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Black men write.
A thread.
A thread.
First, we should revisit this. Cornelius Eady, Danez Smith, Rowan Ricardo Phillips, and other Black male writers in the same room. A moment. Watch the video. Read the article.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/11/30/t-magazine/black-authors.html
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/11/30/t-magazine/black-authors.html
Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia
“A middle grade American Gods set in a richly-imagined world populated with African American folk heroes and West African gods.”
“A middle grade American Gods set in a richly-imagined world populated with African American folk heroes and West African gods.”
Everywhere You Don't Belong by Gabriel Bump
“Claude McKay Love isn’t dangerous or brilliant—he’s an average kid coping with abandonment, violence, riots, failed love, and societal pressures as he steers his way past the signposts of youth.”
“Claude McKay Love isn’t dangerous or brilliant—he’s an average kid coping with abandonment, violence, riots, failed love, and societal pressures as he steers his way past the signposts of youth.”
No Ashes in the Fire by Darnell L. Moore
“A story of beauty and hope-and an honest reckoning with family, with place, and with what it means to be free.”
“A story of beauty and hope-and an honest reckoning with family, with place, and with what it means to be free.”
The Tradition by Jericho Brown
“The Tradition details the normalization of evil and its history at the intersection of the past and the personal. Brown’s poetic concerns are both broad and intimate, and at their very core a distillation of the incredibly human.”
“The Tradition details the normalization of evil and its history at the intersection of the past and the personal. Brown’s poetic concerns are both broad and intimate, and at their very core a distillation of the incredibly human.”
The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander, Illustrated by Kadir Nelson (Picture book)
“Originally performed for ESPN's The Undefeated, this poem is a love letter to black life in the United States.”
“Originally performed for ESPN's The Undefeated, this poem is a love letter to black life in the United States.”
Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
“These stories tackle urgent instances of racism and cultural unrest, and explore the many ways we fight for humanity in an unforgiving world.”
“These stories tackle urgent instances of racism and cultural unrest, and explore the many ways we fight for humanity in an unforgiving world.”
A Family Is a House by Dustin Pearson (Poet)
“He investigates the architectural implications of inheritance--how the human body houses the violence of its forebears. A FAMILY IS A HOUSE is a blueprint, a guide to the logical structures and spaces we build in our minds.”
“He investigates the architectural implications of inheritance--how the human body houses the violence of its forebears. A FAMILY IS A HOUSE is a blueprint, a guide to the logical structures and spaces we build in our minds.”
Here for It: Or, How to Save Your Soul in America; Essays by R. Eric Thomas
“A heartfelt and hilarious memoir-in-essays about growing up seeing the world differently, finding unexpected hope, and experiencing every awkward, extraordinary stumble along the way.”
“A heartfelt and hilarious memoir-in-essays about growing up seeing the world differently, finding unexpected hope, and experiencing every awkward, extraordinary stumble along the way.”
Rise of the Black Panther by Evan Narcisse (Comic book)
“Witness the early years of the man who will come to rule one of the most scientifically advanced countries in the world!”
“Witness the early years of the man who will come to rule one of the most scientifically advanced countries in the world!”
All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson
“Both a primer for teens eager to be allies as well as a reassuring testimony for young queer men of color, covering topics such as gender identity, toxic masculinity, brotherhood, family, structural marginalization, consent & Black joy”
“Both a primer for teens eager to be allies as well as a reassuring testimony for young queer men of color, covering topics such as gender identity, toxic masculinity, brotherhood, family, structural marginalization, consent & Black joy”
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
“Colson Whitehead brilliantly dramatizes another strand of American history through the story of two boys sentenced to a hellish reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida.”
“Colson Whitehead brilliantly dramatizes another strand of American history through the story of two boys sentenced to a hellish reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida.”
The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
“Young Hiram Walker was born into bondage. When his mother was sold away, Hiram was robbed of all memory of her—but was gifted with a mysterious power. Years later, when Hiram almost drowns in a river, that same power saves his life.”
“Young Hiram Walker was born into bondage. When his mother was sold away, Hiram was robbed of all memory of her—but was gifted with a mysterious power. Years later, when Hiram almost drowns in a river, that same power saves his life.”
Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon
“In Heavy, Laymon writes eloquently and honestly about growing up a hard-headed black son to a complicated and brilliant black mother in Jackson, Mississippi.”
“In Heavy, Laymon writes eloquently and honestly about growing up a hard-headed black son to a complicated and brilliant black mother in Jackson, Mississippi.”
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
“Jason Reynolds’s fiercely stunning novel that takes place in sixty potent seconds—the time it takes a kid to decide whether or not he’s going to murder the guy who killed his brother.”
“Jason Reynolds’s fiercely stunning novel that takes place in sixty potent seconds—the time it takes a kid to decide whether or not he’s going to murder the guy who killed his brother.”
Real Life by Brandon Taylor. Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi. How to be Remy Cameron by Julian Winters. New Kid by Jerry Craft (a graphic novel).
Not so Pure and Simple by Lamar Giles. The Field Guide to The North American Teenager by Ben Philippe. Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds.
Feel free to add any that you’re reading, want to read, or have read.
The point is...Black men are writing. Poetry, picture books, plays, graphic novels, short stories, and more. Black men TODAY are writing. We exist. We have stories, too.
The point is...Black men are writing. Poetry, picture books, plays, graphic novels, short stories, and more. Black men TODAY are writing. We exist. We have stories, too.
I’d love to see more Black men write picture books as well.
More picture books from Black men esp. young, Black men.
More picture books from Black men esp. young, Black men.
Torment: A Novella by H. D. Hunter. I Don’t Want To Die Poor by Michael Arceneaux. And here’s an image of my “Black Men Write” album. Save it. Share it. Bookmark it for later.
