Happy birthday Velma Maia Thomas! Born June 18, Velma Maia Thomas is an author, and historian. She is also the creator and curator of the Black Holocaust Exhibit in Atlanta, Georgia. Here are a few of her notable works:
365 Black Books James Weldon Johnson Wednesday
Heavenly birthday wishes James Weldon Johnson! Born June 17, 1871, James Weldon Johnson was an author, poet, civil rights activist and co-composer of Lift Every Voice and Sing. He died in 1938.
365 Black Books Marita Bonner Tuesday
Heavenly happy birthday, Marita Bonner! Born June 16, 1899, Marita Bonner was an African American writer, essayist, and playwright who is commonly associated with the Harlem Renaissance. She passed away in 1971.
365 Black Books George Wylie Henderson Monday
Heavenly belated birthday wishes George Wylie Henderson! Born June 14, 1904, George Wylie Henderson was an African American author of the Harlem Renaissance. He passed away in 1965.
365 Black Books Frank X. Walker Thursday
Happy birthday Frank X. Walker! Born June 11, Frank X. Walker is an African American poet from Danville, Kentucky. Walker coined the word “Affrilachia”, signifying the importance of the African American presence in Appalachia: the “new word … spoke to the union of Appalachian identity and the region’s African-American culture and history”. He was the winner of the 2025 PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry Collection for his book Load in Nine Times.
365 Black Books Paul Beatty Tuesday
Happy birthday Paul Beatty! Born June 9, Paul Beatty is an African American American author and professor of writing at Columbia University. In 2016, he won the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Man Booker Prize for his novel The Sellout. It was the first time a writer from the United States was honored with the Man Booker. Here are a few more of his works:
365 Black Books Nikki Giovanni Monday
Belated heavenly birthday wishes Nikki Giovanni! Born June 7, 1943, Nikki Giovanni was an award winning poet, author, activist, professor and so much more! Her body of work is historical, social, political, and relevant today as it was it was written. She passed away in 2024. Here is just a little of her notable works:
365 Black Books Gwendolyn Brooks Sunday
Heavenly birthday wishes Gwendolyn Brooks! Born June 7, 1917, Gwendolyn Brooks was an award winning author, poet, and United States Poet Laureate. My favorite poem is “We Real Cool”. She passed away in 2000. Here are some of her classic poetry books.
365 Black Books Akwaeke Emezi Saturday
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.
365 Black Books Fantasy Friday
Today’s post feature a fantasy young adult author Jordan Ifueko. Jordan Ifueko is a Nigerian American writer of fantasy and young adult fiction. She is best known for her novel Raybearer, which became a New York Times bestseller, and its sequel, Redemptor. Her third novel set in the world of Raybearer, The Maid and the Crocodile, was released August 2024.
