Laura Adibe
-

Comments (19)


Some people might argue that words are just words, but if words don't matter, then writers don't matter – and if writers don't matter, neither do we.

Writers take us to different places and introduce us to all kinds of people throughout vast periods in time. In one story, we might travel from 1920s Harlem to Nigeria in the midst of terror during the Biafran War, and then on to the mystical Oguta Lake, all without ever having to set foot outside our door.

Words and writers should never be underestimated, and there are hundreds of brilliant authors who deserve our appreciation and respect.

To wrap up Women's History Month, BlackVoices.com put together a gallery of 40 influential black women authors. Some names you may know and others you may not. Their varied backgrounds give way to multi-faceted perspectives.

Continue reading 40 Influential Black Female Authors

Comments (58)

Last year, CNN news anchor Don Lemon made headlines when he revealed to the world that he, like countless men and women, endured childhood sexual abuse.

Now, the 44-year-old multiple Emmy-winning journalist has penned a poignant memoir, aptly titled 'Transparent,' which candidly details the painful abuse he endured in childhood.



Scheduled for release in June via Farrah Gray Publishing, 'Transparent' explores the long-lasting trauma abused children experience -- from feeling "different" from other children to self-isolation to the impact that abuse has on relationships. Lemon speaks to all this as well as the colorism and racism that he has experienced.

Through compelling narrative, Lemon digs deep to expose his painful past and explains how those early experiences shaped the man he is today -- one of the most prominent African American men in television news.

Continue reading CNN Anchor Don Lemon to Detail Childhood Sexual Abuse in Poignant Memoir

Comments (8)


Grammy-nominated reggae artist, actor and now author Ky-Mani Marley, son of the world-renowned musician and activist Bob Marley, grew up vastly different than most would think for someone who bears his famous last name. Marley left the serene familiarity of his childhood in Jamaica for Miami, and has since traveled around the world performing.

In his memoir, 'Dear Dad,' an imprint of Farrah Gray Publishing, Marley candidly writes about growing up as the son of a music legend, his trials and tribulations, and leaving his own legacy. BlackVoices.com spoke with Marley recently about the book, his music and his family. Excerpts of the conversation are below.

Continue reading Interview With An Author: Ky-Mani Marley Shares His Story of Pain and Triumph in 'Dear Dad'

Comments (2)


2009 Caine Prize winner E.C. Osondu is set to take the literary world by storm with this week's release of his debut collection of eighteen short stories in 'Voice of America," a Harper Collins imprint.

The stories, which include 'Jimmy Carter's Eyes,' 'Waiting,' and 'Nigerians in America,' candidly weave together the everyday realities faced by many Nigerians on the continent and in the diaspora. Set in Nigeria and America, Osondu's characters include a blind girl with a special gift, two young men with the hopes of one day leaving the refugee camp they exist in, a young married couple navigating obstacles, and a plethora of other characters with their own doubts and dreams.

Osondu, who holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Syracuse University and presently teaches at Providence College in Rhode Island, recently spoke to BlackVoices.com. Excerpts of the conversation are below.

Continue reading Interview with An Author: E.C. Osondu Pens Multi-Faceted Human Experience in 'Voice of America'

Comments (1)



Her works have garnered such esteemed awards as the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature and the Macmillan Writer's Prize for Africa. Nigerian sci-fi/fantasy author Nnedi Okorafor, who has a PhD in English and is a professor at Chicago State University, is a force to be reckoned with in the literary world.

Continue reading Interview With An Author: Nigeria's Nnedi Okorafor Offers Sci-Fi & Fantasy

    Most Commented Articles

    Daily Drama

    The Best Clips From TV's Hottest Shows


    More Daily Drama >>

    Find a Message Board

    Discover conversations on everyone from Barack to Beyonce. There are nearly 50 forums, so click on a category below and find the right one for you.