Celebrating Black Literature

Toni Morrison was an American author who wrote children’s books, plays, and novels. She won the Pulitzer prize for fiction in 1988 and the nobel prize in 1993 for her novel Beloved and became the first African American woman to win the Nobel Prize in literature. She became an officer of the French foriegn legion in 2010 and received the presidential medal of freedom from president Barack Obama in 2012.

Brit Bennet is a New York Times bestselling author who has written several critically acclaimed books. Her debut novel, The Mothers, follows a young Woman Nadia who leaves Southern California after her Mother’s suicide but is called back to deal with a family emergency. This novel became a New York Times bestseller and is currently being adapted into a film. Her second novel, The Vanishing Half, follows two twin African American sisters who love very different lives. It debuted at number one on the New York Times fiction bestseller list and was placed on the New York Times ten best books of 2020 list.

Maya Angelou is an American poet and civil rights activist who published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, and many books of poetry. She was nominated for a Pulitzer prize for her book of poetry entitled Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ‘fore I Diiie and received three grammy for her spoken word albums. She served on two presidential committees and was awarded the Presidential medal of freedom in 2011. She remains one of the most influential female African American writers of all time.

Charmaine Wilkerson is a prominent African American author whose debut novel Black Cake was placed on the New York Times bestseller and editor’s choice list. It covers two sisters who must set aside their differences to deal with their mother’s death. It is currently being adapted into a Hulu original series.