African American Author - KOLUMN Magazine

Celebrating The Lives of People of Color

James Baldwin: Living in Fire by Bill V Mullen review – a smart, concise introduction | The Guardian

November 15, 2019November 26, 2019African American Activist, African American Author

A brisk account of the African American writer’s insights on race, class and sexuality, which are more relevant than ever

Public memorial for the great Toni Morrison set for November 21 in NYC | Lithub

November 13, 2019November 13, 2019African American Author

If you are in New York City on Thursday, November 21 you have the good fortune to be able to honor one of the truly great American writers, the late Toni Morrison. Morrison, who died on August 5 at the age of 88, will be memorialized at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine on […]

Sweetness | The New Yorker

November 7, 2019November 7, 2019African American Author, African American Literature

It’s not my fault. So you can’t blame me. I didn’t do it and have no idea how it happened. It didn’t take more than an hour after they pulled her out from between my legs for me to realize something was wrong. Really wrong. She was so black she scared me. Midnight black, Sudanese […]

Ernest J. Gaines, Author of The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, Dead at 86 | The Root

November 7, 2019November 7, 2019African American Author, African American History

Ernest J. Gaines, a MacArthur fellow best known for the book The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, died at his home in Oscar, La., Tuesday. He was 86. [mc4wp_form id=”6042″] In an obituary on their website, the Ernest J. Gaines Center at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, described the author as leaving behind a […]

Lupita Nyong’o Wrote a Book For Girls of Color to “See More Dark Skin in a Beautiful Light” | POPSUGAR

October 3, 2019October 5, 2019African American Author, African American Literature ...

Chanel-Vargas, POPSUGAR Image Source: Amazon. Featured Image Lupita Nyong’o is now a published author, and her children’s picture book Sulwe — which means star in her native language Luo — sends a powerful and much-needed message to girls of color.

Biography of Gwendolyn Brooks, the People’s Poet | ThoughtCo

September 26, 2019September 26, 2019African American Author, African American Literature ...

Jeffrey Somers, ThoughtCo Gwendolynn Brooks. Bettmann / Getty Images. Featured Image [dropcap]I[/dropcap]n many ways, Gwendolyn Brooks embodies the black American experience of the 20th century. Born into a family that moved to Chicago as part of the Great Migration of blacks to the north of the country, she made her way through school during the […]

Ta-Nehisi Coates On Magic, Memory And The Underground Railroad | NPR

September 26, 2019December 10, 2019African American Author, African American Literature ...

Growing up in Maryland, author Ta-Nehisi Coates was enthralled by stories of Harriet Tubman, the 19th century abolitionist who operated the Underground Railroad on the state’s Eastern Shore. He read about Tubman’s efforts to lead enslaved people to freedom, and was struck by the surreal qualities of her story. [mc4wp_form id=”6042″] “It just seemed wild,” […]

Dr. Angela Davis to accept once-rescinded Fred L. Shuttlesworth Award | AL.com

September 9, 2019September 9, 2019African American Activist, African American Author ...

Roy S. Johnson, AL.com Image Credit, FacebookFeatured Image [dropcap]Dr[/dropcap]. Angela Davis has agreed to accept the 2019 Fred L. Shuttlesworth Award from the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, says BCRI President/CEO Andrea Taylor. [mc4wp_form id=”6042″] “Looking ahead, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute remains steadfast in its commitment to preserving and promoting civil and human rights, and […]

Beloved St. Louis stage veteran Linda Kennedy passes at 68 | The St. Louis American

August 22, 2019August 22, 2019African American Author, African American Literature ...

Kenya Vaughn, The St. Louis American A snapshot of mid-century South Philly. Featured Image [dropcap]Linda[/dropcap] Alton Randall Kennedy, a staple of the St. Louis theater scene for more than four decades, passed away this morning (Friday, August 16) after a battle with cancer. [mc4wp_form id=”6042″] Her son Terell Randall Sr. confirmed her passing via Facebook. […]

Whatever happened to author Dorothy West? | The Guardian

August 21, 2019August 21, 2019African American Author, African American Literature ...

Writing alongside Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes, West was the last surviving member of the Harlem Renaissance. Diana Evans asks: why were her books overlooked for so long?