Though it took nine years for Jerald L. Hoover to get his book, My Friend, My Hero published, it would later celebrate 25 years of release; win multiple awards and garner accolades; become a semi-finalist in the Gotham Screenplay Contest; and make Hoover a staple in his hometown of Mount Vernon. He was awarded with the WritersCorp Award by president Bill Clinton and was among the top selling black authors … Read the rest
When asked how she thinks her book, Soul Vagina: In Between Sex and God, Who Am I? will be received for years and generations to come, Nomxolisi Ndlangana carefully considers the question before answering, “Depending on which part of the world we’re talking about…this is a book that might be banned. And if that is the case, then I have done something very right.” Ndlangana, known as Nono The Poet, … Read the rest
Dr. Ashley Denmark wrote and published her first book Olivia’s Doctor Adventures, illustrated by Mike Motz, to help introduce youth to medicine and hopefully inspire them to pursue a career in the field. Her own inspiration for the picture book is her 6-year-old daughter, Olivia. In fact, it was Olivia who suggested her mother write it in the first place.
In addition to being a mother (she has … Read the rest
So Booking Cool recently had the pleasure of speaking with debut co-authors Charli Hodge, 11, and Octavia Samuels, 37, about their picture book, Hello Beautiful Brown Girl. The self-published work is intended to celebrate and empower young girls of color around the world. What’s more is, Hodge and Samuels, based in Georgia, are an auntie and niece duo who sold beyond their expectations on their release day.… Read the rest
The Sun is Also a Star, 2016’s National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestseller, will become Nicola Yoon’s second novel to hit the big screen. Grown-ish star Yara Shahidi, 18, will portray Natasha, an illegal Jamaican immigrant who falls in love with a Korean immigrant, Daniel. An undeniable but inconvenient romance claims both teens when Natasha gets deported to Jamaica.
Alloy Entertainment, which produces books, … Read the rest
Singer/songwriter and now author, Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo, sold out her Barnes and Noble event at The Grove on Tuesday, for her debut book, 2Fish (a poetry book). Published by Ulysses Press this past December, 2Fish captures moments, including short stories, of the artist’s adolescence and adulthood.… Read the rest
