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EntertainmentIt's Lit

After Writing a New Chapter for Georgia, Stacey Abrams Is Publishing a New Legal Thriller

One of the most fun facts about Stacey Abrams, the attorney, political powerhouse, voting rights activist and former…

Maiysha Kai

1/11/21 6:30PM

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EntertainmentIt's Lit

'Suddenly, You See the Story More Clearly': <i>The Root Presents: It's Lit </i>Talks Transcendent Writing With Yaa Gyasi

EntertainmentIt's Lit

'Suddenly, You See the Story More Clearly': The Root Presents: It's Lit Talks Transcendent Writing With Yaa Gyasi

“I always say, writing a first novel, you feel like you’re writing in the dark, unsure of whether or not your book…

Maiysha Kai

1/08/21 1:30PM

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EntertainmentIt's Lit

<i>The Root Presents It's Lit!</i>: What We Read to Get Us Through 2020

EntertainmentIt's Lit

The Root Presents It's Lit!: What We Read to Get Us Through 2020

Merry Christmas or whatever you’re celebrating this holiday weekend, Bibliophiles! Understandably, you may not be…

Maiysha Kai

12/25/20 2:05PM

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EntertainmentIt's Lit

Got 99 Problems, but a Book Ain't One: Jay-Z's Roc Nation and Random House to Launch 'Roc Lit 101'

If the ongoing pandemic has reignited your passion for reading (or simply deepened it), say no more, Fam. Shawn…

Maiysha Kai

12/15/20 4:30PM

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EntertainmentIt's Lit

'It's Not That Much to Write a Novel': <i>The Root Presents It's Lit!</i> Unlocks the Mystery of Writing With Walter Mosley

EntertainmentIt's Lit

'It's Not That Much to Write a Novel': The Root Presents It's Lit! Unlocks the Mystery of Writing With Walter Mosley

Walter Mosley may be best known for writing mysteries—though his bestselling Easy Rawlins series are among the…

Maiysha Kai

12/11/20 1:30PM

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EntertainmentIt's Lit

Authors Raven Leilani, James McBride, and Editor Chris Jackson Win Honors From the Center for Fiction

Toni Morrison would be proud. The Center for Fiction’s Annual Awards Benefit was dedicated to the memory of the…

Maiysha Kai

12/04/20 8:00PM

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EntertainmentIt's Lit

Learn Writing With a Master: Walter Mosley Is Sharing His Creative Process on MasterClass

If you’ve been trying to decipher the mystery behind writing great fiction, let acclaimed mystery writer Walter…

Maiysha Kai

12/03/20 1:59PM

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Beauty/StyleThe Glow Up

Still the Best: Tina Turner's Newest Book Has the Energy We All Need to Take Into 2021

Tina Turner is an international treasure. In her 81 years, her incomparable talent and incredible tenacity have…

Maiysha Kai

12/02/20 2:00PM

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EntertainmentIt's Lit

<i>The Root Presents It's Lit! </i>Goes Black to the Future With Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham

EntertainmentIt's Lit

The Root Presents It's Lit! Goes Black to the Future With Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham

Remember zines? Okay, maybe we’re dating ourselves, but younger versions of The Root’s Editor-in-Chief Danielle…

Maiysha Kai

11/27/20 1:30PM

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EntertainmentIt's Lit

President Barack Obama to Receive the 2020 PEN America Voice of Influence Award

When it comes to living American presidents, it’s indisputable (and infuriating, if you’re Donald Trump), that…

Maiysha Kai

11/25/20 10:30AM

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EntertainmentIt's Lit

<i>'</i>I’m a Black Person for <i>Real</i>. I Love Us.' <i>The Root Presents: It’s Lit</i> Talks Writing for the Next Generation With Jason Reynolds

EntertainmentIt's Lit

'I’m a Black Person for Real. I Love Us.' The Root Presents: It’s Lit Talks Writing for the Next Generation With Jason Reynolds

Jason Reynolds famously didn’t read a novel cover-to-cover until he was nearly 18. At 36, he is one of the…

Maiysha Kai

11/20/20 1:30PM

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Beauty/StyleThe Glow Up

New Book Claims the Destruction of Black Relationships Is 'America's Unrecognized Civil Rights Issue'

The effort to explain why so many extraordinary Black women are involuntarily single has initiated one study after an…

Janelle Harris Dixon

11/17/20 9:14AM

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EntertainmentIt's Lit

<i>The Root's </i>One-on-One With Barack Obama

EntertainmentIt's Lit

The Root's One-on-One With Barack Obama

Because he’s been pretty low-key about it, you might not be aware that a promising politician that we’ve been…

Michael Harriot

11/17/20 8:30AM

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EntertainmentIt's Lit

'<i>We're Better Than This</i>, but Just Barely' <em>The Root Presents: It's Lit </em>Talks Democracy With Dr. Maya Rockeymoore Cummings

EntertainmentIt's Lit

'We're Better Than This, but Just Barely' The Root Presents: It's Lit Talks Democracy With Dr. Maya Rockeymoore Cummings

“So, it turns out that we’re better than this, but just barely,” laughs Dr. Maya Rockeymoore Cummings in the days…

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Oprah Winfrey and Brad Pitt Are Teaming Up to Produce an Adaptation of Ta-Nehisi Coates' The Water Dancer

Another Ta-Nehisi Coates adaptation is on the horizon!

Tonja Renée Stidhum

11/11/20 9:55AM

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Beauty/StyleThe Glow Up

This Black Woman Just Got a New Executive Role in Publishing—Here’s Why That Matters to the Industry

Before “diversity and inclusion” were buzzwords and hashtags, Monique Patterson had been actualizing them in the…

Janelle Harris Dixon

11/06/20 4:00PM

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EntertainmentIt's Lit

'You Cannot Do Anything Alone': Marley Dias Tells Us How She Gets It Done on <i>The Root Presents It's Lit</i>

EntertainmentIt's Lit

'You Cannot Do Anything Alone': Marley Dias Tells Us How She Gets It Done on The Root Presents It's Lit

When we grow up, we want to be like Marley Dias. At 15, the founder of #1000BlackGirlBooks—which she launched in…

Maiysha Kai

11/06/20 1:34PM

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Beauty/StyleThe Glow Up

Want to Own a <i>Beloved</i> Book? Toni Morrison's Book Collection Is for Sale [Updated]

Beauty/StyleThe Glow Up

Want to Own a Beloved Book? Toni Morrison's Book Collection Is for Sale [Updated]

If you’re an avid reader or writer, you might have three bucket-list-style ambitions in life: 1. to have your own…

Maiysha Kai

11/02/20 4:30PM

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Beauty/StyleThe Glow Up

<i>True Heart</i>: Actress Rachel True Has a New 'Craft' to Share

Beauty/StyleThe Glow Up

True Heart: Actress Rachel True Has a New 'Craft' to Share

“I think I’m relevant past Halloween,” laughs Rachel True, who first broke into our pop-cultural consciousness as…

Maiysha Kai

10/31/20 1:15PM

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EntertainmentIt's Lit

'We're Not Some New Anomaly': <i>The Root Presents It's Lit</i> Talks Purpose, Process and Pronouns With George M. Johnson

EntertainmentIt's Lit

'We're Not Some New Anomaly': The Root Presents It's Lit Talks Purpose, Process and Pronouns With George M. Johnson

When The Root first spoke to George M. Johnson (one of our longtime contributors) just ahead of the release of their…

Maiysha Kai

10/30/20 1:30PM

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After Writing a New Chapter for Georgia, Stacey Abrams Is Publishing a New Legal Thriller

'Suddenly, You See the Story More Clearly': The Root Presents: It's Lit Talks Transcendent Writing With Yaa Gyasi

The Root Presents It's Lit!: What We Read to Get Us Through 2020

Got 99 Problems, but a Book Ain't One: Jay-Z's Roc Nation and Random House to Launch 'Roc Lit 101'

'It's Not That Much to Write a Novel': The Root Presents It's Lit! Unlocks the Mystery of Writing With Walter Mosley

Authors Raven Leilani, James McBride, and Editor Chris Jackson Win Honors From the Center for Fiction

Learn Writing With a Master: Walter Mosley Is Sharing His Creative Process on MasterClass

Still the Best: Tina Turner's Newest Book Has the Energy We All Need to Take Into 2021

The Root Presents It's Lit! Goes Black to the Future With Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham

President Barack Obama to Receive the 2020 PEN America Voice of Influence Award

'I’m a Black Person for Real. I Love Us.' The Root Presents: It’s Lit Talks Writing for the Next Generation With Jason Reynolds

New Book Claims the Destruction of Black Relationships Is 'America's Unrecognized Civil Rights Issue'

The Root's One-on-One With Barack Obama

'We're Better Than This, but Just Barely' The Root Presents: It's Lit Talks Democracy With Dr. Maya Rockeymoore Cummings

Oprah Winfrey and Brad Pitt Are Teaming Up to Produce an Adaptation of Ta-Nehisi Coates' The Water Dancer

This Black Woman Just Got a New Executive Role in Publishing—Here’s Why That Matters to the Industry

'You Cannot Do Anything Alone': Marley Dias Tells Us How She Gets It Done on The Root Presents It's Lit

Want to Own a Beloved Book? Toni Morrison's Book Collection Is for Sale [Updated]

True Heart: Actress Rachel True Has a New 'Craft' to Share

'We're Not Some New Anomaly': The Root Presents It's Lit Talks Purpose, Process and Pronouns With George M. Johnson