Black Literature

Once a month I publish an eNewsletter which is emailed to about 16,000 subscribers. At one point, the number of subscribers was over 17,000 but over the last year or so I have lost more subscribers than I have gained. The biggest cause of the decrease is simply email addresses that have become invalid. The system that I use Madmimi will delete any email addresses where there was a "hard bounce". This is actually a good feature, as it help keep costs by purging bad email addresses. Madmimi charges you based upon the number of email addresses in your mailing list. In every newsletter I solicit and receive feedback. There are some issues which are raised often e…

AALBC mourns the passing of J. California Cooper: EBONY.com reports that she transitioned in Seattle, Washington, on September 20th 2014 Cooper was a great story teller. The last time I saw her was in 2009 this photo was taken a maybe a year or two earlier at the National Book Club Conference. I shot this video of her where she described a new book she was working on. As far as I know the book was never published, but this was also around the time when Black authors were beginning to see a reduction on book deals. Here is the video Strange. The only indication that I can find on the net is a small mention in Ebony Magazine--not a single…

I'm reading Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind I'm about 20% of the way through the book but it is a fascinating read about the history of humanity. What we have been taught in school does not scratch the surface...

Congratulations to this year's 5 Under 35 Honorees! The National Book Foundation is proud to announce its 2015 5 Under 35 Honorees: Colin Barrett, Angela Flournoy, Megan Kruse, Tracy O'Neill, and Azareen Van der Vliet Oloomi. Supported by a generous grant from Amazon Literary Partnerships, for the past ten years the 5 Under 35 program has recognized five promising young writers annually, each poised to make a tremendous impact on the literary landscape. Discover these five remarkable writers. LeVar Burton to host the 2015 5 Under 35 Ceremony The host of this year's 5 Under 35 ceremony is LeVar Burton, Curator-in-Chief & Host of Reading Rainbow…

If anyone is in the area, this weekend (Saturday, March 11th) I plan to attend the Punta Gorda Book Festival. The following weekend I plan to attend the South West Florida Reading Festival Saturday, (March 18th) in Fort Myers, Florida.

OREO, was originally published in 1974, is the only book written by Fran Ross, OREO, an AALBC.com bestselling book, tells the story of a young woman, nicknamed Oreo. I'm still collecting votes for your Favorite Black Authors of the 21st Century (I'll update the list with the most recent entries shortly). I have to eliminate a lot of authors because one of the rules is that the authors had to have been alive and published a book in the 21st century. Jimmy Baldwin would be at the top of the list give the number of votes he has received. Baldwin was #8 on the 20th Century List. Some submitted Fran Ross who passed in 1985. While Fran does not qualif…

Rinard Publishing would like to submit for review, The Twisted Crown (ISBN:978-0-9624012-4-4), a new novel of historical fiction by Anita Bunkley. Publication Date: September 1, 2018 Synopsis: Eva Phillips, a spirited young woman from Boston, travels into Post-Civil War South Carolina to search for the mother who gave her away. Her bold decision to trek across the ravaged South places Eva at the center of a dangerous web of lies, theft, and murder, entangling her in the lives of a black political activist fighting for the rights of the newly freed slaves, a handsome northern Carpetbagger out to profit from the chaos, a mysterious mulatto lead…

Motown. The Musical. Songbook,By. Berry. Gordy. From. Boxer ,To,Music. Legend,,Berry. Gordon. Recording Songs. By. Performees,Legendary. Performers. Not. A. Fan Of Berry. Gordy... Today. Is The Late Great , Levi. Stubbs. Birthday,Four -Tops..The,Temptations Movie,What Is Interesting. Otis -Williams,Was,The President And CEO Of The Temptations. The,,Group. Member. Without A Voice ,Controlled The Voices... The,Forgotten Late Great. Junior Walker,Sax Player,Is Equal. To,John-Coltrane,Bradford. Marsalis ,And. Other. Sax. Players......

CeCe and Roxy Books is an independent board book series written by former educator, wife and mother, Pascha Adamo, with the intention to help bridge the gap in the disparity between people of color as main characters in children's books. Adamo began writing the series after receiving numerous books for her first born's baby shower and realizing that the underrepresentation of people of color was statistically indicative of the current trends. Adamo wanted characters and books for her biracial child (now 5) to see and connect with. She also wanted to go beyond the literature norm of historical and cultural stereotypical content and feature a biracial character having every…

Found this interesting article in the Schomburg centres latest newsletter. https://www.nypl.org/blog/2020/03/19/new-york-public-library-first-black-librarian-catherine-latimer?utm_source=eNewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=SchomburgConnection20200325&utm_campaign=Schomburg

LBYR Contact: Marisa Russell, Executive Director of Publicity (212) 364-1548; marisa.russell@hbgusa.com Jerry Pinkney, Caldecott Medal–Winning Illustrator, 1939–2021 New York, NY (October 20, 2021)—Little, Brown Books for Young Readers is saddened to announce the passing of Jerry Pinkney, one of the most heralded children’s book illustrators of all time. The illustrator of more than one hundred books, he had the rare distinction of being the recipient of five Caldecott Honors and the winner of the 2010 Caldecott Medal for The Lion and the Mouse. He died at age eighty-two after a brief non-Covid-related illness on Wednesday, October 20, …

Interestingly the recently announced merger of Random House and Penguin Publishers, forming the largest publishing company the world has ever seen fail to generate any conversation on my regular online haunts. I could be the presidential elections was more than Black folks could think about for the last few weeks. Or if could be, in my circles at least, the two companies are largely inconsequential beyond talk of how a mediocre book like Fifty Shades of Grey could sell so many copies. I guess the "Big 6" are now the "Big 5": HarperCollins - Rupert Murdoch's, News Corporation Macmillan, owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck of Germany Hachette - Lagardère of France; …

Novels Pillorying Black Church Find Readers in Pews Books about a morally challenged minister find enthusiastic readers among churchgoers. From the October 5, 2013, New York edition of the New York Times By Samuel G Freedman In reaction to a presentation by author Kimberla Lawson Roby on during the Decatur Book Festival: “I am a fan of reality as opposed to hypocritism, if that’s the word,” he said. “The books, though they’re fiction, have a lot of truth in them. It does somewhat cast a negative light, and you worry that people will read the books and associate them with every minister. But it’s things that happen in the ministry and are swept under …

In Black Hollywood Unchained, Ishmael Reed gathers an impressive group of scholars, critics, intellectuals, and artist to examine and respond to the contemporary portrayals of Blacks in films. Using the 2012 release of the film Django Unchained as the focal point of much of the discussion, these essays and reviews provide a critical perspective on the challenges facing filmmakers and actors when confronted with issues on race and the historical portrayal of African American characters. Reed also addresses the black community’s perceptiveness as discerning and responsible consumers of film, theatre, art, and music. Twenty-eight contributors including this book’s editor, Is…

Some writers work all their life to produce the great american novel and others, such as Aziah "Zola" King (Wells), tells her story in 148 tweets and now may get a movie deal. According to a news report in The Guardian, James Franco is reported to have signed on to direct a "potentially controversial true-life drama based on a wild and unsavoury stripper road trip to Florida that went viral on Twitter." The viral twitter story is here but the one Franco is said to direct is based on the Rollingstone interview with Aziah "Zola" Wells. It is a fantastical tale about 4 on a road trip, "Zola" and Jessica who work at hooters, work as part-time strippers and part…

Lowell Hawthorne, President of Golden Crust, whose remarkable life was chronicled in his memoir, The Baker’s Son: My Life in Business, tragically took is own life Saturday. I met this Brother earlier in the year at a party for his publisher Akashic books. My initial take was a low key brother with a pleasant demeanor. I would never have known he was worth tens of millions of dollars. His business story was quite remarkable.

Looking for Science Fiction and Fantasy for us and by us? Check out my site, MVmedia, LLC. We specialize in Science Fiction and Fantasy based on African/African Diaspora culture, history and tradition. Check out our collection of Afrofuturism, Sword and Soul, Steamfunk, Cyberfunk and more. MVmedia, LLC

Hi, now that I am a member, I am resubmitting my request for a free book review on my recent political intrigue What Does It Profit (webpage- whatdoesitprofit.info.) The paperback is 346 pages and approximately 114,605 words. Thanks so much for your consideration. In summary: WHAT DOES IT PROFIT POLITICAL INTRIGUE * TIMELY FICTION * EASY READING * LOVE LOST * LOVE GAINED * ACTION The nation could hope again. Americans could trust a presidential candidate once again. Religious zealots believed he was the Messiah. Cynics wanted to grab onto him, someone tangible and greater their own sarcasm. Folks, in between, looked forward to the futur…

Good evening! I’m a British Nigerian family physician, independent mental health doctor and the author of The Durbar’s Apprentice, a historical fiction novel set in 17th century pre-colonial northern Nigeria. My debut novel is about a warrior and the trials of loyalty, betrayal and sacrifice he and his young apprentice must endure to prevent the bitter rivalry between two kingdoms descending into a bloody war. My beautiful and generous wife describes it as The Woman King meets King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. It’s available from bookstores worldwide in paperback, ebook and on Audible. The book was inspired by a painting my then infant son s…

topics Cento poems Around The Moon In 80 risings, fanfiction + photomanipulation Paying Attention, bettsfic writing workshop on tumblr, Poem + Stageplay How August Wilson Inspired me Books made by computer program Steven Barnes + Tananarive Due, only live stream in 2023 for scriptwriting Dates + the weather If you made it this far: stretching, harlem of yore, if the slave becomes the master, build your own website, https://rmnewsletter.over-blog.com/2023/06/08/27/2023-rmnewsletter.html

Zone. This. Book. About. A. Apocalypse. Zombie. Pandemic. ,,Book. By. Author. Colson Whitehead........

During an event featuring award winning author Ben Okri, he desribed a review he written about a book: He said he, in essence that he'd panned the book. The review was published and he felt the review was fair though he did not like the book. Ten years later he re-read the book, and he thought it was great. He was at a different place and was now able to appreciate the book. He really regretted writing that unfavorable book review. I wondered if anyone had written a favorable review of a book; only to realize over time that the book actually sucked. After the event; I spoke with someone who regularly writes reviews for major publications including the Washi…

Not even Jonathan Franzen, with yet another best-seller, can resist the gravitational pull of Oprah Inc. forever. Franzen, who famously rebuffed Oprah's 2001 effort to co-opt his novel, The Corrections, for her book club, has finally given in. Franzen went on Oprah yesterday. Neither he nor Oprah explained why, but other events (and press releases) make it clear that the interview was part of a deal between Harpo Productions and Google. Google is launching the marketing campaign for its new Ebookstore. Franzen's hot new book, Freedom, is one of the offerings. You have to pay for Franzen's book, but to help hype the launch, Google is highlighting the fact that two Dickens …

KINGS AND QUEEN OF URBAN LIT By Reeshemah Brightley Harlem World Magazine, June 2006 Three writers, three conversations, one mission—just how tough is it to get your literary treasure from your head to the page to a publisher to the street to an audience. It might have been a crazy day when I talked to Queen Pen, author of “Blossom” over the phone, but the chaotic day didn’t cool her passion. She wasn’t the only one in passionate mode, author K’wan, whose latest book is called “Eve”, had much to contribute as did HICKSON whose company GHETTOHEAT® is fast making its own mark. All three capture the newest literary genre to grace our streets and …

ZANE BOOKS , CHOCOLATE FLAVA, ZANE SEX CHRONICLES AND THE SISTERS OF APF, THE INDOCTRINE OF SOROR RIDE DICK..../

PW Select When you register, your book receives an announcement listing in PW Select--which is bound into issues of Publishers Weekly and appears online at publishersweekly.com. Every announcement listing includes bibliographic, marketing, and editorial information about your book--so you can promote it to booksellers, publishers, agents, and industry insiders. Additionally, every book listed in PW Select is automatically eligible for a review from Publishers Weekly. From the hundreds of books listed in each PW Select, approximately 25 percent are selected by our editors for a review. And, all authors registering with PW Select receive a six-month digital subscription…

Thanks for participating in the kickoff for my new book Ratchet Woman. Over 8,400 copies of the book were downloaded during the free promotion that has ended. Initial reviews were all 4 and 5 stars. It's not free anymore but it's still available. http://amzn.to/12tx5Fk Reviews for Ratchet Woman

With more than two million books in print, the Founders of Brown Girls Books created Writer’s Pro Workshops — a series of digital workshops to encourage, motivate, inspire, and teach aspiring, new, and veteran authors. With nearly 20 years in the literary industry, Victoria Christopher Murray and ReShonda Tate Billingsley each bring a wealth of experience to these workshops. Both maintain a commitment to the craft of writing and remain viable forces in the publishing industry. ReShonda Tate Billingsley is the national bestselling author of more than 35 books, including Let the Church Say Amen, which was made into a movie and premiered on BET in August, 2015. The movie was…

7th Day of #BlackHistoryMonth The QBR 100 Essential Black Books

The Top 10 Black Panther Books #readingblack

Hello, My name is Carla Brice-Talley, and I would like to request a review of my first novel, Tara's Touch. The author of this work is Carla Brice-Talley. Tara's Touch is available on Amazon (ISBN-13: 978-1947373150). It was published January 2019. Here is an image of the book cover. A mesmerizing saga of Tara, whom we meet as a sixteen year-old run-away and former-foster child determined to keep her son from entering the system that shaped her life with loneliness and insecurity. A combination of perseverance, goodwill, divine benevolence, and love transforms Tara's life from that of a poor, powerless girl to the life of an enterprisin…

SeeSaw (A Memoir) details "truths" of eye disorders, eye surgery with it's unsatisfactory results. And not one specialists, attorney or the state gives a damn. What was taken from me, man cannot replace. Only God can restore ones eyesight, only HIM! Dedicated to some that suffer with visual eye conditions; and those whom are not aware of having a visual eye condition Pterygium is a dry eye condition of the cornea. specialists deem this eye condition to be the result of sun-rays. Many specialists say the condition arrives from being in the western part of the world. None are evident; merely their myths. Dry eyes development is unknown …

Good day, I am writing to inquire about a book reveiw. I have a children's book that I would like reviewed. Thank you. roroproduction@aol.com www.rororainbowcommunications.com

Hello, I am writing to submit my children's book for review. Title: What's That? My First Numbers in Twi and English Publisher: Alikobooks ISBN: 978-0-9825249-3-0 Format: Hardcover Website: https://www.alikobooks.com

The image of Barack Obama (by himself) was sent to me a few moments ago. I do not believe that Obama struck this pose accidentally; I'm curious why he did it. Surely Obama does not fancy himself as modern day El Haji Malik Shabazz X, or does he? Maybe is was just a coincidence...

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In. A. Interstellar. War. A. New. Weapon. Language. Called. Babel - 17,,Can. Be. Used... Book. By. Samuel. Delany ...

Commission The Aevemor from TheBootesArtVoid Black and white https://www.deviantart.com/hddeviant/art/Commission-TheBootesArtsVoid-04-26-2023-b-w-960001249 Colored version https://www.deviantart.com/hddeviant/art/Commission-TheBootesArtsVoid-04-26-2023-color-960000846 If you like the work, commissions are open microcalligraphy https://www.deviantart.com/hddeviant/commission/Microcalligraphy-signatures-1487995

topics The fifty-second of the Cento series. A cento is a poem made by an author from the lines of another author's work. In the series I place my cento and a link to the other authors poem. Mother of the Wasteland- photomanipulation Fractal Lens - fractal generator on Black games elite Dates IF YOU MADE IT THIS FAR: WCL - CPU Opponents Update ; mechanical woven origami ; Book of Clarence from Movies that Move We ; Toulouse Lautrec showing ; Cheynader q&A ; hilarious trick from a wife ; jesse washington 1916 URL https://rmnewsletter.over-blog.com/2023/10/05/19/2024-rmnewsletter.html

Hue-Man Bookstore October Events October 8 6-8PM Chinelo Okparanta's CUNY'S BLACK STUDIES DEPARTMENT "Under the Udala Tree could easily be th front runner for the most important novel of 2015." Narrated by Ijeoma, a mid-century child coming of age in the wake of Nigeria's civil war, the voice finds power in its restraint. With steadfast contemplation, Okparanta reveals the ugliness and far-reaching damage of a society that criminalizes love, damage that rivals the carnage of war. Cinelo Okparanta is the author of Happiness, Like Water. Her honors include an O. Henry Prize, a Lambda Award, and finalist selections for the Young Lions, the Caine Prize, and the…

I'm Jillian Bradfield, a fairly new children's book author in Atlanta, GA. I recently published my first piece, a guided journal/ coloring activity book for preteen girls. The goal of the journal is to encourage young girls to express themselves by writing. I provide weekly writing prompts that cover topics such as , self esteem, communication between other young girls, sex, life choices, etc. This journal is the first of many more to come under the JilleyBean Books line of children's books. I would love for you all to review journal! This is a great gift for preteen to teenage girls. Link to purchase: http://amzn.to/writeongirl

Hello, My name is Carla Brice-Talley, and I would like to request the review of my book, The Seven Year Wait. The Seven Year Wait is available on Amazon (ISBN-13: 978-1947373181) and was published June of 2019. It is my second novel. Here is an image of the cover. Summary: Joseph Claron was a young handsome engineer with a flourishing career and strong Christian faith before his life was turned completely upside down. Maya Lawrence is a smart, beautiful lawyer whose accomplishments and personal disappointments have left her distant from the pure faith she once knew as a child. Joseph needs help to address the grave injustice that has overtaken his l…

Synopsis: For thousands of years, West African griots (men) and griottes (women) have recited the stories of their people. Without this tradition Bettye Kearse would not have known that she is a descendant of President James Madison and his slave, and half-sister, Coreen. In 1990, Bettye became the eighth-generation griotte for her family. Their credo—“Always remember—you’re a Madison. You come from African slaves and a president”—was intended to be a source of pride, but for her, it echoed with abuses of slavery, including rape and incest. Confronting those abuses, Bettye embarked on a journey of discovery—of her ancestors, the nation, and herself. She learned that w…

All. Black. Lives Matter. Part One. Trapping. Enslaved. Minds. White-Supremacy. Biggest. Weapon. Is. Religion. . I. Agree. That. Is. Why. I-Aim. At. The. Black. Church. And. Preachers. Black. Political,NAACP-Condones. Religious. Slave. Chains.. Book. By. Monica. Tullis ..

Eric Jerome Dickey was one of the few constants in publishing. He published his first novel about a year before I started AALBC and was less than a year older than me. Eric's fortunes in the book world far exceeded mine, but he always remained a down to Earth Brother and had a smile for everyone he greeted. The last time I saw him was in 2018 at the National Black Book Festival in Houston. We did not get a chance to talk but he shouted me out during his presentation (pictured below). I figured I'd see him again later in the day or at the next event. We frequently crossed paths as Eric participated in many events on "the c…

Hey everybody, Thanks to Troy for allowing me to join you. I'm Veronica G. Henry and I'm an author. I've written 4 books so far, all listed in my bio. My latest release (March) is The Canopy Keepers. It's a genre-bender with something for everyone. Literary fiction fans, climate fiction, a little science and fantasy mixed in. It's the first of a duology (A Breathless Sky is scheduled for a Dec release - pray for me :-)). I would be honored if you would give it a read. Sequoia National Park, a black fire station chief, and an environment (and their champion) ready to fight back.

Coming Soon March - Vernal equinox 20th at 5:01am E.S.T. or UTC-5 14 Full Worm Moon- larvae appear from the reduction in the cold in the northern hemisphere; Moon Eclipse, the earth's shadow will be completely over the moon, meaning the earth is blocking the light of the sun, but the light of the sun reflects off the earth as well, and that light still interacts with the moon; Moon's center and earth's center are on the equatorial plane extended ; Moon crossing north to the south the path of the sun in the sky, the ecliptic; Mercury appear stationary in the sky MY LINKTREE https://aalbc.com/tc/clubs/page/2-rmworkposts/ RM WORK CA…

OHIO PLAYER Coming Of Age… When I was nine-years-old, I’d known early on in my heart that I was my own man. While most of my friends in Cleveland were running to the store for older guys in the projects, or holding their drugs and guns, I was out stealing and hustling to make ends meet. On several occasions, grown dudes had approached me in my hood with propositions or intimidation tactics, but every time I’d declined, assuring them that I WAS MY OWN MAN! It cost me a few war wounds, but I’d also earned my respect! At age twelve, I’d made a name for myself and influenced my peers to stand on their own. They’d stopped making the constant store runs…

Death of the Black Owned, Independent, Bookstore http://aalbc.it/deathboibs The title of my article may seem rather bleak, but if you look at the data this is exactly where we are headed -- and fast.

PEACE & GHETTOHEAT®, WORLDWIDE! I HOPE YOU'RE ALL DOING WELL AND ENJOYING YOUR SUMMER, AS I’M STILL CELEBRATING THE 9-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF GHETTOHEAT®! I'M EXCITEDLY EMAILING TO INFORM YOU THAT, LOVE DON'T LOVE NOBODY, THE FAST-PACED, SUSPENSEFUL STREET THRILLER BY STUBBS, IS NOW IN PRODUCTION, & GHETTOHEAT® IS ACCEPTING PRE-ORDERS. ALL PRE-ORDERS WILL BE FILLED BEFORE THE OFFICIAL FALL 2012 RELEASE OF THE E-BOOK, AS WELL AS THE PAPERBACK LAUNCH, SPRING 2013, & I’M ALLOWING YOU FAITHFUL READERS OF GHETTOHEAT® BOOKS, THE CHANCE TO OBTAIN THIS PAGE-TURNING GRITTY TALE, BASED IN CLEVELAND, OHIO, FIRST! FOR ORDER FORMS, SEND ALL INQUIRIES AND REQUESTS TO HICKSON@GH…