Happy birthday Akwaeke Emezi! Born June 6, Akwaeke Emezi is a Nigerian fiction writer and visual artist, best known for their novels Freshwater, Pet, and the New York Times bestselling work The Death of Vivek Oji. Emezi is a generalist who writes speculative fiction, romance, memoir, and poetry for both young adults and adults with mostly LGBTQ themes.
Belated heavenly birthday wishes Dorothy West! Born June 2, 1907, Dorothy West was an African American novelist, short-story writer, and magazine editor associated with the Harlem Renaissance, a cultural movement in the 1920s and 1930s that celebrated black art, literature, and music. She passed away in 1998. Her most notable works are The Wedding and The Living is Easy.
Belated heavenly birthday wishes Melvin Dixon! Born May 29, 1950, Melvin Dixon was an American Professor of Literature, and an author, poet and translator. He wrote about black gay men. He passed away in 1992. Some of his notable works:
Today’s post feature books written in the 1960s. Some of them are debut novels. I read a couple of them; I want to read a couple more!
Originally published in 1969
Originally published in 1966
Originally published in 1967
Originally published in 1967
Originally published in 1962
Heavenly birthday wishes James McEachin! Born May 20, 1930, James McEachin was an African American actor, author, veteran, and Purple Heart recipient. His memoir, Swing Low My Sweet Chariot was an international best seller. He passed away in 2025. Other notable books:
Belated heavenly birthday Albert Murray! Born May 12, 1916, Albert Murray was an African American literary and music critic, novelist, essayist, and biographer. He passed away in 2013. His notable books are:
Belated birthday wishes Suzan-Lori Parks! Born May 10, Suzan-Lori Parks is an award winning playwright/musician and novelist. She also is a MacArthur Genius Fellow recipient. Her notable works include Getting Mother’s Body and Topdog/Underdog.
Belated heavenly birthday Rudolph Fisher! Born May 9, Rudolph Fisher was an African American physician, radiologist, novelist, short story writer, dramatist, musician, and orator. He was known for his novel, The Conjure Man Dies, the very first detective novel written by an African-American, set in 1930s New York with only Black characters.
Heavenly birthday Louise Meriwether! Born May 8, Louise Meriwether was a novelist, activist, and journalist. She is known for her debut novel, Daddy Was a Number Runner.
For Throwback Thursday, I am featuring three books that were published 50 years ago.
Book 1: The Adventures of Aku by Ashley Bryan
Book 2: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
Book 3: Roots by Alex Haley
The CamaraIfe Maktaba 