Black history is not static, limited purely to the past—it’s made year-round. Keep reading books by Black authors and amplifying Black voices when it’s not Black History Month:
Picture Books/Early Reader
Tami Charles – ALL BECAUSE YOU MATTER
Ibram X. Kendi – ANTIRACIST BABY
Nikki Grimes – BEDTIME FOR SWEET CREATURES
Angela Joy – BLACK IS A RAINBOW COLOR
Amyra Leon – FREEDOM, WE SING
Laronda Gardner Middlemiss – I LOVE ME
Alice Faye Duncan – JUST LIKE A MAMA
Valerie Bolling – LET’S DANCE
Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow – MOMMY’S KHIMAR
Malcolm Mitchell – MY VERY FAVORITE BOOK IN THE WORLD
Tricia Elam Walker – NANA AKUA GOES TO SCHOOL
Ashley Franklin – NOT QUITE SNOW WHITE
Kirstie Myvett – PRALINE LADY
Doyin Richards – WATCH ME
Derrick Barnes – WHO GOT GAME
B.B. Alston – AMARI AND THE NIGHT BROTHERS
Valerie L. Williams-Sanchez – “Celebrating the Anniversary of THE BROWNIES’ BOOK by W.E.B. DuBois”
Lisa Moore Ramée – A GOOD KIND OF TROUBLE
Tanita S. Davis – SERENA SAYS
Wade Hudson & Cheryl Willis Hudson – THE TALK
Paula Chase – TURNING POINT
Marie Arnold – THE YEAR I FLEW AWAY
Victoria Bond – ZORA AND ME: THE SUMMONER
Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé – ACE OF SPADES
Echo Brown – BLACK GIRL UNLIMITED
Christina Hammonds Reed – THE BLACK KIDS
Ben Philippe – CHARMING AS A VERB
Elizabeth Acevedo – CLAP WHEN YOU LAND
Angie Thomas – CONCRETE ROSE
Justin A. Reynolds – EARLY DEPARTURES
Kacen Callender – FELIX EVER AFTER
Camryn Garrett – FULL DISCLOSURE
Namina Forna – THE GILDED ONES
Tiffany D. Jackson – GROWN
Sharon G. Flake – THE LIFE I’M IN
Pamela Varnado – LOOKING FOR GRACE
Emery Lee – MEET CUTE DIARY
Maika & Marika Moulite – ONE OF THE GOOD ONES
Ibi Zoboi & Yusuf Salaam – PUNCHING THE AIR
Jordan Ifueko – RAYBEARER
Dana L. Davis – ROMAN JEWEL
Roxane Gay & Tracy Lynne Oliver – THE SACRIFICE OF DARKNESS
Bethany C. Morrow – A SONG BELOW WATER
Julian Winters – THE SUMMER OF EVERYTHING
Kim Johnson – THIS IS MY AMERICA
Brandy Colbert – THE VOTING BOOTH
Ronnie Davis – WHEN THE STARS LEAD TO YOU
Desmond Hall – YOUR CORNER DARK
Leah Johnson – YOU SHOULD SEE ME IN A CROWN
Further Reading & Resources
WNDB’s Resources for Race, Equity, Anti-Racism, and Inclusion – Includes Black-Owned Bookstores, Black-led organizations, & book lists
The Black Creatives Fund – An initiative with a mission of supporting new and existing Black writers and illustrators. It will feature three initiatives in 2021, including a Revisions Workshop (which is currently accepting applications!), a mentorship program, and a marketing symposia in partnership with the Brown Bookshelf.
The Brown Bookshelf’s 28 Days Later – Featuring a Black creative (authors and illustrators both) every day for the month of February!
Deadline City Podcast – Co-hosted by WNDB COO Dhonielle Clayton: “Publishing is a big scary world to many of us, and our goal is to pull back the curtain on some of the mystery by simply talking about it.”
@minoritiesinpublishing – Podcast hosted by former WNDB team member Jennifer Baker: “An interview-format podcast where Jennifer discusses the lack of diversity in the book publishing industry with other underrepresented professionals working in/associated with the literary scene. Featured guests include VPs and executive editors, literary agents, marketers, authors, illustrators, and more.”
J. Nailah Avery – “Black-Owned Independent Bookstores Face Unique Challenges”
“The Free Black Women’s Library Celebrates Black Authors and Readers”
Kaya Thomas Created We Read Too for Readers of Color
“Stop Calling Popular Tropes in YA Novels ‘Overused’”
“How Children’s Authors Create Change Outside of Their Books”
Jas Perry, Literary Agent & WNDB Internship Grant Winner
Autumn Allen – “Three Keys to Writing a Novel From a Boston Public Library Writer-in-Residence”
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