Amistad’s Impact on Black Books, Hurston/Wright Legacy Awards Announced, and More - 11/10/2021

Named a People Pick and in the vein of Roxane Gay’s Bad Feminist, Girl Gurl Grrrl: On Womanhood and Belonging in the Age of Black Girl Magic is a provocative, humorous, and, at times, heartbreaking collection of essays on what it means to be black, a woman, a mother, and a global citizen in today's ever-changing world. Now on sale in paperback wherever books are sold. Buy Now ▶

The Hurston/Wright Legacy Award™ honors the best in Black literature. Introduced in 2001, the Legacy Award was the first national award presented to Black writers by a national organization of Black writers. Fiction, debut fiction, nonfiction, and poetry honorees are selected in a juried competition. Check out all of the nominees, finalists, and winners ▶

We recently interviewed Tracy Sherrod, the Editorial Director of Amistad. Amistad is the premier publisher of multicultural fiction and nonfiction, this renowned imprint showcases award-winning novelists, celebrated cultural figures, and esteemed critics and scholars.

Amistad was founded as an independent press by Charles Harris in 1987. Listen to the entire interview, discover a part of Black book history, and learn how we can all help ensure important Black books are published and reach the hands of readers ▶

On Thursday, November 11, 2021, 7:30pm ET, the Center for Black Literature will host an evening with Uwem Akpan, author of New York, My Village.

Born in Akwa Ibom State in Nigeria, Uwem's short stories and autobiographical pieces have appeared in the special editions of The New Yorker, Oprah magazine, and other publications. In his immigrant story, New York, My Village, Uwem writes about the city with the same promise and pain we saw in his New York Times best-seller Say You're One of Them (2008) which was the 2009 Oprah Book Club selection. Say You're One of Them also won the Commonwealth Prize (Africa Region), the Open Book Prize, and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award. Register Now ▶

Dear Reader,

It was a pleasure to interview Tracy Sherrod, of Amistad, this past week. She, and her team, continues to expand upon Charles Harris’s legacy. Amistad’s impact on Black books is significant and extends throughout the Black book ecosystem. Maximizing shareholder wealth while being a positive contributor to Black culture is super difficult, but Sherrod does it as well as anyone I know.

Reader, you are why we’ve been able to make AALBC the premier online platform for books by, or about, people of African descent. Your paid subscription, book purchases, suggestions, engagement on the site, commenting, social sharing, and advertisements helps support AALBC’s mission.

Peace and Love,
Troy Johnson
Founder & Webmaster, AALBC.com

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★ AALBC.com eNewsletter – November 10, 2021 - Issue #340