Also born April 1, is Samuel R. Delany, an award winning author. Although he may be known primarily for science fiction and fantasy, Samuel R. Delany writes about many subjects.
365 Black Books Jesmyn Ward Wednesday
Happy birthday Jesmyn Ward! Born April 1, 1977, Jesmyn Ward won the 2011 National Book Award for Fiction for her second novel Salvage the Bones. Other books are:
365 Black Books Pauline E. Hopkins Sunday
Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins was born in Portland, Maine in 1859. She was a playwright, journalist, novelist, historian, editor, feminist, public intellectual, supporter of the arts, and an outspoken crusader for African American rights. She is considered a pioneer in her use of the romantic novel to explore social and racial themes and is best known for her 1900 novel Contending Forces: A Romance of Negro Life North and South.
365 Black Books John Mason Brewer Friday
Born March 24, 1896, John Mason Brewer was an African American folklorist, scholar, teacher, and author. He was a pioneer in the field of folklore and most of his folklore was centered around Texas.
365 Black Books Kalamu ya Salaam Tuesday
Happy birthday Kalamu ya Salaam! He celebrates his 79th birthday today! Kalamu ya Salaam is a poet, author, filmmaker, and teacher from the 9th Ward of New Orleans. A well-known activist and social critic, Salaam has spoken out on a number of racial and human rights issues. Here are a few of his works:
365 Black Books Houston A. Baker, Jr. Monday
Celebrating his 83rd birthday March 22, Houston A. Baker, Jr. is a scholar s an American scholar specializing in African-American literature and Distinguished University Professor of English at Vanderbilt University. Here are a few of his books:
365 Black Books Cheryl W. Thompson Sunday
Cheryl W. Thompson was at the Detroit Public Library talking about her book, Forgotten Souls, The Search for the Lost Tuskegee Airmen. These Airmen risked so much for America and the war. Their significance and impact should be told. Thank you Cheryl Thompson for writing their stories.
365 Black Books Sociology Saturday
One book is published which focuses on the lives of five African American female sociologists whose work contributed to the intersectionality of race, gender, culture, and more.
365 Black Books Kinda Fun/Funny Books from the 2021 BCALA Best of the Best Black Books
These books focus on fun, humor, family, black love and joy, and other themes. Happy reading!
Book 1: Count to Love! by Andrea Davis Pinkney How many ways can you count to love? On fingers and toes, on legs and arms, with belly kisses? Award-winning Andrea Davis and Brian Pinkney bring this sweet board book read-aloud to life with joyful text and exuberant illustrations, capturing that vivacity and energy so familiar to the parents of toddlers.
Book 2: Dream Street by Tricia Elam Walker; illustrated by Ekua Holmes
Cousins take readers on a neighborhood tour and introduce them to the wonderous people who call Dream Street home.
The Swag is in the Socks by Kelly J. Baptist. Xavier is so close to being great and the Scepter League could get him there. Everyone in his family has been a part of the club and now maybe he will be a member as well. Hopefully with the addition of the socks from his uncle and the notes he’s been receiving he will find his way.
Book 4: Long Division by Kiese Laymon After City Coldson’s breakdown during a quiz contest goes viral he is sent to stay with his grandmother. There he embarks on a time bending journey and the only constant is City and a book with a mysterious author named Long Division.
365 Black Books Harriet E. Wilson Monday
Born March 15, Harriet E. Wilson was the first African American to publish a novel in North America. Her novel, Our Nig, Sketches From the Life of a Free Black, published in 1859, is an autobiographical narrative that stands as one of the most important accounts of the life of a black woman in the antebellum North.
