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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....
Venus Evans-Winters and Bettina L. Love
Venus Evans-Winters and Bettina L. Love MULTIPLE Venus Evans-Winters and Bettina L. Love are renowned authors, focusing on educational equity, social justice and youth empowerment. Both have their wo...
Venus Williams
Venus Williams 0000000114587007 Venus Ebony Starr Williams (born June 17, 1980) became a professional tennis player at the remarkable age of fourteen, immediately making waves in the sport by defeat...
Claudia Alexander
Claudia Alexander NONE Claudia Alexander, Ph.D., was a respected NASA scientist, studying planets and flying spacecraft. She contributed to missions to Jupiter, Saturn, and comets. An author, she wro...
Sheryl K. Carkhum-Lord
Sheryl K. Carkhum-Lord NONE Sheryl K. Carkhum-Lord's novel is inspired by the story of the model for Charles Cordier's 1851 sculpture, “The African Venus.” The book explores the history of slavery in...
Marsha Hunt
Marsha Hunt 0000000117741647 Marsha Hunt, born 1946, is a British-based actress, singer, and novelist, best known for her role in the rock musical 'Hair'. She has written autobiographies and novels, ...
Richard Williams
Richard Williams 000000011450729X Richard Williams is a renowned tennis coach and father to tennis superstars, Venus and Serena Williams. Richard Williams is a tennis coach and the father tennis supe...
Elizabeth Alexander
Elizabeth Alexander 0000000114909360 Elizabeth Alexander, a renowned poet, essayist, playwright, and teacher, has authored multiple books, including 'American Sublime', a Pulitzer finalist. A scholar...
Camille T. Dungy
Camille T. Dungy 0000000036407735 Camille T. Dungy, renowned poet and essayist, is known for her work in 100 Best African American Poems and 30 other anthologies. She's a recipient of multiple awards...
Brittney Brackett
Brittney Brackett NONE Brittney Brackett is a multifaceted professional with over 17 years of experience in acting, voice talent, and authoring children's books. She is the Operations Manager at b dy...
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...
Deya Smith
Deya Smith NONE Deya “Direct” Smith, lead content producer for the Tom Joyner Morning Show, is the creator of “The Man Whisperer” series. Known for her provocative communication style, she's a freque...
C. F. Volney
C. F. Volney 0000000083431332 “C. F. Volney” Constantin François de Chassebœuf, comte de Volney (1757–1820) was a French philosopher, historian, and orientalist who became one o...
Bill Pinkney
Bill Pinkney 0000000033679583 Captain Bill Pinkney, born in Chicago's Bronzeville, was a US Navy Vet and Coast Guard licensed Master of Steam, Power, and Sail vessels. He held diverse roles such as a...
Matthew Shenoda
Matthew Shenoda 0000000045678350 Matthew Shenoda is a writer, professor, and author and editor of several books. His poems and essays have appeared in a variety of newspapers, journals, radio progra...
Andre Seward
Andre Seward NONE Andre Seward, also known as Poetryman7, is a poet who has been writing since 1998. His works are deeply grounded in faith and spirituality, exploring themes of love, grace, and fami...
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...
Hilary Beard
Hilary Beard NONE Hilary Beard has been a book collaboration specialist helping leaders, visionaries, creatives, and gamechangers amplify their voice to empower humanity for more than 20 years. The ...
Jay Leslie
Jay Leslie NONE Jay Leslie grew up in the United States, but now lives in Berlin, Germany, where she spends her time writing novels, learning new languages, and backpacking through the Schwarzwald ...
Ikwo Ntekim
Ikwo Ntekim NONE Ikwo Ntekim received her MFA in Creative Writing from Stony Brook Southampton, where her fiction appeared in The Southampton Review. She’s been a bookseller for many years and lives...
Etheridge Knight
Etheridge Knight 0000000066439498 Etheridge Knight, born on April 19, 1931, was a renowned poet who began writing while incarcerated and published his notable collection, Poems from Prison, in 1968. ...
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...
Cheryl Boyce-Taylor
Cheryl Boyce-Taylor 0000000038283932 Trinidad-born, Queens-bred Cheryl Boyce Taylor is a celebrated poet and visual artist. She's authored several poetry collections, received the Partners in Writing...
Kelly Harris-DeBerry
Kelly Harris-DeBerry NONE Kelly Harris-DeBerry is an award-winning poet and the author of Freedom Knows My Name. Known for her gift to bring poems to life by using her voice as an instrument, audienc...
Angelina Weld Grimké
Angelina Weld Grimké 0000000110713205 Angelina Weld Grimké (1880-1958) was an accomplished American journalist, teacher, playwright, and poet. Notably, she was one of the first Black American women ...
Frank Marshall Davis
Frank Marshall Davis 0000000037536993 Frank Marshall Davis (1905-1987) was a renowned poet known for four volumes including 'Black Man's Verse' & '47th Street: Poems'. His works were later edited by ...
Pat Parker
Pat Parker 0000000106773440 Pat Parker (1944-1989) was a renowned African-American, lesbian-feminist poet and performer. Notable works include 'Jonestown & Other Madness' and 'Movement in Black'. She...
Haki Madhubuti
Haki Madhubuti 0000000114735014 Haki R. Madhubuti, a leading figure in Black literature, is a poet, publisher, editor, and educator. With over 30 published books and 3 million copies in print, he's o...
Joseph S. Spence, Sheila M. Parrish-Spence, and Jonathan Clarence Parrish-Spence
Joseph S. Spence, Sheila M. Parrish-Spence, and Jonathan Clarence Parrish-Spence MULTIPLE The Spence family, consisting of Joseph, Sheila, and Jonathan, use poetry and various other forms of artistic...
Adrian Matejka
Adrian Matejka 0000000037525872 Adrian Matejka is a Germany-born, Indiana-based author and educator. A graduate of Indiana University and Southern Illinois University Carbondale, he has penned award-...
Carolyn Marie Rodgers
Carolyn Marie Rodgers 0000000066509791 Carolyn Marie Rodgers (1940-2010), a key figure in the Black Arts Movement and co-founder of Third World Press, was born and raised in Chicago. Known for her po...
Princess F.L. Gooden
Princess F.L. Gooden NONE Born and raised in Atlanta, Princess F. L. Gooden is a gifted writer, poet, and dramatist. She started writing at a young age, and by 13, she had written and directed plays ...
Roxane Orgill
Roxane Orgill NONE Roxane Orgill is a seasoned music critic and author with over 20 years of experience, having worked with The Wall Street Journal and The Milwaukee Journal. She is known for her bio...
Alexander Andrews
Alexander Andrews 0000000063097189 Alexander Andrews, a critically acclaimed poet of diverse heritage, is known for exploring themes of love, childhood, and environmental stress. His highly-rated deb...
aja monet
aja monet 0000000370068724 aja monet is a surrealist blues poet, storyteller, and organizer born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. She won the legendary Nuyorican Poets Cafe Grand Slam poetry award title i...
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...
Sonia Sanchez
Sonia Sanchez 0000000080885435 Sonia Sanchez (b. 1934) is a significant figure in the Black Arts Movement, known for her innovative and original poetry that explores racial and gender struggles. Her ...
Jayne Cortez
Jayne Cortez 0000000080983190 Jayne Cortez (1936-2012) was a celebrated poet and performance artist, known for her political and surrealistic lyricism. She authored eleven books of poetry and present...
Anna Christian
Anna Christian NONE Anna Christian is an accomplished author of seven books, including 'Then Sings My Soul' and 'Daniel’s Wife'. She has made contributions to the African American National Biography ...
Yolanda T. Marshall
Yolanda T. Marshall NONE Yolanda T. Marshall, born in Guyana, is a writer and manager for Canada's largest Academic Publishing Company. With a passion for guitar and poetry, she published her first b...
Kwesi Oginga
Kwesi Oginga NONE Kwesi Oginga, born in Guyana, is a renowned dramatist, author, and pastor. He wrote plays for Guyana's top festivals, directed plays for the president's birthday, and has penned sev...
Nikki Giovanni
Nikki Giovanni 0000000114678830 Nikki Giovanni (June 7, 1943 to December 9, 2024 was an American poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator. Yolande Cornelia “Nikki” Giovanni (June 7, 1943 &n...
Toi Derricotte
Toi Derricotte 0000000083980729 “My skin causes certain problems continuously, problems that open the issue of racism over and over like a wound.” Toi Derricotte is an award-winning poet a...
Charles R. Smith Jr.
Charles R. Smith Jr. NONE Charles R. Smith Jr. is an acclaimed author, poet, and photographer with over 30 books. He's a recipient of the Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration and Honor Author Aw...
Mari Evans
Mari Evans 0000000108875002 Mari Evans, born July 16, 1919, was a significant figure in the 1960s Black Arts Movement. She was a distinguished writer and educator, teaching at institutions like Corne...
Pamela Sneed
Pamela Sneed 0000000035258600 Pamela Sneed is a New York-based poet, writer, and actress, featured in prestigious publications and has performed globally. She's included in “The 100 Best African Amer...
Gloria Oden
Gloria Oden 0000000382838642 Gloria Catherine Oden (1923-2011) was a renowned poet, editor, and English professor from New York. A Pulitzer Prize nominee for her poetry collection 'Resurrections', sh...
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...
Irene Latham and Charles Waters
Irene Latham and Charles Waters MULTIPLE Irene Latham and Charles Waters, “Poetic Forever Friends”, are renowned for their collaborative poetry books for young readers, including award-winning works ...
Lucille Clifton
Lucille Clifton 0000000117802788 Lucille Clifton (1936-2010) was a distinguished poet and professor, notable as the first African American woman to win the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize. She also won the N...
Ai Ogawa
Ai Ogawa 0000000368573553 Ai Ogawa (1947-2010), born Florence Anthony, was a prominent poet and author awarded with the American Book Award and a National Book Award. She authored seven books of poet...
Kwame Dawes
Kwame Dawes 0000000073665848 Ghana-born Kwame Dawes, a poet significantly influenced by Jamaican rhythms and reggae music, is the author of numerous poetry collections, novels, and non-fiction works....
Carolyn Joyner
Carolyn Joyner NONE Carolyn Joyner is a dedicated poet with a divine mission to inspire through themes of politics, love, and spirituality. Her performances span from Washington, DC to Chicago and En...
Sherley Anne Williams
Sherley Anne Williams 0000000114970321 Sherley Anne Williams was an influential poet, novelist, and professor known for her works portraying her experiences within the African-American community. Bor...
Uzoma R. Ezekwudo
Uzoma R. Ezekwudo NONE Uzoma “Uzo” R. Ezekwudo is a graduate of Economics from the University of North Carolina who discovered a love for writing in her adulthood. She's penned a diverse collection o...
Truth Thomas
Truth Thomas NONE Truth Thomas, born in Knoxville and raised in Washington DC, is an award-winning poet and singer-songwriter. He has authored four poetry collections including Speak Water, winner of...
Jen Bryant
Jen Bryant 0000000067561735 Jen Bryant is an award-winning author of picture books, novels, and poems for all ages. Her accolades include two Caldecott Honors, two ALA Schneider Family Book Awards, a...
Michelle D. Rayford
Michelle D. Rayford NONE Author Michelle D. Rayford, winner of a fifth-grade literacy contest, nurtured her passion for writing through years of education, a government job, marriage, and motherhood....
Fenton Johnson
Fenton Johnson 0000000038623095 Fenton Johnson (1888-1958) was an African American poet, essayist, and editor who significantly contributed to the Harlem Renaissance. His work, including his well-kno...
Dianne Ochiltree
Dianne Ochiltree NONE Dianne Ochiltree is a nationally recognized author, writing for children of all ages. Her work, ranging from stories to poems, has been translated into multiple formats includin...
Patricia Hubbell
Patricia Hubbell 0000000084277955 Patricia Hubbell, a celebrated children's author, has written numerous award-winning books and poems over her four-decade career. Her work features in over 200 antho...
Noah Davis
Noah Davis 0000000403317062 Noah Davis, a Pennsylvania native, is a renowned author specializing in poems and prose about the Allegheny Front. His work has featured in numerous publications and his f...
Derek Walcott
Derek Walcott 0000000114709596 Winner of the 1992 Nobel Prize in Literature Walcott, won the Nobel Prize for Literature (1992). The motivation for the Prize was, “…for a poetic oeuvre of great lumino...
George Moses Horton
George Moses Horton 000000006316904X George Moses Horton (1798–1884) was the first African American poet to be published in the Southern US, while still enslaved. His notable works include “The Hop...
Jason Lawrence Moore
Jason Lawrence Moore NONE "Jason Moore, a Connecticut-based writer, pens one-page poems on diverse subjects, drawing from his experiences in Indianapolis, the US Navy, and corporate America. His work...
Teri Ellen Cross Davis
Teri Ellen Cross Davis NONE Teri Ellen Cross Davis, award-winning author of 'Haint: poems', is a Cave Canem Fellow and Poetry Coordinator at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC. Teri Ell...
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...
Bernardo Wade
Bernardo Wade NONE Born & raised in New Orleans, Bernardo Wade tries at poems, catches elbows on the court, wanders around the Bay—occasionally on Stanford’s campus as a Wallace Stegner Fellow. ...
Eloise Greenfield
Eloise Greenfield 000000006319793X Eloise Greenfield, renowned for her rhythmic style, positively portrayed the black experience in her award-winning children's literature. With works like The Friend...
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...
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Jhumpa Lahiri, and 21 Other Authors
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Jhumpa Lahiri, and 21 Other Authors MULTIPLE Discover the remarkable works of 23 authors including renowned writers Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Jhumpa Lahiri. Explore diver...
Brian Gilmore
Brian Gilmore 0000000109671669 Brian Gilmore is a renowned poet, writer, attorney, and columnist associated with the Progressive Media Project. He's a multiple award-winning author with publications ...
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...
Peggy M. Fisher
Peggy M. Fisher NONE Peggy M. Fisher, a former educator and counselor with the Philadelphia public school system, is an accomplished author recognized for her literary excellence. A retired Army Nurs...
Neville Dawes
Neville Dawes 0000000434837562 Neville Augustus Dawes (1926-1984), born in Nigeria to Jamaican parents, was a writer and educator. Raised in Jamaica, he studied at Oxford University, taught in Jamaic...
Chaun Webster
Chaun Webster NONE Chaun Webster, a poet, publisher, and graphic designer, is influenced by the Black Arts Movement, Jazz, and Graffiti. He founded Free Poet’s Press in 2009 to encourage art producti...
Mũkoma wa Ngũgĩ
Mũkoma wa Ngũgĩ 0000000048742231 Mũkoma wa Ngũgĩ, an acclaimed novelist, poet, and essayist, is an Assistant Professor of English at Cornell University. He was shortlisted for the Caine Prize and Pen...
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...
Aracelis Girmay
Aracelis Girmay 0000000038001720 Aracelis Girmay, born December 10, 1977, is a renowned poet, author of multiple books including 'Teeth' and 'Kingdom Animalia', and a finalist for several awards. She...
Melvin Dixon
Melvin Dixon 0000000110291356 Melvin Dixon, a respected professor at Queens College, City University of New York, was renowned for his work on African and African-American literature. He authored nov...
Fiston Mwanza Mujila
Fiston Mwanza Mujila 0000000107622783 Fiston Mwanza Mujila, born in Congo in 1981, is a critically acclaimed author and scholar currently residing in Austria. His literature, inspired by Congo's poli...
Safiya Sinclair
Safiya Sinclair 0000000500999106 Safiya Sinclair is a Jamaica-born author known for her award-winning poetry book, Cannibal. She holds numerous accolades including the Whiting Writers’ Award, Pushcar...
Brandon Kilbourne
Brandon Kilbourne NONE Brandon Kilbourne is a Pushcart-nominated poet and biologist, whose work has appeared in Poet Lore, Obsidian, Ecotone, Terrain.org, West Trade Review, Split Rock Review, and n...
Debra Owsley
Debra Owsley NONE Debra Owsley, avid reader and hairstylist, transformed her passion into a business, Simply Said Reading Accessories and LitVersation. She collaborates with bestselling authors, book...
Piri Thomas
Piri Thomas 0000000362962312 Piri Thomas, born in 1928 to Puerto Rican and Cuban parents, overcame racial discrimination and a troubled past in New York to become an influential figure in the Nuyoric...
M.J. Fievre
M.J. Fievre NONE M.J. Fievre, a Haiti-born author, currently writing from Miami, began her publishing career as a teenager. Renowned for her nine French books, she also published a trilingual childre...
Useni Eugene Perkins
Useni Eugene Perkins 0000000082421407 Useni Eugene Perkins (1932-2023) was a renowned author, poet, playwright, social worker, and civil rights activist. Known for his work during the Chicago Black A...
Kiki Petrosino
Kiki Petrosino NONE Kiki Petrosino, a Professor of Poetry at the University of Virginia, is the author of four poetry books, including “White Blood: a Lyric of Virginia.” Her work has been featured i...
Marilyn Nelson
Marilyn Nelson 0000000081267022 Marilyn Nelson, former Poet Laureate of Connecticut, is a three-time National Book Award Finalist, Annisfield-Wolf Award winner, and author of acclaimed titles like 'T...
Mae V. Cowdery
Mae V. Cowdery 0000000068646714 Mae V. Cowdery (1909–1948) was a gifted poet of the Harlem Renaissance whose work explored racial pride, love, and sensuality with unusual candor for her era. Born in...
Robert Fleming
Robert Fleming 0000000073689743 Support Robert Fleming’s Dialysis Journey Interested in psychology and sociology, I came to writing as a fluke in the early 1970s when a friend, Willard Je...
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...
Destiny O. Birdsong
Destiny O. Birdsong NONE Destiny O. Birdsong is a critically acclaimed poet published in prominent outlets like The Paris Review. She's a recipient of the American Poets Prize and Richard G. Peterson...
Tramaine Suubi
Tramaine Suubi NONE Tramaine Suubi is a quadrilingual multi-hyphenate Bantu writer hailing from Kampala. They are a graduate of Wheaton College, the Iowa Writers' Workshop, a Yellow Arrow Writer-in-R...
Jennifer Baker
Jennifer Baker NONE Jennifer Baker is a publishing professional, host of the Minorities in Publishing podcast, and contributing editor to Electric Literature. She advocates for diversity in the indus...
Karyn Langhorne Folan
Karyn Langhorne Folan NONE Karyn Langhorne Folan, a former law professor and accomplished author, is known for her work in various genres including nonfiction, screenplays, and novels. She developed ...
Vera Ahiyya
Vera Ahiyya NONE Vera Ahiyya, a kindergarten and first-grade teacher with 15 years of experience, uses her online presence to share her passion for diverse children's books and social justice with ot...
Andrew Harding
Andrew Harding 0000000108961605 Andrew Harding is an internationally recognized foreign correspondent with the BBC. Known for his reports from Somalia and other global locations, his work has earned ...
Larry Niven
Larry Niven 0000000081151871 Award-winning author Larry Niven is renowned for his Ringworld series, Magic Goes Away series, and New York Times bestseller Beowulf’s Children. Recipient of the Nebula, ...