KRLemmons African American Art, African American Artists, African American Authors, African American children's literature, African American History, African American Illustrators, African American Nonfiction

365 Black Books Kadir Nelson Sunday

Belated birthday wishes Kadir Nelson! Born May 15, Kadir Nelson is an award winning author, illustrator, and artist. His work has appeared on several New Yorker covers. He is the 2026 Virginia Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award for his body of artwork. Here are some of his notable works:

KRLemmons African American Authors, African American Biography, African American Nonfiction

365 Black Books Manning Marable Saturday

Belated heavenly birthday wishes Manning Marable! Born May 13, 1950, Manning Marable was an African American professor of public affairs, history and African-American Studies at Columbia University. He founded and directed the Institute for Research in African-American Studies. He passed away in 2011.

His most notable work is Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention (2011). He was posthumously awarded the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for History for this work.

KRLemmons African American academic work, African American Authors, African American Nonfiction

365 Black Books April Langley Tuesday

I attended a booksigning at Detroit Public Library. April C. E. Langley, Associate Professor and Chair of African American studies at the University of South Carolina and Associate Professor emerita of English and Black studies at the University of Missouri–Columbia, wrote a book titled: Depoliticizing the Word Through Poetry and Preaching. She focuses on three women, Phillis Wheatley, Maria W. Stewart, and Jarena Lee, and examines their speeches, poetry, and other written works through the lens of Afrofuturism and Sankofa. I was truly fascinated by her talk: the depth of her research and how she examined these women works through so many different lenses.

KRLemmons African American adult fiction, African American Authors, African American Essays, African American Nonfiction, African American novels, African American Poetry, African American Poets

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: