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa
Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa MULTIPLE Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa are political reporters for The Washington Post. Samuels, who joined in 2011, focuses on politics, policy, and socia...
Wright Thompson
Wright Thompson NONE Wright Thompson is one of the most cherished sports writers in America. His books, Pappyland: A Story of Family, Fine Bourbon, and the Things That Last (2020) and The Cost of The...
Dina Strachan
Dina Strachan NONE Dr. Dina Strachan is a renowned dermatologist, author, and speaker based in New York City. She is a Harvard and Yale alumna and founder of Aglow Dermatology. Known for her best-sel...
J. Brinkley
J. Brinkley NONE Georgia-born Jonas Brinkley, a bestselling author and 2019 AAMBC nominee, honed his writing skills and diverse knowledge through college courses. Writing as J. Brinkley, he shares hi...
Jay Bernard
Jay Bernard 0000000068355829 Jay Bernard is an acclaimed author, known for works like 'Your Sign is Cuckoo, Girl' and 'The Red and Yellow Nothing,' shortlisted for the 2017 Ted Hughes Award. They als...
Norwood Holland
Norwood Holland NONE Norwood Holland, a freelance writer and attorney, is the author of the Drew Smith legal thriller series. A graduate of Howard University School of Law and Fisk University, Hollan...
Kwoya Fagin Maples
Kwoya Fagin Maples NONE Kwoya Fagin Maples, a renowned writer from Charleston, South Carolina, teaches creative writing at the Alabama School of Fine Arts. She has an MFA from the University of Alaba...
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...
Kiley Reid
Kiley Reid 000000048512903X Kiley Reid, Iowa Writers' Workshop MFA graduate and Truman Capote Fellow, teaches creative writing with a focus on race and class. Her short stories are featured in variou...
Juana Martinez-Neal
Juana Martinez-Neal 0000000115462636 Juana Martinez-Neal, award-winning author-illustrator, received the 2019 Caldecott Honor and 2020 Robert F. Sibert Medal. She was also awarded the 2018 Pura Belpr...
Morgan Parker
Morgan Parker NONE Morgan Parker is an acclaimed poet, essayist, and novelist. She's known for her YA novel 'Who Put This Song On?', poetry collections 'There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé'...
Meron Hadero
Meron Hadero 0000000497702868 Meron Hadero, an Ethiopian American writer, is known for her award-winning short stories. Born in Addis Ababa and raised in the US, she has been published in esteemed ou...
Tiana Clark
Tiana Clark NONE Tiana Clark is the author of the poetry collections Scorched Earth (Washington Square Press/Simon & Schuster, 2025) and I Can’t Talk About the Trees Without the Blood (Universit...
Kacen Callender
Kacen Callender 0000000498651636 Kheryn Callender, award-winning author of the debut novel 'Hurricane Child', is a St. Thomas native now residing in Philadelphia. Their work has been recognized by St...
Chet’la Sebree
Chet’la Sebree 0000000501001520 Chet’la Sebree, a poet, editor, and educator, holds an MFA from American University. She joined Bucknell University as an assistant professor and Director for the Stad...
Binyavanga Wainaina
Binyavanga Wainaina 0000000119708103 Kenneth Binyavanga Wainaina (1971-2019) was a renowned Kenyan author and journalist, recognized as a TIME 100 influential person. Best known for his influential e...
Raymond Antrobus
Raymond Antrobus 0000000504487984 Raymond Antrobus, London-born author of English-Jamaican heritage, winner of the 2017 Geoffrey Dearmer Prize and 2019 Sunday Times/University of Warwick Young Writer...
Trisha Tobias
Trisha Tobias NONE Trisha Tobias is a writer, editor, and Fordham University graduate. She is a recipient of the 2018 Walter Dean Myers Grant and a 2019-2021 Highlights Foundation Diversity Fellow. T...
Mihret Sibhat
Mihret Sibhat NONE Mihret Sibhat was born and raised in a small town in western Ethiopia before moving to California when she was seventeen. A graduate of California State University, Northridge, an...
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce NONE Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, a Jamaican sprinter, rose to fame in 2008 as the first Caribbean woman to win 100m Olympic gold. In 2012, she successfully defended her title. Af...
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...
Nadia Owusu
Nadia Owusu 0000000496613804 Nadia Owusu is a Brooklyn-based author and urban planner, known for winning the 2019 Whiting Award and the Atlas Review chapbook contest. Her writing has featured in prom...
Andrea Levy
Andrea Levy 000000012139721X Andrea Levy (1956-2019), a London-born author of Jamaican descent, penned award-winning novels like “Small Island” and “The Long Song.” Her works, adapted for TV by the B...
Ashleigh Shanti
Ashleigh Shanti NONE Ashleigh Shanti, chef-owner of Good Hot Fish in Asheville, North Carolina. She was named an Eater Young Gun in 2019 and was a finalist for the James Beard Rising Star Chef of the...
Xia Gordon
Xia Gordon NONE Xia Gordon is a School of Visual Arts graduate specializing in Cartooning & Illustration. Known for her comic, Kindling, published by 2dcloud, she has worked with The New York Times, ...
Ashley Franklin
Ashley Franklin NONE Ashley Franklin, author of the debut picture book 'Not Quite Snow White', published by Harper Collins in 2019. She holds an M.A. in English Literature from the University of Dela...
Leah Chase
Leah Chase 0000000031174354 Leah Chase (1923-2019), born in Madisonville, Louisiana, became a national award-winning cook and civic figure after marrying into the Chase restaurant family in New Orlea...
W. Caleb McDaniel
W. Caleb McDaniel 0000000375916227 W. Caleb McDaniel is a History Associate Professor at Rice University and magister of Duncan College. His 2019 book, Sweet Taste of Liberty, won the 2020 Pulitzer P...
Candice Iloh
Candice Iloh NONE Candice Iloh, a Nigerian-American author & dancer in Philadelphia, is a Howard University alumna & 2019 Kimbilio fellow. She holds an M.F.A. from Lesley University. Her novel, Every...
Maura Cheeks
Maura Cheeks NONE Maura Cheeks, renowned author featured in The New York Times, The Atlantic and others, won a masthead reporting residency with The Atlantic in 2019. 'Acts of Forgiveness' is her deb...
Matthew F. Delmont
Matthew F. Delmont 0000000356157878 Matthew F. Delmont is the Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Professor of History at Dartmouth College. An expert on African American history and the history of ...
Greg Tate
Greg Tate 0000000385325658 Greg Tate (1957-2021) was a revered writer, musician, and producer, primarily focusing on African-American music and culture. He co-founded the Black Rock Coalition and led...