Black Literature

Poll for Where Are They Now: Charlie Brown Pick your favorite https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdwDjM25vrWzzzVOsbUxcWr0T_Axy1xml-TEbxopcOuY46-0g/viewform?usp=publish-editor

Hello All, I just read the news that the poet Lucille Clifton is dead, http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100214/ap_on_en_ot/us_obit_clifton May she rest in peace.

Im part of a reading challenge on NING and I thought I would share my list I will read over the next 90 days: 1. Betsey Brown / Ntozake Shange 2. The Street / Ann Petry 3. The Salt Eaters / Toni Cade Bambara 4. Brown Girl, Brownstones / Paule Maeshall 5. Blood On The Leaves/Jeff Stetson 6. Sinful / Victor McGlothin 7. Trail Of Crumbs / Kim Sunee 8. Sweeter The Juice / Shirlee Taylor Haizlip 9. Destination Romance /6 authors 10. Standing At The Scratch Line / Guy Johnson 11. Echoes Of A Distant Summer / Guy Johnson 12. Keeping the Faith / Faith Evans 13. Red Hats / Damon Wayans 14. Who Fears Death / Nne…

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The latest African American Literature Book Club newsletter is out - full of book reviews, author profiles, film reviews, interviews and more. Read it and share it.

More than 2,400 authors profiled, as AALBC.com website upgrade continues. When I first started AALBC.com website upgrade I hoped to have everything completed by March to coincide with our 18th anniversary, but as I designed and implemented the newly designed content management system, I finding I'm introducing far more content than I'm migrating. So the whole upgrade will probably take a year to complete. For you project managers out there this is classic case scope creep, but it all good as I'm doing things with the site I could not have imaged when I started. I'm also discovering tons of great writers and books.

#GHETTOHEAT THERE AREN'T ENOUGH KIND WORDS THAT I CAN SAY ABOUT THIS BEAUTIFUL MAN, PRINCE OSIRIS: PERSONALLY OR PROFESSIONALLY! THE NICEST, MOST CARIN' & GENEROUS, LOVIN', SWEETEST PERSON I'VE EVER KNOWN! THE TYPE OF PERSON WHO WANTED THE BEST FOR YOU: & YOUR ENEMIES: & HE DID! I DIDN'T KNOW WHEN YOU CALLED ME THAT IT WOULD BE OUR LAST CHAT! I WAS HAVIN' A HORRIBLE DAY, YET AS USUAL, YOU BROUGHT OUT THE BEST IN ME, GIVIN' GREAT WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT! THOUGH TAKEN AWAY TOO SOON, YOU'LL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN: YOU WERE TOO MUCH OF A STAND UP DUDE TO EVER BE FORGOTTEN! YOU'LL ALWAYS BE MY GHETTOHEAT PRINCE! REST IN PARADISE, I KNOW YOU MADE IT FOR SURE: P…

This was an article I published just a few years ago . It lists 50 websites for book lovers. It includes corporate websites and large indies sites well, not are Black owned, expect my site. While checking the links I discovered more than 1/3 were not longer active. Honestly, this does not come as a surprise, because I know Black book websites have been clobbered and white-owned websites are not completely immune to the challenges that plague Black sites, they just have a much larger audience and broader support. Still, the loss of so many sites is a troubling because, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, it just reflects a trend of the online book w…

40 terrific books were nominated for NAACP Image Awards. Several are AALBC Bestsellers! Congratulations to all the authors and publishers.

Hey y'all, Just wanted to give a heads up about a Publisher's Weekly review for my novel, "Robert Johnson's Freewheeling Jazz Funeral." This is the second really good review I've received from PW. If you're out there writing, and the publishing world isn't giving you the time of day, it's not necessarily cuz your work ain't good enough. The publishing world isn't really all that interested in a lot of strong black voices; they have a couple of us, and they're sticking with that same old "we already have our black people" model. Get your work out there. Peace! https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-5399-6776-7

Whilst reading the autobiography of Leroi Jones, Baracka himself mentioned a David Henderson poem that he was very impressed with. The poem itself was based on the 1964 Impressions hit, Keep on Pushing. Anyway, Henderson was a co founder of the Black Arts movement and I was 'aware' of his name but couldn't quite place him. After some minor research, the penny dropped. He wrote a biography on Jimi Hendrix ( which I've just ordered) and De Mayor of Harlem. I think he was partly responsible for the 1968 book, Black Fire: an Anthology of Afro American Writing. My first port of call was here for some information on Henderson but I couldn't seem to find him in…

My debut picture book, Let's Dance!, was released on March 3rd. I was fortunate to have a wonderful launch celebration on March 7th, but a week later, everything was closed due to the pandemic -- all events canceled. My book is a celebration of dances from around the world and the diverse children who enjoy them. I'm grateful that my editor honored my request to "make sure there are a lot of brown kids in the book." Let's Dance! is full of joy and energy and provides a great distance learning movement break. I've been reinventing myself as a virtual author and would appreciate your support in any way possible. Letting people know about my book wou…

20TH LEGACY AWARDS CEREMONY ANNOUNCES WINNERS, FINALISTS, MERIT HONOREES The Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Foundation announced the winners and finalists of the 2021 Legacy Awards and paid tribute to three pioneers in the Black literary community: Author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, best known for her novels Americanah and Half of a Yellow Sun; Ibram X. Kendi, an author, historian, and anti-racist scholar; and the Calabash International Literary Festival, a literary festival with roots in Jamaica. Author Tiphanie Yanique presented the North Star Award – the foundation’s highest honor for career accomplishment and inspiration to the writing communi…

Hello, I'd like to put forth the book The True Story of Vanilla: How Edmond Albius Made History for review consideration. Title: The True Story of Vanilla: How Edmond Albius Made History Author: Ann Richards Illustrator: Arden Taylor Publication Date: May 13, 2025 Publisher: Orca Book Publishers ISBN: 9781459838444 Price: $24.95 Page Count: 104 Age range: 9-12 Format: Hardcover Genre: Biography ABOUT THE BOOK: In 1841, a 12-year-old enslaved boy, Edmond Albius, made history when he discovered how to hand-pollinate vanilla plants using a bamboo twig. Until that time, only bees in Mexico could pol…

BOOK CALLED PLAN B BY CHESTER HIMES. ABOUT IN HARLEM, A BLACK COMMUNITY LEADER TRIES TO STIR UP RACIAL TENSION TO FORCE RACE RELATIONS.///ONCE INTERVIEWED, CHESTER HIMES SAID,WHITE PEOPLE DO NOT GIVE THOUGHT OF WHAT WOULD HAPPEN WITH A BLACK PEOPLE UPRISING IN AMERICA.///I DISAGREE/ I AGREE WITH MALCOLM X/DIVIDE AND CONQUER///FROM A WHITE THOUGHT/BLACK PEOPLE HAVE BEEN DIVIDED BY SKIN COLOR,DARK SKIN VERSUS LIGHT SKIN/BLACK MAN VERSUS BLACK WOMAN//OLD VERSUS YOUNG////CONFINED IN POVERTY BLACK VIOLENCE//RELIGION////BLACK PEOPLE READING THE BIBLE/NOT AGREEING WHAT IT SAYS....//FINANCE//BLA…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tuesday, 22 April 2014 Fifteenth Caine Prize shortlist Announced The shortlist for the 2014 Caine Prize for African Writing has been announced today (Tuesday 22 April) by Nobel Prize winner and Patron of the Caine Prize Professor Wole Soyinka, as part of the opening ceremonies for the UNESCO World Book Capital 2014 celebration in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. To commemorate fifteen years of the Caine Prize this year, £500 will be awarded to each shortlisted writer. The Chair of judges, award-winning author Jackie Kay MBE described the shortlist as, “Compelling, lyrical, thought-provoking and engaging. From a daughter's unusual way of…

PEACE & GHETTOHEAT®! BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE AROUND THE GLOBE, THE GHETTOHEAT® FUN CONTINUES, AS I INVITE YOU ALL ONLINE TO JOIN ME FOR MELODIC MONDAY MELODIOUS MEDLEY 2015, NOVEMBER 30TH! I, HICKSON, CEO OF GHETTOHEAT® & GHETTOHEAT® TV WILL BE CHATTING WITH YOU ALL AROUND THE WORLD ALL DAY WHILE TAKING GHETTOHEAT® BOOK ORDERS, & PLAYING SOME GREAT MUSIC FOR US ALL TO BOOGIE TO, WHILE IN MY GHETTOHEAT® HOTNESS GROUP! TIS THE SEASON TO BE GHETTOHEAT®! :0) I HAVE GREAT GHETTOHEAT® BOOKS, & GHETTOHEAT®: THE HOTNESS IN THE STREETS!!!™ MAGAZINE (MAGAZINE IN BOTH DIGITAL & PRINT—RECEIVE FREE DIGITAL VERSION WHEN PURCHASING PRINT COPY), FOR YOU ALL TO DELVE …

33rd Day of ‪#‎BlackHistoryMonth‬: From Columbus To Castro: The History Of The Caribbean 1492-1969 by Eric Williams

Hi, My name is LaWann Moses and I am requesting a review of my first book, "Rising Above Statistics: Success Against All Odds". It is available on my website as well as Amazon (Paperback and/or Kindle). You can also read it as part of Kindle Unlimited program. This is inspirational and motivational book designed to help the reader remember and live out their goals and dreams. It is a quick, easy read for the everyday reader in need of a little inspiration. Please read below to find out more about my book as well as the link to purchase. REVIEW REQUEST Title: Rising Above Statistics: Success Against All Odds Author: LaWann Moses Link…

Kimberla was one of the first authors I photographed back in 1999 at the African American Cultural Expo, which used to be held in Philadelphia. Here she is holding a copy of her first novel Here and Now, which was published just a few months earlier, in 1998, by Kensington Publishing. I've watched Kimberla "blow up" into one of America's most popular authors. She is the #6 all-time bestselling author on AALBC.com. She also made that other bestsellers list, the New York Times -- I don't even know how many times. Her Reverend Curtis Black series, which started in 2000, will come to and end this summer. The series included 15 novels -- …

Some of your readers might be interested in A Balm in Gilead: Eulogies of Comfort (ISBN13: 978-1-946111-95-1), my anthology of African American funeral sermons that was published in Nov., 2019. Each chapter begins with my historical and rhetorical introduction and continues with the sermon. The book is annotated and indexed appropriately. My contributors are Winston George Bennett III, George and Shirley Burke, Robert O'Keefe Hassell, Gerald J. Joiner, Martin Luther King Jr., Nicole Danielle McDonald, Barack Hussein Obama II, and Pompey. Even if you get only through the title of my intro chapter (The partial acculturation of American funerary practice), you will be …

Aspiring Writers Toolkit: (1) Silence your internal critic - Writers allegedly possess a unique tendency to inadvertently become their own worse enemies in the blink of an eye. Think about it, how many times have you established a solid workflow that was thwarted by thoughts of not being "good enough?" In complete transparency, I've rewritten this sentence four times and double-checked the Merriam-Webster dictionary to verify that the hyphen truly belongs between the words double and checked (sigh). Allow those insecurities to fuel self-confidence and real swagger. My college coach always said, "Don't allow perfection to stop progression." On second thought, t…

The. Conductor. Underground Railroad. With. Some. Magic. .Book. By. Author. Nichol. Glover....

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MV Media Announces A Palmetto Christmas, a Cozy Christmas novel by Milton J. Davis [Fayetteville, Georgia] – July 1, 2024 – Mvmedia is proud to announce the upcoming release of A Palmetto Christmas, a ‘cozy Christmas novel by award winning author. Milton J. Davis. Facing Christmas in an empty nest, Laura and Stanley Jacobs decide to do something they’ve always dreamed of— rent a massive beach home on Sea Island, South Carolina, their favorite vacation destination. However, a series of unexpected circumstances, finds them with a house full when youngest daughter Shelly shows up from Germany with her new boyfriend D…

Thoughts Kobo Audio Book Sale- from 12am September 1st to September 30th https://www.kobo.com/p/binge-worthy-audiobooks-sale?utm_source=KWL&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=KWL+Sale+2025 Some of my books on sale, free excerpts are available for each on the page. Kobo app is free to get and exist on all platforms. https://www.kobo.com/us/en/audiobook/the-visasiki-complete-version https://www.kobo.com/us/en/audiobook/poetry-or-more-2017-jul-dec https://www.kobo.com/us/en/audiobook/poetry-or-more-2017-jan-jun https://www.kobo.com/us/en/audiobook/poetry-or-more-2015-2016 https://www.kobo.com/us/en/audiobook/the…

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This story in the New York Times today is really close to my heart. Apparently, THE NATIONAL BLACK THEATER OF HARLEM where I performed last May, is facing foreclosure. NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE I wish to God there was something I could do!! The Curator, Nobi, has become a dear friend to me and he's one of the best Black Men I have ever met on earth! I was given the largest theater (without paying a cent) and my show failed to make back the entire $4,000 rental cost of the theater. All productions have to pay this PER NIGHT! Nobi waved the charges. He was so moved by my presentation that he said I now had a "permanent home" at the NBT and …

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Virtual Blog Tour new ebook INSIGNIFICANT OTHERS with bestselling authors Pynk and Carol Taylor We’re organizing a virtual blog tour for the new ebook INSIGNIFICANT OTHERS a collaboration of bestselling authors Pynk and Carol Taylor. This dynamic storytelling duo are joining forces to combine their vibrant voices and fervent fan bases in a series of erotic novellas. Tour dates are July 8th - 12th. If you would like to be part of this tour, please email us atmarketing@insatiablepress.com by June 14th 2013 and make note of the following guidelines: Pynk and Carol Taylor are willing to do Q&As and guest blogs posts. Guest blog requests are on a first-co…

Also, on Monday May 4th, we are interviewing Anika Noni Rose who stars in this film. If you have any questions for her please post them in a reply below. In Theaters: May 16, 2014 (Limited Release) R, 1 hr. 53 min., Drama, Directed By: Biyi Bandele, Written By: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Staring: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Thandie Newton, Anika Noni Rose, John Boyega About the Film Olanna (Thandie Newton) and Kainene (Anika Noni Rose) are glamorous twins from a wealthy Nigerian family. Upon returning to a privileged city life in newly independent 1960s Nigeria after their expensive English education, the two women make very different choices. Olanna shocks her f…

THERE IS A BOOK CALLED, CHRISTMAS IN THE BIG HOUSE,CHRISTMAS IN THE QUARTERS,BY PATRICIA MCKISSICK,FRED MCKISSICK AND JOHN THOMPSON./ALWAYS WONDERED WHAT CHRISTMAS WAS LIKE ON PLANTATIONS..THE SLAVES HELPING FIX UP THE SLAVE MASTERS HOUSE...READ ON BOOK SUMMARY SLAVES HAD MORE FOOD AT CHRISTMAS TIME..SOME SLAVES SAW THIS , CHRISTMAS AS A TIME TO PLAN A ESCAPE FROM THE PLANTATION.....HOUSE NEGROES AND FIELD NEGROES ,DIFFERENT VIEW OF THINGS./////THIS BOOK SEEMS INTERESTING////BLACK PEOPLE AT THIS TIME HAVE A DIFFERENT VIEW OF THINGS, LIKE THE HOUSE AND FIELD NEGROES BACK IN TIME..../

34th Day of ‪#‎BlackHistoryMonth‬: Dr. William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, Author, Sociologist, Historian, Civil Rights Activist, Pan-Africanist, and Editor

There Is A Book Called For White Folks Who .Teach In. The --,Hood .Author Talks About The Perception ,Opinion ,That --,Children Of Color ,Are Un teachable..Assuming Inner -City,Schools. Book .By Terrance Hayes .Have Not Read It. I -.Was,Looking At Books By Black Authors.

Oprah has a new selection coming out February 6th. Booksellers are not allowed to sell, loan, or display the book before the pub date. Right now they won't even say what the title of the book is or who the author is. All I have is the ISBN13: 9781616208776. If I knew the author was Black I might consider adding it to my database. Google say the publisher is Workman Publishing; which technically one could derive from the ISBN. I can't believe this is that serious. It is just a book... On another front Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House hit the selves earlier than expected. I had no intention of adding the book to the site, but my aunt…

Black. Anglo-Saxon. By. Nathan. Hare. His. Opinion. ,Black. Middle-Class,Their. Role And. Responsibility. As Advocates. For. All. ,African-Americans...

Black. Women. And. Anthology. ,About. Black. Women. Who. Are,Writers,Poets,Activist. Book. By. Toni. Cade Bambara ....

Greetings, I am Mary E Sims and I had my 1st book titled "Going Home Another Way" reviewed by Raw Sistaz in 2003. Since then I've written several books and have helped many friends to publish their books. I helped Harold E. Toliver publish his 1st book in Oct. of last year. The book is a collection of quotes from the King James Bible and other inspirational books from his library. The words in this book were written and arranged to remind the reader of the wisdom and knowledge the Universe holds for us to enlighten our minds, heart and soul. While reading this book, he hopes you will find the strength to become the best you can be in the days and times we are living…

Nadula hair store supplies real human hair wigs for black women, if you are interested in them, you can visit the website: https://www.nadula.com

Baby. Girl. Born. With. Magic. Powers. Goes. On. A. Quest. To. End,Violence. Against. Her. People. Book. By. Nnedi Okorafor ..

In False Promises, the fight for Black voting rights in Ohio comes alive through narratives of men of color who defied the state’s nineteenth-century restrictions on suffrage. Though ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment ostensibly extended the franchise, state election laws still forced men of color into a perilous struggle for full citizenship. Ric S. Sheffield depicts their courage and determination, revealing their humanity through stories of sacrifice, resistance, and hope. Learn more about the book at https://www.ohioswallow.com/9780804012577/false-promises/

Black writers in a ghetto of the publishing industry's making by Bernice McFadden http://runt.it/bernicemac My debut novel, "Sugar," was also published by a Penguin imprint. Set in the 1950s South, the story line deals with racism and celebrates the power of friendship and acceptance. The original cover depicted a beautiful black woman standing behind a screen door. "Sugar" was marketed solely to African American readers. This type of marginalization has come to be known among African American writers as "seg-book-gation." This practice is not only demeaning but also financially crippling. When I looked into why works by African American writers were packaged and ma…

Valerie Wilson Wesley April 28, 2012 HBF Newark Bruce Welch author of "They Made Me an Addict: An American Tale" J.M. Benjamin Author of the "Ride or Die Chick" series Wahida Clark the Official Queen of Street Lit Amiri Baraka Tribute at the HBF Newark (This was a really good event) There are more coming...

Read the First Issue Vol. 1 April 2013 In April 2013 C&B Distribution published its first issue of Writers' World Newspaper. This publication is a resource for self-published and established authors to exchange opinions on literature. Readers will be provided with unique and motivational articles, ideas and resources to further enhance their lives. This paper will be distributed every three months to different venues such as "April is Book Month in Queens" & The Harlem Book Fair, The Queens Book & Health Fair Events, various libraries, high schools, colleges, banks, book stores, supermarkets, restaurants, news stands, and grocery stores. C&B Distr…

Ishmael Reed wrote this article in today's Wall Street Journal Much of the article deals with the importance of the American Book Awards (ABA) in contrast to the National Book Awards (NBA). Reed describes the American Book Awards as more inclusive. The early days of the 34-year-old award as follows: "We held our first awards ceremony at The West Side Community Center through the arrangement of poet and Miles Davis biographer Quincy Troupe. Among that first group of winners, in nineteen eighty, was the late poet Jayne Cortez. Joseph Papp, director of the Public Theater, sponsored the second annual awards.The event was hosted by Troupe. Among the presenters …

As I migrate, and update, content from the old version of AALBC.com to the new version I have the pleasure of re-discovering some really accomplished people and ogrnaizations in publishing. As corny as it might sound, that is one of the reasons I sacrifice to run AALBC.com The folks running Good 2 Go Publishing, are just one example a business accomplishing a lot. They are making films, publishing books, and are also a long term sponsor of AALBC.com. Companies like Good 2 Go, should be well known. But hey, that what AALBC.com is for

FYI Leona M. <lfmcelvene@earthlink.net> Sep 26 to Leona Greetings, Listed below, please find links to three (3) video clips (ranging from 18 to 30 minutes in length) that I recorded on Tuesday, *September 20,* *2016*during the* “**Black Bookstores**, Publishers and Print Media: Present Conditions” **Panel Discussion* *event, featuring **Tdka Kilimanjaro, Ph.D.**(Co-Author, “African Time” Volume 1 & 2), **Beverly Smith** (Publisher, Detroit Smart Pages Business Newspaper), **Edward “Ed” Vaughn* (*Long-time Activist/Organizer, Businessman, Politician, **Former Executive Assistant to Detroit Mayor Coleman …

Agrippa Hill. Black. Soldier. In. The. Revolutionary. War..Pictures,Places,Events,And. People,About. His. Life..Black. Warriors,Book. About. The All. Negro ,Division. In. World. War 2..Agrippa Hill. ,By. Charles. Rivers.....

"Michael Taylor’s book is written for those who feel that they are being held back from pursuing their dream because of negative literature and a culture that tend to be more pessimistic than supportive. In this book, he presents a road map to success and offers a step-by-step guide on building a business. The writing is strong, the voice confident, and the message filled with insights that enlighten and wake readers up to face their lives with courage and boldness. The New Face of Entrepreneurship: An Entrepreneurs Guide to Joy, Passion and Profits in Business is about acquiring the right mindset that enables success in both business and life, filled with personal, spiri…

Women. Talks. About. Being. Black. And. Black. Conscious. Book. By. Breeze. Harper...

Author Rick Jones has done a brilliant job of conveying a universal theme in his newly released book, "God's Road To Manson & Me." ISBN-13 : 978-1647730840, published January 19, 2021. "For nothing shall be impossible with God..." "Why me, God?" I asked. "Because only you can do this," the Holy Spirit replied. This is the true and compelling story about how walking in faith, hand in hand down GOD'S ROAD opened my eyes to a world for which I had no blueprint. GOD'S ROAD to Manson and Me will allow you to experience my incredible journey in which I endured many trials, tests, and tribulations, finally arriving many years later at my appointed de…