Heavenly belated birthday wishes Austin Clarke! Born July 26, 1934, Austin Ardinel Chesterfield “Tom” Clarke, CM OOnt, was a Barbadian novelist, essayist, and short story writer who was based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Among his notable books are novels such as The Polished Hoe, memoirs including Membering, and two collections of poetry, Where the Sun Shines Best and In Your Crib. He died in 2016.
Born April 9, 1929, Paule Marshall was a novelist that emphasized Black Americans reclaim their African heritage. She received a MacArthur Award and her book, Praisesong for the Widow received an American Book Award. Here are just a few of her novels:
Born February 11, Maryse Conde was an author, scholar, and professor. She studied at Université de Paris III (Sorbonne Nouvelle), where she took her doctorate in Comparative Literature (1975) written under the direction of René Etiemble. Her research was on Black stereotypes in Caribbean literature. Her are just a few of her novels:
Marlon James was the featured author at Marygrove’s Conservancy Contemporary American Author Lecture Series (CAALS). Born in Jamaica in 1970, Marlon James has written five novels, two of which have received awards. Black Leopard was the National Book Award finalist; A Brief History of Seven Killings received the Man Booker Award.
Caryl Phillips, born in St. Kitts and raised in Leeds, celebrated his 68th birthday March 13. He is an author, playwright and professor. He is known more for is novels. Crossing the River was shortlisted for the 1993 Booker Prize. A Distant Shore won the 2004 Commonwealth Writers Prize; Dancing in the Dark won the 2006 PEN/Open Book Award.
Also born on February 18 was Trinidad author Elizabeth Nunez. She was an award-winning bestselling author and professor. She passed away in 2024. Read more about her life and career here.
Here are just a few of her books, including her memoir Not for Everyday Use.
The following books feature children and families spending their Saturdays together.
Book 1: Saturday by Oge Mora.
Book 2: Saturday Morning by Fasharah Fearon
Book 3: Saturday Morning at the ‘Shop by Keenan Jones
It’s that time again! The Brown Bookshelf’s 28 Days Later Campaign has begun! This campaign spotlights African American authors and illustrators each day in the month of February.
Day 1 features Christopher John Farley, Senior Editor for the Wall Street Journal and author of the fantasy novel, Game World. Read about this interesting author here: http://thebrownbookshelf.com/2015/02/01/day-1-christopher-john-farley/
The CamaraIfe Maktaba 