black authors
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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 Belton and I (Managing Editor of The Glow Up, Maiysha Kai) were early fans of the format, maybe even producing a few zines of our own. (Okay, that definitely happened). Historically, zines organize various creators and mediums around a single…
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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 President Obama remains the leader who retains the most influence and goodwill in the global sphere. On Wednesday, PEN America recognized the indelible impact of our favorite president to date, announcing Obama as the recipient of this year’s PEN…
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'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 preeminent—and most prolific—young adult authors of this or any other generation, earning accolades and awards and carving a niche for both himself and an oft-overlooked demographic of would-be readers just like he once was by…
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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 keeping an eye on released A Promised Land on Tuesday—a book that offers a firsthand account of Barack Obama’s journey to becoming America’s first Black president. When The Root discovered this information, we thought we’d help…
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'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 after a historic but still contested election, one which her husband, the incomparable Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) unfortunately didn’t live to see. Dr. Cummings’ quip is a play on her late husband’s famous quote and…
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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! According to The Hollywood Reporter, Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Films, Brad Pitt’s Plan B (which has also produced notable works such as Moonlight and If Beale Street Could Talk) and MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) are joining forces to produce an adaptation of Coates’ debut novel, The Water Dancer. In case…
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'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 2015 at age 10—has already garnered worldwide acclaim and authored a book of her own in 2018: Marley Dias Gets It Done: And So Can You! In 2019, The Root honored her as one of our Young Futurists,…
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![Want to Own a Beloved Book? Toni Morrison's Book Collection Is for Sale [Updated]](https://assets-server.theroot.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/29114358/t8tt5puuwwhmws1jq2d4-300x168.jpg)
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 library of over 1,000 books; 2. to write even one book as powerful as the several written by Toni Morrison; 3. to touch even one thing the Nobel and Pulitzer prize-winner touched, hoping an ounce…