AALBC Search
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...
K. Reshay
K. Reshay NONE K. Reshay is a versatile author, poet, and playwright, known for her thought-provoking book series 'Appearances'. She is the Founder of Me Time Book Club, aimed at promoting literacy a...
Cassandra Mack
Cassandra Mack NONE Cassandra Mack, founder of Strategies for Empowered Living Inc., is an author and life coach. Known for her blogs, books and radio appearances, she offers practical tools for succ...
Charles Barkley
Charles Barkley 0000000083304069 Ex-pro basketball player, Charles Barkley, now an NBA analyst for TNT’s Inside the NBA, boasts 11 All-Star Game appearances, All-Star MVP, 1993's league MVP, and is n...
Keyshawn Johnson
Keyshawn Johnson NONE Keyshawn Johnson, a former first overall NFL pick and Super Bowl winner, enjoyed a successful 11-season career with the Jets, Buccaneers, and Cowboys. Now, he co-hosts an ESPN r...
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...
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...
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...
Mychea
Mychea NONE Mychea, a Washington, DC native, is a published author and playwright signed to Good 2 Go Publishing. Known for her fiction novels such as 'My Boyfriend’s Wife', 'He Loves Me', and 'Covet...
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 ...
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 ...
Sister Shiree Sarana
Sister Shiree Sarana NONE Sister Shiree Sarana is a renowned poetess, known for her powerful and enlightening poetry influenced by the teachings of Elijah Muhammad and Louis Farrakhan. She's been fea...
Denene Millner and Mitzi Miller
Denene Millner and Mitzi Miller MULTIPLE Denene Millner is a highly acclaimed author, journalist, and TV host. She has penned over 30 books, including a New York Times bestseller. Millner also runs a...
Tavis Smiley
Tavis Smiley 0000000110310916 Tavis Smiley, a prominent African-American voice, is a renowned host and political commentator. Known for his work on BET Tonight and The Tom Joyner Morning Show, he is ...
Omarosa Manigault Newman
Omarosa Manigault Newman NONE Omarosa Manigault Newman is an American reality TV personality, writer, and former political aide to President Trump. Known for her appearances on 'The Apprentice', she ...
Cam Perron
Cam Perron NONE Cam Perron, renowned for his appearances on Real Sports and as a TED speaker, runs an ecommerce business for sports memorabilia. Honored with the Hilda Award for his distinguished ser...
Clarence Page
Clarence Page 0000000034760818 Clarence Page is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the Chicago Tribune and frequents TV as a political pundit. He's known for his best-selling essay collection, Cu...
Flava Flav
Flava Flav NONE William Jonathan Drayton Jr., known as Flavor Flav, is a co-founder of the influential hip-hop group Public Enemy. Born on March 16, 1959, he's also a popular television personality a...
Courtney B. Vance
Courtney B. Vance 0000000078404428 Courtney B. Vance is a Harvard-educated, Yale School of Drama trained actor. Known for his powerful performances, he's a Tony and Emmy-award winner and starred in T...
Mahmoud El-Kati
Mahmoud El-Kati NONE Mahmoud El‑Kati is a lecturer, writer, and commentator on the African American experience. He specializes in African American history and advocates institution building within c...
Virginia Deberry and Donna Grant
Virginia Deberry and Donna Grant MULTIPLE Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant are best friends turned successful authors, known for their enduring collaboration in African American fiction. Both started...
Patrick M. Oliver
Patrick M. Oliver NONE Patrick Oliver is a program manager and literary consultant promoting literacy as empowerment. He hosts Literary Nation Talk Radio, is a publisher and editor, and has worked in...
Brooke Stephens
Brooke Stephens NONE Brooke Stephens is a seasoned Wall Street veteran and certified financial planner, with a rich career that includes roles at Chase and Citicorp. She holds degrees from Harvard, F...
Marcus Samuelsson
Marcus Samuelsson 0000000049972194 Marcus Samuelsson, celebrated chef known for appearances on Top Chef Masters and Iron Chef, earned a three-star review from The New York Times at a young age. He re...
Christian Keyes
Christian Keyes NONE Christian Keyes is a versatile actor, singer, and songwriter from Detroit, Michigan, recognized for his consistent performances in Tyler Perry's productions. He's also known for ...
Karin Tanabe
Karin Tanabe 0000000503863781 Karin Tanabe, a former Politico reporter and fiction writer, has contributed to numerous publications including The Chicago Tribune and The Washington Post. With a backg...
Ebony Dawn
Ebony Dawn NONE Ebony Dawn, also known as Pat Ebron, is a Newark native writer with a romantic perspective on life, influenced by old movies and diverse music. She has written plays, children's stori...
Sister Souljah
Sister Souljah 0000000083868534 Sister Souljah, born Lisa Williamson in 1964, is a multidimensional woman renowned as a community activist, radio and TV personality, hip-hop artist, and bestselling a...
Juanita Bynum
Juanita Bynum 000000004089322X Dr. Juanita Bynum, born on January 16, 1959, is a multifaceted personality - a televangelist, platinum gospel recording artist, NY Times bestselling author, TV and radi...
Harrine Freeman
Harrine Freeman NONE Harrine Freeman is a financial expert, speaker, writer, and CEO of H.E. Freeman Enterprises, a firm offering personal finance consulting services. She's a best-selling author kno...
Bonnie St. John
Bonnie St. John 0000000036620085 Bonnie St. John, the first African-American Winter Paralympic medalist, is a highly accomplished individual. Despite losing her leg at age five, she ventured into var...
Eugene Williams, Jr.
Eugene Williams, Jr. MULTIPLE Eugene Williams, Jr. is a versatile professional with experience as an educator, writer, motivational speaker, and actor. He's a former child actor, known for his role i...
Marley Dias
Marley Dias NONE “Diversity is more than just having one book where a black character is a slave.” Marley Dias, born in 2005, is a young author and literary activist known for launching th...
Jenifer Lewis
Jenifer Lewis 0000000114741342 “The Mother of Black Hollywood” Jenifer Lewis, renowned Hollywood actress, has starred in over 300 films and TV shows including ABC's Black-ish. She has als...
Flo Anthony
Flo Anthony NONE AALBC mourns the passing of Florence “Flo” Anthony Florence “Flo” Anthony, a pioneering African-American woman in sports and entertainment journalism, is a syndicated radio host and c...
Gerren Liles
Gerren Liles NONE Gerren Liles, a Morgan State University graduate and poet, uses his work to promote literacy and self-empowerment among black youth. A finalist for MTV's Real World: Hawaii, his poe...
Method Man and Sanford Greene
Method Man and Sanford Greene MULTIPLE Method Man, a Grammy-winning rapper and actor, is part of the Wu-Tang Clan and resides in New York. Sanford Greene, a renowned comics artist for DC Comics, Imag...
Goldie the Poet
Goldie the Poet NONE Goldie the Poet, a Bay-Area native and prominent alumnus of Leimert Park’s World Stage Poets, is a gifted actor and artist. With performances across the U.S. and Europe, his uniq...
Sandra Pinkney
Sandra Pinkney NONE Sandra L. Pinkney, an award-winning author and early childhood development expert, collaborates with her husband Myles to create multicultural children's books. Known for titles l...
Elona Washington
Elona Washington NONE Elona Washington, a DC native and best-selling author, is a sexual assault survivor turned advocate who has worked with RAINN since 2011. A successful publisher, TV host, and bl...
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...
Kennedy Ryan
Kennedy Ryan 0000000504460634 Kennedy Ryan, an award-winning author, uses her work to empower women and raise Autism awareness. As the first African American to win the RITA award, she leverages her ...
Miranda Paul
Miranda Paul NONE Miranda Paul is an award-winning author of children's books like One Plastic Bag and Water is Water, recognized by Junior Library Guild and Amazon. She regularly appears at educatio...
Kenya Hunt
Kenya Hunt NONE Kenya Hunt, Fashion Director at Grazia UK, has a vast career in media, working with top women's titles in the US and UK. An accomplished writer, her work is featured in various public...
Hana Ali
Hana Ali 0000000023085001 Hana Ali, born in 1976, is the third youngest child of Muhammad Ali and author of three books about her father's life. Known for her appearances in documentaries like 'I am ...
Yusef A. Salaam
Yusef A. Salaam NONE Yusef A. Salaam, a Harlem-born writer, contributes regularly to the New York Beacon and is a member of the National Writers Union. Known for his appearances on the Oprah Winfrey ...
Gina Yashere
Gina Yashere NONE Gina Yashere is a notable British comedian known for her appearances on TV shows in the UK and US, including The Tonight Show and The Daily Show. She's a co-creator, writer, and act...
Kathleen Cross
Kathleen Cross NONE Kathleen Cross is an author, educator, and speaker focused on racial and cross-cultural communication. Known for her appearances on shows like Oprah and Dr. Phil, she uses her bir...
Jamie Foxx
Jamie Foxx 0000000114506596 Jamie Foxx, born Eric Marlon Bishop, is an acclaimed actor, comedian, singer, musician, and producer from Terrell, Texas. He started in showbiz in 1989 and gained fame on ...
Julianne Malveaux
Julianne Malveaux 0000000021068830 Dr. Julianne Malveaux is a renowned economist, author, and commentator, lauded for her contributions to public discourse on race, culture, and gender. Currently the...
Ainissa Ramirez
Ainissa Ramirez 0000000401742786 Ainissa Ramirez, a materials scientist, public speaker, and science communicator, is a Brown and Stanford graduate. She's worked at Bell Labs, Yale University, and MI...
Robin L. Smith
Robin L. Smith 0000000052540907 Dr. Robin L. Smith is a licensed psychologist, famed NY Times bestselling author, and media personality, known for appearances on Oprah and Good Morning America. She h...
Michelle Singletary
Michelle Singletary 000000004572445X Michelle Singletary is a renowned personal finance columnist, author, and TV personality, celebrated for her practical financial advice. She writes the syndicated...
Les Brown
Les Brown 0000000116420577 Leslie “Les” Brown, born February 17, 1945, is a renowned motivational speaker, author, and former radio host. Despite his challenging upbringing, Brown has inspired millio...
Meta Smith
Meta Smith NONE "MÑta Smith is a multi-talented individual from Chicago with experience in acting, dancing, DJing, and writing. Having served in various roles in music, film, and philanthropy, she h...
Michael Datcher
Michael Datcher 0000000041395804 Michael Datcher is an award-winning poet, critic, and journalist. He co-hosts a weekly news magazine on 90.7 FM KPFK and his writing is widely anthologized. He's pres...
Chris Webber
Chris Webber 0000000031515227 Chris Webber was a five-time All-Star and a five-time All-NBA selection. In a career that spanned fifteen seasons, Webber is one of five NBA players to average at least ...
Brittany N. Williams
Brittany N. Williams NONE Brittany N. Williams is an award-nominated actress and the award-nominated author of the YA historical fantasy trilogy The Forge & Fracture Saga. She holds a BFA in Musical ...
Matthew Tyner, Sr.
Matthew Tyner, Sr. MULTIPLE Matthew (Matt) Tyner, Sr. is the author of Fast and Hard: From Addictions to Redemption. He is a man who has reinvented himself and has invested his second chance at life...
Benson George Cooke
Benson George Cooke NONE Benson George Cooke, Ed.D., is a Distinguished Professor of Counseling and Psychology and Director of the Graduate Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program in the Division ...
Ntozake Shange
Ntozake Shange 0000000110376632 Ntozake Shange was an educator, dancer, poet, and playwright, best known for her theatre piece 'For Colored Girls'. Born on October 18, 1948, she studied at Barnard Co...
Patrik Henry Bass
Patrik Henry Bass NONE Patrik Henry Bass, an award-winning journalist and Executive Editor at HarperCollins' Amistad, previously worked at Essence Magazine and has made appearances on notable media o...
Luke Tillman
Luke Tillman NONE Luke Tillman is a seven-year-old Michigan native and the youngest of four brothers. Since the age of two, Luke has expressed his love for Jesus and his passion for spreading the go...
Jalen Hurts
Jalen Hurts NONE Jalen Alexander Hurts (born August 7, 1998) is the star quarterback and 2025 Super Bowl MVP for the Philadelphia Eagles. Known for his exceptional leadership and work ethic, Hurts w...
J.J. Smith
J.J. Smith NONE JJ Smith is a certified nutritionist and weight-management specialist, renowned author, and inspirational speaker. Featured on multiple television shows and in high-profile publicatio...
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...
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 ...
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...