By Black PR Wire (Black PR Wire) — Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company, announced The Black Bookselling Conference: Connect. Build. Elevate, a free virtual conference to take place on Nov. 1, 2023. This initiative aims to support Black-owned bookstores, Black booksellers and advocates by creating a curated space for dialogue and […]
Category: Books
Posted inBooks
Serena Williams has a 2-book deal, starting with an ‘intimate’ and ‘open-hearted’ memoir
By Hillel ItalieAP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Now that she’s stepped back from the sport she dominated like few others, Serena Williams is ready to reflect. The tennis great has a two-book deal with the Random House Publishing Group, starting with an “intimate” memoir in which she will open up about everything from […]
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PRESS ROOM: ‘Butterflies In Me: An Anthology Bringing Awareness to Mental Health’
Enduring trauma of any kind, especially from a young age, leaves lasting scars that often cannot be healed alone. In her debut children’s book, “Butterflies In Me: An Anthology Bringing Awareness to Mental Health,” childhood sexual abuse survivor, author, award-winning filmmaker and poet Denisha Seals shares a collection of stories about children experiencing different types […]
Posted inArts & Culture
James Baldwin: The life story you may not know
Written by Taneasha White-Gibson James Baldwin: The life story you may not know James Baldwin was a prolific writer, poet, essayist, and civil rights activist. Though he spent much of his life abroad, he is undoubtedly an American writer, whose works serve as a prism through which to view Black American life. Apart from being […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Black author Deesha Philyaw has a 7-figure deal for her next two books
By Hillel Italie AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Prize-winning fiction writer Deesha Philyaw, who struggled to find a publisher for what became her acclaimed debut “The Secret Lives of Church Ladies,” has a 7-figure deal for her next two books. Mariner Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, announced recently that it had signed […]
Posted inNEWS
Book censorship on the rise in U.S. libraries
By Stacy M. BrownNNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent@StacyBrownMedia American Library Association reports a 20 percent increase in challenges in 2023 (NNPA Newswire) – The assault on Black history and that of other minority groups in the United States. has ramped up with the recent banning of certain books. The American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual […]
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‘Sammy the Saver’ comic book teaches children about financial literacy
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, msayles@afro.com Four years ago Carl Brown began writing a story about a young boy named Sammy. He was not a regular boy. Sammy possessed an alter ego with a superpower that helped him and his friends to make smart financial decisions. With the help of a Citi Foundation grant […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
AFRO spotlight on Black excellence: a look at MahoganyBooks
By Tcherika Petit, Special to the AFRO Derrick and Ramunda Young opened the first book shop east of the Anacostia River since Pyramid Books closed in the 1990s. The shop, affectionately known as MahoganyBooks is named after their daughter and is targeted at empowering the Black community in Ward 8. “Our goal was to make […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
National Book Festival brings Black authors to Walter E. Washington Convention Center
By Gene Lambey, Special to the AFRO The Library of Congress will be hosting the 2023 National Book Festival at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on Aug. 12, 2023, located at 801 Mt. Vernon Pl NW Washington, D.C. 20001. Doors for the event open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. This festival celebrates the […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Black men talk youth, ‘hood culture’ and education at Enoch Pratt’s Amplified Voices Series: My Brother’s Keeper
By Khira Moore, AFRO Intern, Special to the AFRO On July 26 the Enoch Pratt Free Library’s Central Branch held the second offering of a much-needed initiative, the Amplified Voices Series, My Brothers Keeper. The conversation was aimed at combating the barriers that impact Black male youth in Baltimore City. The event included a meet […]
Posted inBaltimore Community
Residents voice concerns over Southwest Baltimore food deserts at Associated Black Charities ‘Community Convo’ in Poppleton
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, msayles@afro.com Southwest Baltimore residents gathered to voice their opinions about opportunities and obstacles in the Poppleton neighborhood during a community conversation hosted by Associated Black Charities (ABC) in Poppleton on July 26. “Community Convos,” as ABC has dubbed them, were launched this year to engage residents around the assets […]
Posted inEntertainment
Actor Marla Gibbs, 92, will tell her life story in the memoir ‘It’s Never Too Late’
By The Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Marla Gibbs has waited a long time to tell her life story. The Emmy-nominated actor known for her roles on “The Jeffersons” and “227” among others has a deal with Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers dedicated to Black stories, for a memoir coming out in fall […]