"As universally touching as it is original." -The New York TimesBlack Caucus of the American Library Association 2015 Honor Book in FictionO, The Oprah Magazine "10 Titles to Pick Up Now"A glorious and moving multigenerational, multicultural saga that sweeps from the 1940s through the 1960s in Trinidad and the United States.In a seaside village in the north of Trinidad, young Marcia Garcia, a gifted and smart-mouthed sixteen-year-old seamstress, lives alone, raising two small boys and guarding a family secret. When she meets Farouk Karam, an ambitious young policeman (so taken with Marcia that he elicits help from a tea-brewing obeah woman to guarantee her ardor), the rewards and risks in Marcia's life amplify forever.'Til the Well Runs Dry sees Marcia and Farouk from their sassy and passionate courtship through personal and historical events that threaten Marcia's secret, entangle the couple and their children in a tumultuous scandal, and put the future in doubt for all of them.With this deeply human novel, Lauren Francis-Sharma gives us an unforgettable story about a woman's love for a man, a mother's love for her children, and a people's love for an island rich with calypso and Carnival, cricket and salty air, sweet fruits and spicy stews-a story of grit, imperfection, steadfast love and of Trinidad that has never been told before. BIO Lauren Francis-Sharma, a child of Trinidadian immigrants, was born in New York City and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature with a minor in African-American Studies from the University of Pennsylvania and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School. She lives in the Washington, D.C., area with her husband and two children. 'Til the Well Runs Dry is her first novel. REVIEWS “Lauren Francis-Sharma's talent shines.” -- USA Today“Marcia's story, told lovingly in this, Francis-Sharma's debut novel, is as universally touching as it is original.” -- The New York Times (Sunday Book Review Shortlist)“You'll hear the calypso music in this vivid debut about a spirited seamstress and devoted mother with a family secret.” -- People“Have you ever met a family whose every tear, every triumph, every heartbreak made your heart leap? I could not put this book down. An unforgettable journey.” -- Dolen Perkins-Valdez, author of the New York Times bestseller Wench“Lauren Francis-Sharma is a true story-teller.‘Til the Well Runs Dry burns through its telling like the best gossip, but has the controlled mystery of a fairytale. This narrative is surprising, winding and always gratifying.” -- Tiphanie Yanique, author of Land of Love and Drowning“'Til The Well Runs Dry is unforgettable. Like the best poetry, it has all the high notes: a beautiful girl, a spell that leads to love and death, and a terrible secret -- in language pierced with the cries and colors of the West Indies. But this is not just a story; it's the author's retelling of her own origins. Sweet, brutal, and unsparing, this is Lauren Francis-Sharma's first book, yet she commands the page.” -- Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Deep End of the Ocean [P] Picador USA / September 15, 2015 0.7" H x 8.3" L x 5.5" W (0.6 lbs) 416 pages

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A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection! From award-winning, New York Times bestselling author Ibi Zoboi comes her groundbreaking contemporary fantasy debut—a novel in verse based on Caribbean folklore—about the power of inherited magic and the price we must pay to live the life we yearn for. “Our new home with its thick walls and locked doors wants me to stay trapped in my skin— but I am fury and flame.” Fifteen-year-old Marisol is the daughter of a soucouyant. Every new moon, she sheds her skin like the many women before her, shifting into a fireball witch who must fly into the night and slowly sip from the lives of others to sustain her own. But Brooklyn is no place for fireball witches with all its bright lights, shut windows, and bolt-locked doors.… While Marisol hoped they would leave their old traditions behind when they emigrated from the islands, she knows this will never happen while she remains ensnared by the one person who keeps her chained to her magical past—her mother. Seventeen-year-old Genevieve is the daughter of a college professor and a newly minted older half sister of twins. Her worsening skin condition and the babies’ constant wailing keep her up at night, when she stares at the dark sky with a deep longing to inhale it all. She hopes to quench the hunger that gnaws at her, one that seems to reach for some memory of her estranged mother. When a new nanny arrives to help with the twins, a family secret connecting her to Marisol is revealed, and Gen begins to find answers to questions she hasn’t even thought to ask. But the girls soon discover that the very skin keeping their flames locked beneath the surface may be more explosive to the relationships around them than any ancient magic. BIO Ibi Zoboi is the New York Times bestselling author of American Street, a National Book Award finalist; Nigeria Jones, a Coretta Scott King Award winner; Pride; My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich; Okoye to the People: A Black Panther Novel for Marvel; and the Walter Award and LA Times Book Prize–winning Punching the Air, cowritten with Exonerated Five member Yusef Salaam. She is also a two-time Coretta Scott King Honor Award winner for her picture book The People Remember and her middle grade biography of Octavia Butler, Star Child. She is the editor of the anthology Black Enough. Born in Haiti and raised in New York City, she now lives in New Jersey with her family. You can find her online at ibizoboi.net. REVIEWS "Bold and exciting; employing alternating perspectives, the author plays with language and the book’s format to craft fully realized characters by exploring their envies and desires. Readers will fly through Zoboi’s latest masterpiece and crave more stories featuring Caribbean folklore. An ambitious contemporary fantasy that will grip readers from the first page." -- Booklist (starred review) “The girls’ intertwined tales, blurring and shifting over the course of the narrative, unfold in lyrical alternating first-person verse and are cleverly used to discuss beauty ideals and colorism. Readers will enjoy the ways the monstrous characters’ human facades shift. A vividly creative, heart-pounding poetic journey infused with Caribbean folklore.” -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "The stage is set for secrets and supernatural discoveries. The slow, methodical unraveling of how interwoven the two teenage girls’ stories is the treat of this sharp verse narrative that initially alternates between their POVs. The conclusion is executed with the laudable ambitions of reconciling the seemingly irreconcilable." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review) “Ambitious and unapologetic in its rendering, deftly addressing themes of colorism, assimilation, and inheritance. This fast-paced fever dream of a tale crackles and sparks on the page—almost burning the fingertips as it weaves folklore into reality; these dynamic girls reckoning with an inescapable lineage will change the way you look at the night sky.' -- Amber McBride, National Book Award finalist and author of Me (Moth) [H] Versify / February 11, 2025 For ages 13 and up

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection!
From award-winning, New York Times bestselling author Ibi Zoboi comes her groundbreaking contemporary fantasy debut—a novel in verse based on Caribbean folklore—about the power of inherited magic and the price we must pay to live the life we yearn for.
“Our new home with its
thick walls and locked doors
wants me to stay trapped in my skin—
but I am fury and flame.”
Fifteen-year-old Marisol is the daughter of a soucouyant. Every new moon, she sheds her skin like the many women before her, shifting into a fireball witch who must fly into the night and slowly sip from the lives of others to sustain her own. But Brooklyn is no place for fireball witches with all its bright lights, shut windows, and bolt-locked doors.… While Marisol hoped they would leave their old traditions behind when they emigrated from the islands, she knows this will never happen while she remains ensnared by the one person who keeps her chained to her magical past—her mother.
Seventeen-year-old Genevieve is the daughter of a college professor and a newly minted older half sister of twins. Her worsening skin condition and the babies’ constant wailing keep her up at night, when she stares at the dark sky with a deep longing to inhale it all. She hopes to quench the hunger that gnaws at her, one that seems to reach for some memory of her estranged mother. When a new nanny arrives to help with the twins, a family secret connecting her to Marisol is revealed, and Gen begins to find answers to questions she hasn’t even thought to ask.
But the girls soon discover that the very skin keeping their flames locked beneath the surface may be more explosive to the relationships around them than any ancient magic.
BIO
<meta charset="utf-8">Ibi Zoboi is the New York Times bestselling author of American Street, a National Book Award finalist; Nigeria Jones, a Coretta Scott King Award winner; Pride; My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich; Okoye to the People: A Black Panther Novel for Marvel; and the Walter Award and LA Times Book Prize&amp;#8211;winning Punching the Air, cowritten with Exonerated Five member Yusef Salaam. She is also a two-time Coretta Scott King Honor Award winner for her picture book The People Remember and her middle grade biography of Octavia Butler, Star Child. She is the editor of the anthology Black Enough. Born in Haiti and raised in New York City, she now lives in New Jersey with her family. You can find her online at ibizoboi.net.
REVIEWS
"Bold and exciting; employing alternating perspectives, the author plays with language and the book’s format to craft fully realized characters by exploring their envies and desires. Readers will fly through Zoboi’s latest masterpiece and crave more stories featuring Caribbean folklore. An ambitious contemporary fantasy that will grip readers from the first page." -- Booklist (starred review)
“The girls’ intertwined tales, blurring and shifting over the course of the narrative, unfold in lyrical alternating first-person verse and are cleverly used to discuss beauty ideals and colorism. Readers will enjoy the ways the monstrous characters’ human facades shift. A vividly creative, heart-pounding poetic journey infused with Caribbean folklore.” -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"The stage is set for secrets and supernatural discoveries. The slow, methodical unraveling of how interwoven the two teenage girls’ stories is the treat of this sharp verse narrative that initially alternates between their POVs. The conclusion is executed with the laudable ambitions of reconciling the seemingly irreconcilable." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)
“Ambitious and unapologetic in its rendering, deftly addressing themes of colorism, assimilation, and inheritance. This fast-paced fever dream of a tale crackles and sparks on the page—almost burning the fingertips as it weaves folklore into reality; these dynamic girls reckoning with an inescapable lineage will change the way you look at the night sky.' -- Amber McBride, National Book Award finalist and author of Me (Moth)
[H] Versify  /  February 11, 2025
For ages 13 and up

(S)kin /// Ibi Zoboi /// new

Hardcover

A highly opinionated wine guide from one of the country's most celebrated — and unorthodox — sommeliers and winemakers In this entertaining, informative, and thoroughly unconventional wine guide, award-winning sommelier, winemaker, and wine educator André Mack presents listeners with the 99 bottles that have most impacted his life. Instead of just pairing wines with foods, Mack pairs practical information with personal stories, offering up recommendations alongside reflections on being one of the only African-Americans to ever work at the top level of the American wine industry. The 99 bottles range from highly accessible commercial wines to the most rarefied Bordeaux on the wine list at The French Laundry, and each bottle offers listeners something to learn about wine. This window into Mack's life combines a maverick's perspective on the wine industry with an insider's advice on navigating wine lists, purchasing wine, and drinking more diverse and interesting selections at home. 99 Bottles is a one-of-a-kind exploration of wine culture today from a true trailblazer. BIO André Mack, one of the US’s top sommeliers, worked at both The French Laundry and Per Se. He is the founder of the Mouton Noir wine, annually producing 13 varietals in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, and he is also a graphic designer and visual artist. His first wine bar is slated to open in early 2019. Mack lives in Brooklyn, New York. [H] Abrams Image / October 29, 2019 0.8" H x 9.0" L x 6.5" W (1.5 lbs) 256 pages

99 Bottles: A Black Sheep's Guide to Life-Changing Wines /// André Hueston Mack, illustrations by Rob Deborde

In this poignant mixed voice, mixed form collection of interconnected prose, poems and stories, teen characters, their families, and their communities grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic. Amidst fear and loss, these New York City teens prevail with love, resilience and hope. From the award-winning author of Chlorine Sky and Vinyl Moon.“[A] gorgeous, tender testament to the generation of young people who shouldered the pandemic.”–Brendan Kiely, award-winning and New York Times bestselling authorGrief, pain, hope, and love collide in this short story collection.In New York City, teens, their families, and their communities feel the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic. Amidst the fear and loss, these teens and the adults around them persevere with love and hope while living in difficult circumstances: Malachi writes an Armageddon short story inspired by his pandemic reality. Tariq helps their ailing grandmother survive during quarantine. Zamira struggles with depression and loneliness after losing her parents. Mohamed tries to help keep his community spirit alive. A social worker reflects on the ways the foster system fails their children. From award-winning author Mahogany L. Browne comes a poignant collection of interconnected prose, poems, and lists about the humanity and resilience of New Yorkers during the Covid-19 pandemic. BIO Mahogany L. Browne, a Kennedy Center’s Next 50 fellow, is a writer, playwright, organizer, and educator. Browne received fellowships from All Arts, Arts for Justice, Air Serenbe, Baldwin for the Arts, Cave Canem, Poets House, Mellon Research, Rauschenberg, and Wesleyan University. Browne’s books include A Bird in the Air Means We Can Still Breathe, Vinyl Moon, Chlorine Sky (optioned for Steppenwolf Theater), Black Girl Magic, and banned books Woke: A Young Poets Call to Justice and Woke Baby. Founder of the diverse litinitiative Woke Baby Book Fair, Browne is the 2024 Paterson Poetry Prize winner. She is the inaugural poet-in-residence at the Lincoln Center and lives in Brooklyn, NY. [H] Crown Books for Young Readers / March 11, 2025 0.69" H x 8.55" L x 5.53" W (0.61 lbs) 160 pages For ages 12 and up

In this poignant mixed voice, mixed form collection of interconnected prose, poems and stories, teen characters, their families, and their communities grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic. Amidst fear and loss, these New York City teens prevail with love, resilience and hope. From the award-winning author of Chlorine Sky and Vinyl Moon. “[A] gorgeous, tender testament to the generation of young people who shouldered the pandemic.” –Brendan Kiely, award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Grief, pain, hope, and love collide in this short story collection. In New York City, teens, their families, and their communities feel the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic. Amidst the fear and loss, these teens and the adults around them persevere with love and hope while living in difficult circumstances: 
<ul>
<li>Malachi writes an Armageddon short story inspired by his pandemic reality.</li>
<li>Tariq helps their ailing grandmother survive during quarantine.</li>
<li>Zamira struggles with depression and loneliness after losing her parents.</li>
<li>Mohamed tries to help keep his community spirit alive.</li>
<li>A social worker reflects on the ways the foster system fails their children.</li>
</ul>
 From award-winning author Mahogany L. Browne comes a poignant collection of interconnected prose, poems, and lists about the humanity and resilience of New Yorkers during the Covid-19 pandemic.
BIO
<meta charset="utf-8">Mahogany L. Browne, a Kennedy Center’s Next 50 fellow, is a writer, playwright, organizer, and educator. Browne received fellowships from All Arts, Arts for Justice, Air Serenbe, Baldwin for the Arts, Cave Canem, Poets House, Mellon Research, Rauschenberg, and Wesleyan University. Browne’s books include A Bird in the Air Means We Can Still Breathe, Vinyl Moon, Chlorine Sky (optioned for Steppenwolf Theater), Black Girl Magic, and banned books Woke: A Young Poets Call to Justice and Woke Baby. Founder of the diverse litinitiative Woke Baby Book Fair, Browne is the 2024 Paterson Poetry Prize winner. She is the inaugural poet-in-residence at the Lincoln Center and lives in Brooklyn, NY.
[H]  Crown Books for Young Readers  /  March 11, 2025
<meta charset="utf-8">0.69" H x 8.55" L x 5.53" W (0.61 lbs) 160 pages
For ages 12 and up

A Bird in the Air Means We Can Still Breathe /// Mahogany L. Browne /// new

Winner of the Man Booker PrizeOne of Entertainment Weekly's Top 10 Books of the Decade One of the Top 10 Books of 2014 - Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times A "thrilling, ambitious . . . intense" (Los Angeles Times) novel that explores the attempted assassination of Bob Marley in the late 1970s, from the author of Black Leopard, Red Wolf In A Brief History of Seven Killings, Marlon James combines masterful storytelling with his unrivaled skill at characterization and his meticulous eye for detail to forge a novel of dazzling ambition and scope. On December 3, 1976, just before the Jamaican general election and two days before Bob Marley was to play the Smile Jamaica Concert to ease political tensions in Kingston, seven unnamed gunmen stormed the singer's house, machine guns blazing. The attack wounded Marley, his wife, and his manager, and injured several others. Little was officially released about the gunmen, but rumors abounded regarding the assassins' fates. A Brief History of Seven Killings is James's fictional exploration of that dangerous and unstable time in Jamaica's history and beyond. Deftly spanning decades and continents and peopled with a wide range of characters--assassins, drug dealers, journalists, and even ghosts--James brings to life the people who walked the streets of 1970s Kingston, who dominated the crack houses of 1980s New York, and who reemerged into a radically altered Jamaica of the 1990s. Brilliantly inventive, A Brief History of Seven Killings is an "exhilarating" (The New York Times) epic that's been called "a tour de force" (The Wall Street Journal). BIO Marlon James was born in Jamaica in 1970. His most recent novel, A Brief History of Seven Killings, won the 2015 Man Booker Prize. It was also a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and won the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature for fiction, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for fiction, and the Minnesota Book Award. It was also a New York Times Notable Book. James is also the author of The Book of Night Women, which won the 2010 Dayton Literary Peace Prize and the Minnesota Book Award, and was a finalist for the 2010 National Book Critics Circle Award in fiction and an NAACP Image Award. His first novel, John Crow's Devil, was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for first fiction and the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and was a New York Times Editors' Choice. James lives in Minneapolis. REVIEWS "How to describe Marlon James's monumental new novel A Brief History of Seven Killings? It's like a Tarantino remake of The Harder They Come but with a soundtrack by Bob Marley and a script by Oliver Stone and William Faulkner, with maybe a little creative boost from some primo ganja. It's epic in every sense of that word: sweeping, mythic, over-the-top, colossal and dizzyingly complex. It's also raw, dense, violent, scalding, darkly comic, exhilarating and exhausting--a testament to Mr. James's vaulting ambition and prodigious talent." --Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times "James has written a dangerous book, one full of lore and whispers and history... [a] great book... James nibbles at theories of who did what and why, and scripts Marley's quest for revenge with the pace of a thriller. His achievement, however, goes far beyond opening up this terrible moment in the life of a great musician. He gives us the streets, the people, especially the desperate, the Jamaicans whom Marley exhorted to: 'Open your eyes and look within: / Are you satisfied with the life you're living?'" -- The Boston Globe "A sweeping novel that touches on family, friendship, celebrity, art, sexuality, ghetto politics, geopolitics, drug trade, gender, race and more, sending the reader from Jamaica to New York via Miami and Cuba and back." -- Newsweek [H] Riverhead Books / October 02, 2014 ﻿1.41" H x 9.55" L x 6.42" W (2.2 lbs) 688 pages [P] Riverhead Books / September 08, 2015 1.7" H x 8.2" L x 5.4" W (1.35 lbs) 704 pages

A Brief History of Seven Killings /// Marlon James

"A dozen interlinked, music-oriented stories set in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, where Garricks was raised... Each songlike story feels like a breakout hit encapsulating the brokenness and the beauty in life’s soundtrack."—Booklist, starred review “Beautifully woven . . . a magical delight.”—Hari Kunzru, author of White Tears A Broken People’s Playlist is set to the soundtrack of life, comprised of twelve music-inspired tales about love, the human condition, micro-moments, and the search for meaning and sometimes, redemption. It is also Chimeka Garricks’s love letter to his native city, Port Harcourt, introducing us to a cast of indelible characters in these loosely interlocked tales. There is the teenage wannabe-DJ eager to play his first gig even as his family disastrously falls apart—who reappears many years later as an unhappy middle-aged man drunk-calling his ex-wife; a man who throws a living funeral for his dying brother; three friends who ponder penis captivus and one’s peculiar erectile dysfunction; a troubled woman who tries to find her peace-place in the world, helped by a headful of songs and a pot of ginger tea. Infused with the author’s resonant and evocative storytelling, each page holds “the depth of a novel” (Hari Kunzru); a character, a moment that will—like a favorite song—long linger in the heart and mind. BIO Chimeka Garricks is a Nigerian-Irish writer, editor, screenwriter, and script doctor. His work includes a collection of short stories, A Broken People's Playlist, a novel, and a script in development. He lives in the United Kingdom. REVIEWS "A dozen interlinked, music-oriented stories set in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, where Garricks was raised... Each songlike story feels like a breakout hit encapsulating the brokenness and the beauty in life’s soundtrack." -- Booklist (starred review) "These stories will stay with you long after you’ve turned the final page." -- She Reads, Best Book Club Pick of Spring 2023 "A Broken People’s Playlist is an addictive collection of authentic prose. Story after story made me stop to reflect on the complexities of life, our various loves––be it family, friendship or romance––and the way we’re all connected. Elegant, graceful and full of understanding, Garrick’s writing unwraps stories that touch the soul and make you glad to be part of the human race." -- Bisi Adjapon, author of The Teller of Secrets and Daughter in Exile [H] Harpervia / March 21, 2023 1.02" H x 8.35" L x 5.67" W (0.7 lbs) 224 pages [P] Harpervia / January 21, 2025 0.7" H x 8.2" L x 5.2" W (0.4 lbs) 224 pages

"A dozen interlinked, music-oriented stories set in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, where Garricks was raised... Each songlike story feels like a breakout hit encapsulating the brokenness and the beauty in life’s soundtrack."—Booklist, starred review
“Beautifully woven . . . a magical delight.”—Hari Kunzru, author of White Tears
A Broken People’s Playlist is set to the soundtrack of life, comprised of twelve music-inspired tales about love, the human condition, micro-moments, and the search for meaning and sometimes, redemption. It is also Chimeka Garricks’s love letter to his native city, Port Harcourt, introducing us to a cast of indelible characters in these loosely interlocked tales.
There is the teenage wannabe-DJ eager to play his first gig even as his family disastrously falls apart—who reappears many years later as an unhappy middle-aged man drunk-calling his ex-wife; a man who throws a living funeral for his dying brother; three friends who ponder penis captivus and one’s peculiar erectile dysfunction; a troubled woman who tries to find her peace-place in the world, helped by a headful of songs and a pot of ginger tea.
Infused with the author’s resonant and evocative storytelling, each page holds “the depth of a novel” (Hari Kunzru); a character, a moment that will—like a favorite song—long linger in the heart and mind.
BIO
<meta charset="utf-8">Chimeka Garricks is a Nigerian-Irish writer, editor, screenwriter, and script doctor. His work includes a collection of short stories, A Broken People's Playlist, a novel, and a script in development. He lives in the United Kingdom.
REVIEWS
"A dozen interlinked, music-oriented stories set in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, where Garricks was raised... Each songlike story feels like a breakout hit encapsulating the brokenness and the beauty in life’s soundtrack." -- Booklist (starred review)
"These stories will stay with you long after you’ve turned the final page." -- She Reads, Best Book Club Pick of Spring 2023
"A Broken People’s Playlist is an addictive collection of authentic prose. Story after story made me stop to reflect on the complexities of life, our various loves––be it family, friendship or romance––and the way we’re all connected. Elegant, graceful and full of understanding, Garrick’s writing unwraps stories that touch the soul and make you glad to be part of the human race." -- Bisi Adjapon, author of The Teller of Secrets and Daughter in Exile
[H]  Harpervia  /  March 21, 2023
<meta charset="utf-8"><meta charset="utf-8">1.02" H x 8.35" L x 5.67" W (0.7 lbs) 224 pages 
[P]  Harpervia  /  January 21, 2025
<meta charset="utf-8">0.7" H x 8.2" L x 5.2" W (0.4 lbs) 224 pages

A Broken People's Playlist: Stories (from Songs) /// Chimeka Garricks

Winner of the 1988 Before Columbus Foundation National Book Award, this path-breaking collection of essays is a clarion call to build communities that nurture our spirit. Lorde announces the need for a radical politics of intersectionality while struggling to maintain her own faith as she wages a battle against liver cancer. From reflections on her struggle with the disease to thoughts on lesbian sexuality and African-American identity in a straight white man's world, Lorde's voice remains enduringly relevant in today's political landscape. Those who practice and encourage social justice activism frequently quote her exhortation, "Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare." In addition to the journal entries of "A Burst of Light: Living with Cancer," this edition includes an interview, "Sadomasochism: Not About Condemnation," and three essays, "I Am Your Sister: Black Women Organizing Across Sexualities," "Apartheid U.S.A.," and "Turning the Beat Around: Lesbian Parenting 1986," as well as a new Foreword by Sonia Sanchez. BIO A great American theorist of race, sexuality, gender, living, and dying, poet and activist Audre Lorde (1934–1992) created a body of work that was ahead of its time in its embrace of intersectionality. Her debut poetry collection, 1973's From a Land Where Other People Live, was nominated for the National Book Award and she was named New York State's Poet Laureate and received the Bill Whitehead Award for Lifetime Achievement. Other notable works include The Cancer Journals, her novel Zami, and the collection Sister Outsider. A member of the Black Arts Movement and a prominent advocate of the Afro-German identity during her years studying in Berlin, Lorde's writings have become increasingly influential since her death in 1992 of liver cancer. REVIEWS "You don't read Audre Lorde, you feel her." -- Essence"Lorde's timeless prose in this collection provides contemporary social justice warriors the language, strategies, and lessons around resistance, through the power of intersectionality, a Pan-African vision, and — ultimately — through the power of love and radical self-care." -- NBC News"When I don't know what to do, I turn to the Lorde." -- Alexis Pauline Gumbs, Bitch Media"Whenever my mind is heavy with questions and my heart thirsts for nourishment, I turn to the writing of Audre Lorde. Every time I revisit the words of Audre Lorde, I marvel over how relevant they continue to be." -- AfterEllen.com "The self-described black feminist lesbian mother poet used a mixture of prose, theory, poetry, and experience to interrogate oppressions and uplift marginalized communities. She was one of the first black feminists to target heteronormativity, and to encourage black feminists to expand their understanding of erotic pleasure. She amplified anti-oppression, even as breast cancer ravaged her ailing body." -- Evette Dionne, Bustle Magazine [H] Ixia Press / September 13, 2017 0.6" H x 8.7" L x 5.8" W (0.6 lbs) 144 pages [P] Lushena Press / June 29, 2023 0.29" H x 8.5" L x 5.5" W (0.3 lbs) 108 pages

A Burst of Light: and Other Essays /// Audre Lorde, foreword by Sonia Sanchez, illustrations by Jen Keenan

A new cookbook for beginners and curious cooks by Emmy Award–winning talk show host and journalist Tamron Hall and her good friend, award-winning chef Lish Steiling.When Tamron Hall and Lish Steiling first met while working at the Today show, they never imagined that their friendship would lead to endless kitchen adventures filled with laughs, learning, and even tears of pure joy. In A Confident Cook, they share that same empowerment and excitement with those who are just beginning to cook.Learn how to select the tools you need (and skip the ones you don’t!), how to stock your pantry, and how to cook for one, two, or a whole group. This book is packed with scrumptious recipes, including Baked French Toast with Sparkling Berries, Crispy Fried Chicken, Harissa Roasted Carrots with Queso Fresco, and Chai-Spiced Pudding, as well as cocktails and mocktails like the delicious “Not Tonight, Satan.” Throughout, Lish and Tamron chat, teach, learn, and inspire you to keep it going in the kitchen! BIO Tamron Hall is an American broadcast journalist, television talk show host and author. In September 2019, Hall debuted her self-titled syndicated daytime talk show, which has earned her two Daytime Emmy Awards. REVIEWS “Lish and Tamron’s passion for cooking and sharing meals with family and friends comes crashing through the pages of this playful compendium of simple, delicious recipes and techniques. The book is chatty and personal, with very clear directions on how to really set up your kitchen and become a confident cook. With irresistible recipes like Big Citrus Dutch Baby with Ice Cream Sauce for brunch and Chicken Thighs with Dates and Olives for dinner, I am in. You need this book!” -- Suzanne Goin “Get ready for a culinary adventure like no other! A Confident Cook is not your average recipe collection. It’s a conversation between friends. Join Lish and Tamron as they deliver simple and tasty twists to your favorite dishes, from classics to favorites. Get ready to explore a whole new world of deliciousness!” -- Carla Hall“A Confident Cook is what happens when two genuine pros collaborate—in this case, a seasoned chef and an acclaimed host/interviewer. Together, Tamron and Lish get at the very heart and soul of cooking, why it matters, how it connects us, and how truly satisfying it can be when done with patience and love. Theirs is a friendship worth celebrating!” -- Gail Simmons“A Confident Cook is the perfect title for this book. It will give you the skills and tips you’ve always wanted and will make you feel great in the kitchen. It is amazing to see a professional like Lish teach her friend Tamron the ins and outs of cooking. Lish makes everything look so easy due to her vast background, and has an extremely wide range of what she can cook. You will use this book day in and day out as your reference bible for things we all want to master—the perfectly cooked eggs, the crispiest roast chicken, the ultimate potatoes, the simplest desserts that will make you look like a pro. Brava, Tamron and Lish.” -- Missy Robbins [H] Hyperion Avenue / September 03, 2024 0.9" H x 9.7" L x 7.7" W (2.7 lbs) 256 pages

A new cookbook for beginners and curious cooks by Emmy Award–winning talk show host and journalist Tamron Hall and her good friend, award-winning chef Lish Steiling. When Tamron Hall and Lish Steiling first met while working at the Today show, they never imagined that their friendship would lead to endless kitchen adventures filled with laughs, learning, and even tears of pure joy. In A Confident Cook, they share that same empowerment and excitement with those who are just beginning to cook. Learn how to select the tools you need (and skip the ones you don’t!), how to stock your pantry, and how to cook for one, two, or a whole group. This book is packed with scrumptious recipes, including Baked French Toast with Sparkling Berries, Crispy Fried Chicken, Harissa Roasted Carrots with Queso Fresco, and Chai-Spiced Pudding, as well as cocktails and mocktails like the delicious “Not Tonight, Satan.” Throughout, Lish and Tamron chat, teach, learn, and inspire you to keep it going in the kitchen!
BIO
<meta charset="utf-8">Tamron Hall is an American broadcast journalist, television talk show host and author. In September 2019, Hall debuted her self-titled syndicated daytime talk show, which has earned her two Daytime Emmy Awards.
REVIEWS
“Lish and Tamron’s passion for cooking and sharing meals with family and friends comes crashing through the pages of this playful compendium of simple, delicious recipes and techniques. The book is chatty and personal, with very clear directions on how to really set up your kitchen and become a confident cook. With irresistible recipes like Big Citrus Dutch Baby with Ice Cream Sauce for brunch and Chicken Thighs with Dates and Olives for dinner, I am in. You need this book!”  -- Suzanne Goin   “Get ready for a culinary adventure like no other! A Confident Cook is not your average recipe collection. It’s a conversation between friends. Join Lish and Tamron as they deliver simple and tasty twists to your favorite dishes, from classics to favorites. Get ready to explore a whole new world of deliciousness!” -- Carla Hall “A Confident Cook is what happens when two genuine pros collaborate—in this case, a seasoned chef and an acclaimed host/interviewer. Together, Tamron and Lish get at the very heart and soul of cooking, why it matters, how it connects us, and how truly satisfying it can be when done with patience and love. Theirs is a friendship worth celebrating!” -- Gail Simmons “A Confident Cook is the perfect title for this book. It will give you the skills and tips you’ve always wanted and will make you feel great in the kitchen. It is amazing to see a professional like Lish teach her friend Tamron the ins and outs of cooking. Lish makes everything look so easy due to her vast background, and has an extremely wide range of what she can cook. You will use this book day in and day out as your reference bible for things we all want to master—the perfectly cooked eggs, the crispiest roast chicken, the ultimate potatoes, the simplest desserts that will make you look like a pro. Brava, Tamron and Lish.”  -- Missy Robbins
[H]  Hyperion Avenue  /  September 03, 2024
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A Confident Cook: Recipes for Joyous, No-Pressure Fun in the Kitchen /// Tamron Hall, Lish Sterling

A Domestic Cook Book (1866) by Malinda Russell is the oldest known published cookbook written by an African American woman. Born in Tennessee, and descended from Virginia freemen, Russell decided to move to Liberia at the age of 19. When her money for the trip was stolen, she was stranded in Lynchburg, Virginia, and began working as a cook and companion, traveling with women as a nurse. After living in Lynchburg for only four years, Russell’s husband died and she moved with her son to Tennessee where she kept a boarding house and then went on to run a pastry shop. After a second dramatic robbery in 1864, Russell moved to Paw Paw, Michigan, because she had heard it was the “garden of the west” and published a cookbook “with the intention of benefiting the public” as well as supporting herself. A Domestic Cook Book contains 260 recipes and household tips that draw from Malinda Russell’s twenty years of experience cooking in Southern kitchens, her boarding house, and her pastry shop, and showcase her skills as a pastry chef. This new edition includes a foreword by scholar Rafia Zafar as well as an introduction by the late food historian Janice Bluestein Longone that contextualize Russell’s cookbook. Using the only known copy of the original book housed in the Janice Bluestein Longone Culinary Archive at the University of Michigan Library's Special Collections Research Center, this new edition preserves an important part of Michigan and American history and makes it widely available to readers for the first time. BIO Malinda Russell was born and raised in eastern Tennessee. In 1864, Russell moved to Michigan, where she settled in the Paw Paw area and published this volume in 1866. [P] University of Michigan Regional / February 18, 2025 120 pages

A Domestic Cook Book (1866) by Malinda Russell is the oldest known published cookbook written by an African American woman. Born in Tennessee, and descended from Virginia freemen, Russell decided to move to Liberia at the age of 19. When her money for the trip was stolen, she was stranded in Lynchburg, Virginia, and began working as a cook and companion, traveling with women as a nurse. After living in Lynchburg for only four years, Russell’s husband died and she moved with her son to Tennessee where she kept a boarding house and then went on to run a pastry shop. After a second dramatic robbery in 1864, Russell moved to Paw Paw, Michigan, because she had heard it was the “garden of the west” and published a cookbook “with the intention of benefiting the public” as well as supporting herself.
A Domestic Cook Book contains 260 recipes and household tips that draw from Malinda Russell’s twenty years of experience cooking in Southern kitchens, her boarding house, and her pastry shop, and showcase her skills as a pastry chef. This new edition includes a foreword by scholar Rafia Zafar as well as an introduction by the late food historian Janice Bluestein Longone that contextualize Russell’s cookbook. Using the only known copy of the original book housed in the Janice Bluestein Longone Culinary Archive at the University of Michigan Library's Special Collections Research Center, this new edition preserves an important part of Michigan and American history and makes it widely available to readers for the first time.
BIO
Malinda Russell was born and raised in eastern Tennessee. In 1864, Russell moved to Michigan, where she settled in the Paw Paw area and published this volume in 1866.
[P]  University of Michigan Regional  /  February 18, 2025
<meta charset="utf-8">120 pages

A Domestic Cook Book Containing a Careful Selection of Useful Receipts for the Kitchen /// Malinda Russell

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection Expert quilter Kim Taylor shares a unique and powerful story of the celebration of the first Juneteenth, from the perspective of a young girl.On June 19, 1865, in Galveston, General Gordon Granger of the Union Army delivered the message that African Americans in Texas were free. Since then, Juneteenth, as the day has come to be known, has steadily gained recognition throughout the United States. ln 2020,a powerful wave of protests and demonstrations calling for racial justice and equality brought new awareness to the significance of the holiday.A Flag for Juneteenth depicts a close-knit community of enslaved African Americans on a plantation in Texas, the day before the announcement is to be made that all enslaved people are free. Young Huldah, who is preparing to celebrate her tenth birthday, can’t possibly anticipate how much her life will change that Juneteenth morning. The story follows Huldah and her community as they process the news of their freedom and celebrate together by creating a community freedom flag. Debut author and artist Kim Taylor sets this story apart by applying her skills as an expert quilter. Each of the illustrations has been lovingly hand sewn and quilted, giving the book a homespun, tactile quality that is altogether unique. BIO Kim Taylor is a speech language pathologist and Department Supervisor at a large school for deaf children on Long Island. She is also an expert quilter whose works have been exhibited at several venues throughout the Midatlantic region. Taylor’s quilts reflect African American life, and she tells stories through her materials (visit Kim’s website to see her quilts). After researching the origins of the Juneteenth celebration, she created a Juneteenth story quilt which she has exhibited and presented in dozens of local schools. Realizing that few teachers and students had ever heard of the holiday, she was moved to write the book A Flag for Juneteenth. REVIEWS “The picture book . . . not only reveals Taylor’s considerable talents as an inspiring raconteur but as a self-taught quilter whose creations uniquely and symbolically illustrate the historically based narrative.” -- Newsday★ ”Kim Taylor’s portrayal of a girl witnessing the first Juneteenth, accompanied by exquisite quilted artwork, is filled with a spirit of jubilation and freedom. . . . her textile art perfectly complements her evocative prose. . . .” -- BookPage, Starred Review “The illustrations quilted by Taylor display strong artistic use of color, texture, movement, stitching, and symbols. Each page has vibrant colors that grab readers at first glance. . . . Taylor effectively breathes life into the characters, even those muddled in the background, by showing their humanity in each page.” -- School Library Journal“Both lyrical and descriptive, Huldah’s voice conveys the joy that is found in freedom. . . . A great introduction to the federal holiday.” -- The Horn Book“Taylor aptly depicts this story through colorful woven fabrics and folk art-style, quilted scenes.” -- Booklist“[A] moving debut. . . . It’s a discussion-starting, personal-feeling portrait of a communal celebration.” -- Publishers Weekly“The art in this work from quilter Taylor is stunning. The craftsmanship and attention to detail are breathtaking. . . . Visually dazzling. . . .” -- Kirkus Reviews [H] Neal Porter Books / January 03, 2023 0.39" H x 10.24" L x 9.92" W (0.92 lbs) 40 pages

A Flag for Juneteenth /// Kim Taylor

One of the Gardin women must navigate a season rich with unexpected challenges in the follow-up to The Gardins of Edin, a heartwarming story about love, forgiveness, new beginnings, and what it takes to get there.Martha Gardin is a mess, and no one knows this better than the women in her family. Good-hearted but often misguided by distrust and insecurity, Martha is known for stirring up drama. That’s why Ruth, Naomi, and Mary are pleasantly surprised when Martha mellows out after she begins dating one of the most eligible bachelors in town. Handsome, well-connected Oji Greenwald is everything Martha hoped to find in a man, and it’s only a matter of time before he pops the question. Rarely caught off guard, Martha is accustomed to getting her way. But when it appears she’s finally about to have the life she’s always wanted, a crisis in Oji’s family brings out Martha’s tendency to try to save the day her way, and the divide deepens between her and Oji’s already indifferent mother, Eve. Confronted with these unforeseen challenges to her plans, Martha finds herself on a journey that forces her to fully acknowledge her previous mistakes and reconcile her past. But will it be enough to deliver her the future—and the love—her heart desires? BIO Rosey Lee is the author of The Gardins of Edin. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia, and grew up on the Westbank of New Orleans, Louisiana. REVIEWS “If you’re craving a heartfelt, character-driven story about love, legacy, healing, and what it means to truly show up for your people (and yourself), don’t sleep on this series.” -- Emely Rumble, LCSW, bibliotherapist and author of Bibliotherapy in The Bronx [P] Prh Christian Publishing / May 13, 2025 0.9" H x 8.2" L x 5.4" W (0.6 lbs) 304 pages

A Gardin Wedding: A Gardin of Edin Novel /// Rosey Lee

﻿A Good Day to Bake is full of 70 sweet and savory baking recipes for any day of the week, led by flavor. Going through the ritual of bringing out the measuring scales, pouring out flour, whipping up the eggs, stirring the batter and impatiently slicing up warm cake is a beautiful thing that deserves to be enjoyed all year round no matter the day, season or occasion. This is a cookbook that embraces simplicity, mindfulness and the therapeutic comforts of baking. The Great British Bake Off's 2016 contestant Benjamina writes so warmly about cakes and her recipes speak to a natural, seasonal and down-to-earth way of baking. Chapters include Herbs & Tea, Stone Fruit & Berries, Vegetables, Best of Beige, Spice Cupboard, and Chocolate. Because every day is a good day to bake. BIO Benjamina Ebuehi writes recipes, styles and creates content for media, such as BBC Good Food, Waitrose Weekend and Guardian Feast as well as brands such as Sainsbury's, McVities, Lindt, Lyles Golden Syrup, Anthropologie, Baileys and Schwartz spices. Benjamina is an ambassador for the incredible social enterprise Luminary Bakery, and co-founded, with her sister Bonita, The Sister Table (www.thesistertable.com), hosting pop-up brunches and supper clubs for women across London. Her food blog Carrot and Crumb (www.carrotandcrumb.com) was a finalist in the 2019 Saveur Blog Awards. A Good Day to Bake is her second cookbook. [H] Quadrille Publishing / March 01, 2022 0.9" H x 9.9" L x 7.5" W (1.85 lbs) 192 pages

﻿<meta charset="UTF-8">A Good Day to Bake is full of 70 sweet and savory baking recipes for any day of the week, led by flavor. 
Going through the ritual of bringing out the measuring scales, pouring out flour, whipping up the eggs, stirring the batter and impatiently slicing up warm cake is a beautiful thing that deserves to be enjoyed all year round no matter the day, season or occasion. 
This is a cookbook that embraces simplicity, mindfulness and the therapeutic comforts of baking. The Great British Bake Off's 2016 contestant Benjamina writes so warmly about cakes and her recipes speak to a natural, seasonal and down-to-earth way of baking. Chapters include Herbs &amp; Tea, Stone Fruit &amp; Berries, Vegetables, Best of Beige, Spice Cupboard, and Chocolate. 
Because every day is a good day to bake.
BIO
Benjamina Ebuehi writes recipes, styles and creates content for media, such as BBC Good Food, Waitrose Weekend and Guardian Feast as well as brands such as Sainsbury's, McVities, Lindt, Lyles Golden Syrup, Anthropologie, Baileys and Schwartz spices.
Benjamina is an ambassador for the incredible social enterprise Luminary Bakery, and co-founded, with her sister Bonita, The Sister Table (www.thesistertable.com), hosting pop-up brunches and supper clubs for women across London. Her food blog Carrot and Crumb (www.carrotandcrumb.com) was a finalist in the 2019 Saveur Blog Awards.
A Good Day to Bake is her second cookbook.
[H] Quadrille Publishing  /  March 01, 2022
0.9" H x 9.9" L x 7.5" W (1.85 lbs) 192 pages

A Good Day to Bake: Simple Baking Recipes for Every Mood /// Benjamina Ebuehi

“A compelling story of how the transformative events of history weigh on individual lives and relationships.” - Barack ObamaThe Nobel Prize–nominated Kenyan writer’s best-known novel, featuring an introduction by Nobel Prize winner Abdulrazak GurnahSet in the wake of the Mau Mau rebellion and on the cusp of Kenya's independence from Britain, A Grain of Wheat follows a group of villagers whose lives have been transformed by the 1952–1960 Emergency. At the center of it all is the reticent Mugo, the village's chosen hero and a man haunted by a terrible secret. As we learn of the villagers' tangled histories in a narrative interwoven with myth and peppered with allusions to real-life leaders, including Jomo Kenyatta, a masterly story unfolds in which compromises are forced, friendships are betrayed, and loves are tested. BIO Ngugi wa Thiong'o is an award-winning novelist, playwright, and essayist from Kenya whose novels have been translated into more than thirty languages. He lives in Irvine, California, where he is Distinguished Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Irvine. REVIEWS “One of the greatest writers of our time.” -- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, The Guardian“His novels . . . have been deservedly canonized by the iconic [Penguin Classics] series.” --The Wall Street Journal [P] Penguin Group / June 05, 2012 0.8" H x 7.6" L x 5.1" W (0.45 lbs) 272 pages

A Grain of Wheat /// Ngugi Wa Thiong'o, introduction by Abdulrazak Gurnah, edited by Chinua Achebe

The New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice • Longlisted for the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction​ • A sweeping and beautifully rendered exploration of home and yearning, following the fracturing of a family upon the demise of its patriarch“Each character here is richly and deeply drawn…This is a novel that encourages us to stand in life’s burning doorways, and to think long before we walk away or walk through.”—New York TimesIn the early hours of June 14, 2017, the world watches as flames leap up the sides of a residential high-rise in West London, consuming Grenfell Tower and many of the lives within it. Across town, an earlier spark has caught fire. A cigarette left burning in an ashtray. A table strewn with post-it reminders and old newspapers. And one Cornelius Winston Pitt—estranged husband, complicated dad, and Pitt family patriarch—takes his final breaths alone.These twin tragedies open Diana Evans’s A House for Alice, an aching portrait of a family of women shaken by loss and searching for closure. At the novel’s center is Alice herself, the Pitt matriarch who, after fifty years in England, now longs to live out her final years in her homeland of Nigeria. Her three daughters are torn on the issue of whether she stays or goes, and while youngest sibling Melissa also grapples with the embers of her own failed relationship, the Pitt family’s foundational pillars—of trust, love, and cultural identity—begin to crack.Intimately drawn and set against a fraught political backdrop, yet equally full of hope, humor, and humanity, A House for Alice traces the scars of grief and betrayal across generations and uncovers the secrets we keep from those closest to us. BIO Diana Evans is the author of the novels 26a, The Wonder and Ordinary People. She has received nominations for the Whitbread First Novel, the Guardian First Book and the Commonwealth Best First Book awards and was the inaugural winner of the Orange Award for New Writers. Ordinary People won the 2019 South Bank Sky Arts Award for Literature and was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction, the Rathbones Folio Prize and the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction, and also received a nomination for the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction. Her journalism appears in among others Time magazine, the Guardian, Vogue, and the Financial Times. She lives in London. REVIEWS A Most Anticipated Book: The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Good Morning America •“Each character here is richly and deeply drawn, with histories and personalities so fully realized that it’s a pleasure to get to know them…This is a novel that encourages us to stand in life’s burning doorways, and to think long before we walk away or walk through.” -- New York Times“A beautiful, deep exploration of home and fractured families” -- Good Morning America“Twin domestic tragedies entwine in this richly loving and fraught novel. The 2017 Grenfell Towers fire in London looms as Diana Evans juxtaposes this disaster with the death of a patriarch whose loss complicates the actions of his wife, Alice, who longs to return at last to her homeland, Nigeria.” -- Boston Globe“The shifting sands of relationships, time, and place frame a vibrant new novel from an award-winning British writer.Broad in range, vivid in detail, alight often with eloquent language, Evans’ fourth novel, set among a Black community in London, takes time to reveal itself. Sprawling but always engaging, the novel’s cast is filled with rounded individuals, their problems and options as Black, middle-class Londoners showcased at work and play and contemplation, with humor and empathy.” -- Kirkus Review (starred review) “All is conjured with Evans’s keen eye for human behavior… Her prose is distinguished by its lively, lyrical energy, by its seemingly effortless expansiveness, and by masterful turns of phrase” -- Guardian “A warm but devastating narrative, dealing with the fallout of the Grenfell tragedy… Like any Evans novel, it is unputdownable” -- Harper’s Bazaar “Evans…has an exquisite turn of phrase…The people on the page, and the problems they face, are real and raw" -- Times UK [H] Pantheon Books / September 12, 2023 1.6" H x 9.3" L x 6.1" W (1.35 lbs) 352 pages

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The New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice • Longlisted for the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction​ • A sweeping and beautifully rendered exploration of home and yearning, following the fracturing of a family upon the demise of its patriarch “Each character here is richly and deeply drawn…This is a novel that encourages us to stand in life’s burning doorways, and to think long before we walk away or walk through.” —New York Times In the early hours of June 14, 2017, the world watches as flames leap up the sides of a residential high-rise in West London, consuming Grenfell Tower and many of the lives within it. Across town, an earlier spark has caught fire. A cigarette left burning in an ashtray. A table strewn with post-it reminders and old newspapers. And one Cornelius Winston Pitt—estranged husband, complicated dad, and Pitt family patriarch—takes his final breaths alone. These twin tragedies open Diana Evans’s A House for Alice, an aching portrait of a family of women shaken by loss and searching for closure. At the novel’s center is Alice herself, the Pitt matriarch who, after fifty years in England, now longs to live out her final years in her homeland of Nigeria. Her three daughters are torn on the issue of whether she stays or goes, and while youngest sibling Melissa also grapples with the embers of her own failed relationship, the Pitt family’s foundational pillars—of trust, love, and cultural identity—begin to crack. Intimately drawn and set against a fraught political backdrop, yet equally full of hope, humor, and humanity, A House for Alice traces the scars of grief and betrayal across generations and uncovers the secrets we keep from those closest to us.
BIO
<meta charset="utf-8">Diana Evans is the author of the novels 26a, The Wonder and Ordinary People. She has received nominations for the Whitbread First Novel, the Guardian First Book and the Commonwealth Best First Book awards and was the inaugural winner of the Orange Award for New Writers. Ordinary People won the 2019 South Bank Sky Arts Award for Literature and was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction, the Rathbones Folio Prize and the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction, and also received a nomination for the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction. Her journalism appears in among others Time magazine, the Guardian, Vogue, and the Financial Times. She lives in London.
REVIEWS
<meta charset="utf-8">A Most Anticipated Book: The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Good Morning America • “Each character here is richly and deeply drawn, with histories and personalities so fully realized that it’s a pleasure to get to know them…This is a novel that encourages us to stand in life’s burning doorways, and to think long before we walk away or walk through.” -- New York Times “A beautiful, deep exploration of home and fractured families” -- Good Morning America “Twin domestic tragedies entwine in this richly loving and fraught novel. The 2017 Grenfell Towers fire in London looms as Diana Evans juxtaposes this disaster with the death of a patriarch whose loss complicates the actions of his wife, Alice, who longs to return at last to her homeland, Nigeria.” -- Boston Globe “The shifting sands of relationships, time, and place frame a vibrant new novel from an award-winning British writer. Broad in range, vivid in detail, alight often with eloquent language, Evans’ fourth novel, set among a Black community in London, takes time to reveal itself. Sprawling but always engaging, the novel’s cast is filled with rounded individuals, their problems and options as Black, middle-class Londoners showcased at work and play and contemplation, with humor and empathy.” -- Kirkus Review (starred review)   “All is conjured with Evans’s keen eye for human behavior… Her prose is distinguished by its lively, lyrical energy, by its seemingly effortless expansiveness, and by masterful turns of phrase” -- Guardian   “A warm but devastating narrative, dealing with the fallout of the Grenfell tragedy… Like any Evans novel, it is unputdownable” -- Harper’s Bazaar   “Evans…has an exquisite turn of phrase…The people on the page, and the problems they face, are real and raw" -- Times UK
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A House for Alice /// Diana Evans

Our history echoes with events which, over time, have become hidden, yet are important to all of us. Juneteenth is a celebration which recognizes the end of the enslavement of Black people in America. This book opens a door to understanding our history and celebrating our future—together.Meet A Kids Co., a new kind of media company with a collection of beautifully designed books that kickstart challenging, empowering, and important conversations for kids and their grownups. Learn more about us at akidsco.com. BIO Garrison Hayes (he/him) is a filmmaker, creator, and entrepreneur who amplifies stories which change the world. He believes the truth of the past helps us better understand the present and gives us the foundation to build a better tomorrow. [H] DK Publishing / May 21, 2024 0.5" H x 10.5" L x 8.3" W (0.9 lbs) 64 pages For ages 6 to 9

A Kids Book About Juneteenth /// Garrison Hayes

“Steady-handed and gut-punching. I’m in awe.”—NoViolet Bulawayo An Oprah Daily Most Anticipated Book of 2024 In ten vivid, evocative stories set in contemporary Nigeria, Uche Okonkwo’s extraordinary debut asks: why are the people and places we hold closest so often the ones that drive us to madness? A teenage girl from a poor family is dazzled by her rich, vivacious friend, but as the friend’s behavior grows unstable and dangerous, she must decide whether to cover for her or risk telling the truth to get her the help she needs. A young woman and her mother bask in the envy of their neighbors when the woman receives an offer of marriage from the family of a doctor living in Belgium—though when the offer fails to materialize, that envy threatens to turn vicious, pitting them both against their community. And a lonely daughter finds herself wandering a village in eastern Nigeria in an ill-fated quest, struggling to come to terms with her mother’s mental illness. Across ten stories, Uche Okonkwo’s A Kind of Madness unravels the tensions between mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, best friends, siblings, and more, marking the arrival of an extraordinary new talent in fiction. BIO Uche Okonkwo’s stories have been published in A Public Space, One Story, the Kenyon Review, Ploughshares, The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2019, and Lagos Noir, among others. A former Bernard O’Keefe Scholar at Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference and resident at Art Omi, she is a recipient of the George Bennett Fellowship at Phillips Exeter Academy, a Steinbeck Fellowship, and an Elizabeth George Foundation grant. Okonkwo grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, and is currently pursuing a creative writing PhD at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln REVIEWS "This debut short-story collection features 10 stories set in present-day Nigeria, all concerned with madness—both the literal madness of mental illness as well as the unruliness of outsize emotions like envy, shame, and desire." -- Oprah Daily, A Most Anticipated Book of 2024"Okonkwo has a Chekhovian eye for the tangle of internal motivations and assumptions that steer her characters. . . .Readers will be eager for more of Okonkwo’s artful writing." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review"Surprising, illuminating, and deeply human." -- Booklist"Vivid. . . . In addition to striking a perfect balance between humor and heartbreak, A Kind of Madness shows incredible wiseness on the complexity and at times maddening nature of loving our family, our friends, and our home.” -- Chicago Review of Books, A Best Book of April"Amazingly written characters in unforgettable settings. Okonkwo’s writing is transformative". -- Debutiful, A Best Book of April [P] Tin House Books / April 16, 2024 0.64" H x 8.52" L x 5.57" W (0.53 lbs) 224 pages

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“Steady-handed and gut-punching. I’m in awe.”—NoViolet Bulawayo
An Oprah Daily Most Anticipated Book of 2024
In ten vivid, evocative stories set in contemporary Nigeria, Uche Okonkwo’s extraordinary debut asks: why are the people and places we hold closest so often the ones that drive us to madness?
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A teenage girl from a poor family is dazzled by her rich, vivacious friend, but as the friend’s behavior grows unstable and dangerous, she must decide whether to cover for her or risk telling the truth to get her the help she needs. A young woman and her mother bask in the envy of their neighbors when the woman receives an offer of marriage from the family of a doctor living in Belgium—though when the offer fails to materialize, that envy threatens to turn vicious, pitting them both against their community. And a lonely daughter finds herself wandering a village in eastern Nigeria in an ill-fated quest, struggling to come to terms with her mother’s mental illness.
Across ten stories, Uche Okonkwo’s A Kind of Madness unravels the tensions between mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, best friends, siblings, and more, marking the arrival of an extraordinary new talent in fiction.
BIO
Uche Okonkwo’s stories have been published in A Public Space, One Story, the Kenyon Review, Ploughshares, The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2019, and Lagos Noir, among others. A former Bernard O’Keefe Scholar at Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference and resident at Art Omi, she is a recipient of the George Bennett Fellowship at Phillips Exeter Academy, a Steinbeck Fellowship, and an Elizabeth George Foundation grant. Okonkwo grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, and is currently pursuing a creative writing PhD at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
REVIEWS
"This debut short-story collection features 10 stories set in present-day Nigeria, all concerned with madness—both the literal madness of mental illness as well as the unruliness of outsize emotions like envy, shame, and desire." -- Oprah Daily, A Most Anticipated Book of 2024 "Okonkwo has a Chekhovian eye for the tangle of internal motivations and assumptions that steer her characters. . . .Readers will be eager for more of Okonkwo’s artful writing." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review "Surprising, illuminating, and deeply human." -- Booklist "Vivid. . . . In addition to striking a perfect balance between humor and heartbreak, A Kind of Madness shows incredible wiseness on the complexity and at times maddening nature of loving our family, our friends, and our home.” -- Chicago Review of Books, A Best Book of April "Amazingly written characters in unforgettable settings. Okonkwo’s writing is transformative". -- Debutiful, A Best Book of April
[P]  Tin House Books  /  April 16, 2024
0.64" H x 8.52" L x 5.57" W (0.53 lbs) 224 pages

A Kind of Madness: Stories /// Uche Okonkwo

-- SIGNED COPIES - From the award-winning author of High on the Hog—inspiration for the “energetic, emotional, and deeply nuanced” (The New York Times) Netflix series of the same name—comes a new and updated edition of A Kwanzaa Keepsake, another important exploration of African American culture, food, and family, featuring recipes and stories to help this generation create unique holiday traditions.Now with a new introduction by award-winning writer and iconic culinary historian Jessica B. Harris, a foreword by chef and television personality Carla Hall, revised recipes and stories, and a fresh new package, A Kwanzaa Keepsake offers proverbs, ceremonies, family projects, inspirational biographies, blessings, and of course, wonderful recipes. Structured around the seven days of Kwanzaa and the virtues each day represents, Harris shares a themed feast for each night, designed to reflect the principle of the day. Some of the menus include:- Umoja (Unity), featuring dishes of multinational origin such as Seasoned Olives, Mechoui-Style Leg of Lamb with cumin, mint, and chili, and a classic Caribbean rum punch, and reminds readers of the union of all peoples of African descent. - Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), composed of dishes from the African continent including Sweet Potato Fritters, Grilled Pepper Salad, and Piment Aimee, a hot sauce from one of the author’s friends. - Kuumba (Creativity) is a healing supper and communal meal that opens the gates of remembrance through food. The repast is centered around a heritage recipe and includes others for Pickled Black-Eyed Peas, a fish dish from the the Ivory Coast, Spicy Cranberry Chutney, and a killer pecan pie with molasses whipped cream.Interspersed throughout the book are spaces to record family memories, sayings, and recipes. Rich in culinary history, and a source of inspiration for treasuring and recording family traditions both old and new, A Kwanzaa Keepsake is a book to cherish, and one that families will turn to again and again. BIO Dr. Jessica B. Harris holds a PhD from NYU and taught English at Queens College for more than thirty years. She lectures internationally. She is the author of High on the Hog, which inspired the hit 2021 Netflix show of the same name. She is also the author of a memoir, My Soul Looks Back, as well as twelve cookbooks. Her articles have appeared in Vogue, Food & Wine, Essence, and The New Yorker, among other publications. She has made numerous television and radio appearances and has been profiled in The New York Times. Considered one of the preeminent scholars of the food of the African Diaspora, Harris has been inducted into the James Beard Who’s Who in Food and Beverage in America, she received the James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020, and an Augie Award from the Culinary Institute of America in 2022. She also received an honorary doctorate from Johnson & Wales University and recently helped the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture to conceptualize its cafeteria. [H] Scribner Book Company / November 05, 2024 0.64" H x 9.13" L x 7.38" W (0.53 lbs) 256 pages

A Kwanzaa Keepsake and Cookbook: Celebrating the Holiday with Family, Community, and Tradition /// Dr. Jessica B. Harris

In this lyrical picture book, world-renowned poet, New York Times bestselling author, and Coretta Scott King Honor winner Nikki Giovanni and fine artist Erin Robinson craft an ode to the magic of a library as a place not only for knowledge but also for imagination, exploration, and escape. In what other place can a child "sail their dreams" and "surf the rainbow" without ever leaving the room? This ode to libraries is a celebration for everyone who loves stories, from seasoned readers to those just learning to love words, and it will have kids and parents alike imagining where their library can take them. This inspiring read-aloud includes stunning illustrations and a note from Nikki Giovanni about the importance of libraries in her own childhood. BIO Nikki Giovanni, poet, activist, mother, and professor, is a seven-time NAACP Image Award winner and the first recipient of the Rosa Parks Woman of Courage Award, and holds the Langston Hughes Medal for Outstanding Poetry, among many other honors. The author of twenty-eight books and a Grammy nominee for The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection, she is the University Distinguished Professor of English at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. Erin Robinson is a Fashion Designer by trade but also a trained fine artist from Parsons School of Design and the Corcoran School of Art. Her daydreamy, magical imagination is inspired by travel, color, texture, the feminine shape and the many shades and coifs of Brooklyn. She currently splits her time between New York City and Washington, D.C. Find her at brooklyndolly.com and on Instagram @brooklyndolly. REVIEWS “Powerful.... Playful and inspiring. Every lover of books, young or old, will see themselves in this story.” -- Booklist (starred review) “Vibrant, carefully composed digital illustrations, with bright colors that invite readers in.... A lushly illustrated homage to librarians.” -- Kirkus Reviews “In this picture-book celebration of libraries and reading, poet Giovanni writes about the Carnegie Library, which she regularly visited as a child. Robinson’s digital art resembles vibrant collages.” -- Horn Book Magazine “Poetic text and evocative, textured illustrations work in concert to show how books and libraries enable people to imagine other lives—including other versions of their own selves.... A must-have.” -- School Library Journal [H] Versify / September 27, 2022 0.3" H x 11.1" L x 9.0" W (0.95 lbs) 32 pages

A Library /// Nikki Giovanni, illustrations by Erin K. Robinson

Tyree Daye’s a little bump in the earth is an act of invention and remembrance. Through sprawling poems, the town of Youngsville, North Carolina, where Daye’s family has lived for the last 200 years, is reclaimed as the “Ritual House.” Here, “every cousin aunt uncle ghost” is welcome. Daye invokes real and imagined people, the ancestral dead, land, snakes, and chickens, to create a black town on a hill. Including dreams, letters, revised rental agreements, and “a little museum in the herein-&-after,” where collaged images appear beside documents from Daye’s ancestors—census records, marriage licenses, and WWII Draft Registration cards—the collection asks if the past can be a portal to the future, the present a catalyst for the past. a little bump in the earth explores what it means to love someone, someplace, even as it changes, dies right in front of your eyes. Poem by poem, Daye is honoring the people of Youngsville and “bringing back the dead.” BIO Tyree Daye is a poet from Youngsville, North Carolina. He is the author of two poetry collections, including River Hymns, the 2017 APR/Honickman First Book Prize winner. Daye is a 2017 Ruth Lilly Finalist and Cave Canem fellow. Daye’s work has been published in Prairie Schooner, The New York Times, and Nashville Review. Daye won the 2019 Palm Beach Poetry Festival Langston Hughes Fellowship, 2019 Diana and Simon Raab Writer-In-Residence at UC Santa Barbara and is a 2019 Kate Tufts Finalist. Daye most recently was awarded a 2019 Whiting Award and a 2019 Ragin Rubin Award winner. [P] Copper Canyon Press / April 02, 2024 0.5" H x 8.9" L x 6.9" W (0.45 lbs) 104 pages

a little bump in the earth /// Tyree Daye

Impressive small-batch bakes, which are a breeze to make.A Little of What You Fancy showcases creative baking recipes that are tailored for smaller portions. From marbled cookies to swiss roll cake to crème brûlée Basque cheesecake, there are a variety of cakes, bakes and dessert recipes that only require minimal effort. Made using basic equipment and accessible ingredients, Dee Omole’s elegant style combines diverse flavours in intriguing ways. These treats are all easy enough for a mid-week treat for one, but special enough to serve as a dinner party treat. With easy-to-follow instructions, A Little of What You Fancy is full of achievable and indulgent bakes to satisfy your cravings – and with little to no waste (or leftovers!). There are also decorating tips and tricks to help you elevate your baked creations to new heights, making them the perfect handmade edible gift for loved ones. If you’re after homemade bakes without days and days of leftovers, A Little of What You Fancy is the book for you. BIO Dee Omole is a pastry chef and founder of confectionery studio Dee's Basement based in London, known for bringing a modern, creative flair to classic desserts. She's worked with a plethora of brands such as Tastemade and Pinterest showcasing her artistic approach to creating edible art. [H] Quadrille Publishing / August 19, 2025

Impressive small-batch bakes, which are a breeze to make. A Little of What You Fancy showcases creative baking recipes that are tailored for smaller portions. From marbled cookies to swiss roll cake to crème brûlée Basque cheesecake, there are a variety of cakes, bakes and dessert recipes that only require minimal effort.   Made using basic equipment and accessible ingredients, Dee Omole’s elegant style combines diverse flavours in intriguing ways. These treats are all easy enough for a mid-week treat for one, but special enough to serve as a dinner party treat.   With easy-to-follow instructions, A Little of What You Fancy is full of achievable and indulgent bakes to satisfy your cravings – and with little to no waste (or leftovers!). There are also decorating tips and tricks to help you elevate your baked creations to new heights, making them the perfect handmade edible gift for loved ones.   If you’re after homemade bakes without days and days of leftovers, A Little of What You Fancy is the book for you.
BIO
<meta charset="utf-8">Dee Omole is a pastry chef and founder of confectionery studio Dee's Basement based in London, known for bringing a modern, creative flair to classic desserts. She's worked with a plethora of brands such as Tastemade and Pinterest showcasing her artistic approach to creating edible art.
[H]  Quadrille Publishing  /  August 19, 2025

A Little of What You Fancy: Irresistible Small-Batch Bakes /// Dee Omole /// new

A touching story of the friendship between a young boy and his elderly neighbor, and how that boy helps jog the man’s disappearing memoryCaius spends summer mornings on his neighbor’s porch, and although Mr. Johnson doesn’t remember things as well as he used to, he can always sing the beginning of his favorite song, “Further Along.” Caius understands how nourishing music can be, and so he decides to find the rest of Mr. Johnson’s song. At the library he inspects shelves of hymnals and listens to recordings of protest tunes, but none of these is the one Mr. Johnson sings. How will he help his neighbor?Exuding warmth, this story displays kindness and neighborliness, and portrays dementia with gentle authenticity. BIO Ariel Vanece (She/They) is a Black-American children’s book author. Her stories are described as heartwarming and adventurous. They obtained an MFA/MA in Writing for Children and Children’s Literature from Simmons University, and they holds a BA in English from The University Of Kansas. Ariel’s stories focus on Black-American culture and inter-generational friendships. REVIEWS “Intergenerational stories can be a gift, and this is one of those books. It creates a comforting bubble—one where neighbors look after each other, where communities exist to help, and where the lines connecting everyone are crystal clear. The folksy art complements that tender touch, showing the warmth of sepia toned ancient memories and the lush bloom of the recent past. Through it all, music intertwines with story like vegetation, showing the growth and nourishment of an art form. A powerful tale that demonstrates the connective power of music and memory, as well as an appreciation for the strength of tradition passed through generations.” -- School Library Journal“Orlando’s warm illustrations deepen both the hymn and the story, layering emotional texture with historical detail and a vivid sense of the present. Vanece’s prose demonstrates how a child’s unprompted empathy and support for an older neighbor can make a meaningful difference in both of their lives. Also commendable is how the story quietly reflects the reality of many children’s lives by depicting a nontraditional family structure without making it a point of conflict or focus.A tender portrayal of a child’s bond with an elderly neighbor. “ -- Kirkus [H] Rocky Pond Books / October 14, 2025 For ages 5 to 8 0.6" H x 8.7" L x 11.2" W (0.8 lbs) 32 pages

Searching for Mr. Johnson's Song /// Ariel Vanece, illustrations by Jade Orlando /// new

A ground-breaking anthology of haunting speculative stories by contemporary Black Canadian writers that explore growth, futurity, and joy. Edited by esteemed poet Terese Mason Pierre, this bold and innovative anthology of speculative short fiction reveals and uplifts the spectacular imaginings, reveries, reflections, experiments, and hopes of Black writers in Canada. A masseuse attends her mother’s fourth funeral, only to encounter family she’s never met. A postdoc instructor navigates an almost-life in an Elsewhere realm of safety and comfort. After societal collapse, an immigrant leaves her precarious station, and her memories, behind. A woman isolating from a new virus starts hallucinating. A young nanny accepts a job with a peculiar employer in search of immortality. A medium is tasked with summoning a spirit that hits too close to home. And two teenagers test a friendship over magic carpet flying practice. These ten breathtaking stories explore natural and urban landscapes, living and dead relationships, economic catastrophe, love, and desire—all while celebrating the persistent and ever-changing self, and envisioning beautiful Black futures. Featuring stories by:Trynne Delaney francesca ekwuyasiWhitney FrenchAline-Mwezi NiyonsengaChimedum OhaegbuSuyi Davies OkungbowaChinelo OnwualuLue PalmerTerese Mason PierreZalika Reid-Benta BIO Terese Mason Pierre is a Toronto-based writer and editor whose work has appeared in The Walrus, ROOM, Brick, Quill & Quire, Uncanny Magazine, and Fantasy Magazine, among others. One of ten winners of the Writers' Trust McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize, she was named a Writers' Trust Rising Star. REVIEWS "As the Earth Dreams offers a distinctly Canadian vision of Black life that is as lush and expansive as it is tender and rooted.” -- The Walrus “The real treat [of As the Earth Dreams] is in realizing how much of what’s described sounds like the way we live now.” -- Toronto Star [P] Spiderline / October 14, 2025 0.6" H x 7.9" L x 5.2" W (0.45 lbs) 192 pages

As the Earth Dreams: Black Canadian Speculative Stories /// edited by Terese Mason Pierre /// new

“[R]ichly evocative…a brilliant and beautiful volume.” —Booklist, starred review“A lavish, eye-catching rethinking of ages-old stories.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred reviewFrom the acclaimed fine artist Harmonia Rosales, a sweeping retelling of African myth illustrated throughout with Rosales’s spectacular paintings. In Chronicles of Ori, her debut book, Harmonia Rosales retells the African myths she has long treasured, crafting an enthralling epic that spans the birth of the universe to the modern world of colonialism and resistance. She writes of the powerful, temperamental deities called the Orishas; of the founding of Yorubaland by the shrewd leader Oduduwa; of the young heroine Eve, born in a time of violence and despair, who would help her people regain their past splendor; and of shimmering serpents and monstrous shadows who stalk the lands of mortals. At the center of these linked tales is the bond, sometimes fraying, between the Orishas and the humans who worship them. It was the Orishas who made humans, and who gave them their most precious resource: their Oris, or destinies. Vividly brought to life by Rosales’s artwork, Chronicles of Ori will enlighten and delight readers for years to come. BIO Harmonia Rosales is an American artist from Chicago whose work depicts and honors African myths and the diaspora. She lives in Los Angeles, California. REVIEWS "[R]ichly evocative…a brilliant and beautiful volume." -- Booklist (starred review) "A lavish, eye-catching rethinking of ages-old stories." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) [H] W. W. Norton & Company / October 14, 2025 1.1" H x 8.8" L x 7.8" W (2.5 lbs) 304 pages

Chronicles of Ori: An African Epic /// Harmonia Rosales /// new

A bold novel about a black painter caught up in the currents of art, faith, and desire.New York simmers with heat and unrest as Wyeth, a painter, finds himself at an impasse in his own work.After attending a dubious show put on by a collective of careerist artists, he retreats to a bar in the West Village where he meets Keating, a former seminarian. Over the long summer, as the two get to know each another, they talk and argue about God, sex, and art.Meanwhile, at his job working for an art restorer, Wyeth begins to investigate the life and career of a forgotten, minor black artist. His search yields potential answers to questions that Wyeth is only now beginning to ask about what it means to be a black artist making black art amid the mess and beauty of life itself.As he did so brilliantly in the Booker Prize finalist Real Life and the bestselling The Late Americans, Brandon Taylor brings alive a captivating set of characters, this time at work and at play in the competitive art world. Minor Black Figures is a vividly etched portrait, both sweeping and tender, of friendship, creativity, belief, and the deep connections among them. BIO Brandon Taylor is the author of the novels The Late Americans and Real Life, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle John Leonard Prize, and named a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice and a Science + Literature Selected Title by the National Book Foundation. His collection Filthy Animals, a national bestseller, was awarded The Story Prize and shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize. He lives in New York City. REVIEWS “Taylor’s most accomplished novel — a sustained, idiosyncratic portrait of an artist.” -- The New York Times Book Review“Dazzling. . . a poetic meditation on Black art, friendship, young love and intimacy.” -- USA Today“A sharp, resonant novel about a young Black gay painter adrift in New York who spends one life-changing summer grappling with questions of faith, desire, and creative purpose.” -- Bustle“Brandon Taylor is always a must-read, and his newest, Minor Black Figures, is another masterpiece… It’s a moving, thoughtful take on friendship, love, and art.” -- Town & Country“Mesmerizingly detailed. . .this novel of ideas about art, selfhood, and faith is also a romance, a friendship story, and an enjoyable slice of one hazy Manhattan summer.” -- Booklist, STARRED review [H] Riverhead Books / October 14, 2025 1.4" H x 9.1" L x 6.1" W (1.25 lbs) 400 pages

Minor Black Figures: A Novel /// Brandon Taylor /// new

After working alongside iconic figures like Diana Ross, Prince, and Maya Angelou and as VIBE’s founding fashion director, Michaela angela Davis provides both a celebration of Black media’s vibrant history and a critical examination of its challenges and identity politics.On her first day of second grade, a group of older girls surrounded Michaela. The ringleader drafted her little sister, armed her with a pair of scissors, and shouted a command: cut Michaela’s big blond pigtails off or face her fury. Michaela and her braids survived the attempted “jump,” but she never saw the world and hair the same way again.Recognizing how her light skin, light eyes, and light hair facilitated her access to the explosive intersections of hardcore, house, and hip-hop culture, Michaela angela Davis’s Tenderheaded is the coming-of-age story of a stylist and editor who hustled during the golden age of the downtown NYC scene of the ’80s, established a career through the hip-hop–fueled ’90s, and reckoned with the media industry in the “post-racial” Obama years while being in service to Black women every step of the way.With a life and career as complex and textured as her hair, Davis has written more than a memoir. A tribute to Black girls and women everywhere, Tenderheaded is a cultural manifesto that reckons with the role media and American history play in the fascinating and chaotic shaping of a collective identity. BIO Michaela angela Davis is a writer, creative director, producer, and image activist focusing on the intersections of gender, race, fashion, culture, beauty, and identity. She was the cowriter of Mariah Carey’s memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, which was an instant #1 New York Times bestseller. She was the fashion, beauty, and culture editor at Essence magazine, the founding fashion director at VIBE magazine, and a creator of the docuseries The Hair Tales. [H] Simon & Schuster / October 14, 2025 1.2" H x 9.1" L x 6.0" W (1.0 lbs) 304 pages

Tenderheaded: A Memoir /// Michaela angela Davis /// new

The second in a funny illustrated middle grade series about a Panamanian American girl who hatches a plot to get rich quick—as long as her sister doesn’t in the way—from NYT bestselling author Veronica Chambers.Exuberant and larger-than-life Flora Violeta LeFevre has a plan—a plan to become a millionaire in the new year. She’s already collecting her birthday money and her mom’s swear jar so when the school announces a kids’ entrepreneurship conference, Flora’s excited to learn all the tricks to becoming rich.But she can’t open an animal hospital without a medical degree . . . and she can’t think of anything to invent and her sister keeps stealing the spotlight from her. As Flora brainstorms the perfect business, a hot idea during a cold day is just the thing she needs to make her dreams come true. BIO Veronica Chambers is a prolific author, best known for her critically acclaimed memoir Mama’s Girl. She coauthored the award-winning memoir Yes, Chef with chef Marcus Samuelsson, as well as Samuelsson’s young-adult memoir Make It Messy, and has collaborated on four New York Times bestsellers, most recently 32 Yolks, which she cowrote with chef Eric Ripert. She has been a senior editor at the New York Times Magazine, Newsweek, and Glamour. Born in Panama and raised in Brooklyn, she writes often about her Afro-Latina heritage. She speaks, reads, and writes Spanish, but she is truly fluent in Spanglish. She is currently a John S. Knight journalism fellow at Stanford University. Her upcoming novel is The Go-Between. REVIEWS “[E]ndearing and relatable…A slice-of-life story that’s rich in heart.” -- Kirkus [H] Dial Books / October 07, 2025 0.9" H x 7.1" L x 5.2" W (0.5 lbs) 192 pages For ages 8 to 12

Flora la Fresca & the Plot to Make Millions /// Veronica Chambers, illustrations by Sujean Rim /// new

-- This title is available for preorder and will ship on or after its release date: November 11, 2025 -- Part social thriller, part modern love story, Who Knows You by Heart is a sly, witty, and endlessly discussable tale of Big Tech, new money, relationships, race, and discovering what’s real in an age of artificial intelligence. Octavia Crenshaw, a Jamaican-American coder living in Manhattan, is broke, burned out, and haunted by her parents’ deaths. Desperate to pay off some debts, she ditches her nonprofit job for a high-paying gig at Eustachian Inc., a Big Tech company that specializes in audio entertainment. Language, communication, human connection—these are the markets Eustachian wants to revolutionize...and dominate. Octavia finds herself swept up in the world of the Tech Titans, with its lure of instant riches and its seemingly limitless future. But as one of Eustachian’s very few Black employees, Octavia is uncomfortably aware of things that seem to escape her coworkers: unexplained tech glitches, cryptic remarks, a mysterious secret floor in the corporation’s gleaming headquarters. But she sets her suspicions aside when she’s recruited by another Black coder—the infuriating but attractive Walcott—to collaborate on a secret project code-named Zion. Zion is a new kind of AI-powered storytelling, one that’s programmed to be free from the racist and sexist biases that plague other AI products. Zion could launch Eustachian into a bold new future and make its developers super rich while righting all kinds of injustices. Octavia and Walcott’s excitement over their creation sets off romantic sparks between the two of them, until they discover a toxic secret about their employer—something that they can’t unlearn, or overlook, but must overcome. BIO C.J. Farley was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and lives in New Rochelle, NY. A graduate of Harvard University, Farley is the author of the acclaimed fantasy adventure novel Game World and the best-selling biography Aaliyah: More Than a Woman, which was adapted into a hit Lifetime movie. Farley’s young adult novel Around Harvard Square won an NAACP Image Award and was named a 2020 Honor Book by the Paterson Prize for Books for Young People. REVIEWS “With prose as provocative as it is entertaining, WHO KNOWS YOU BY HEART brings readers face-to-face with AI in fiction's most original and visceral way yet. A story about the cost of getting ahead without selling your soul, Farley's latest shows that machines are not inert, but living reflections of our own society. This novel couldn't have come at a better time.” -- Mateo Askaripour, New York Times bestselling author of Black Buck “Farley’s Who Knows You by Heart is a timely masterpiece addressing the prevalent racism and sexism in technology and the moral conundrums presented by AI.” -- Booklist (starred review) “This brilliant book is the novel we urgently need right now. In an addictively readable way, it weaves together insights about love, race, gender, and work in the era of Big Tech. This is the first great AI novel of our time, and it is unlikely to be surpassed anytime soon.” -- Walter Isaacson, New York Times best-selling author of “Steve Jobs” and “Elon Musk” [H] William Morrow & Company / November 11, 2025 288 pages

-- This title is available for preorder and will ship on or after its release date: November 11, 2025 --
Part social thriller, part modern love story, Who Knows You by Heart is a sly, witty, and endlessly discussable tale of Big Tech, new money, relationships, race, and discovering what’s real in an age of artificial intelligence.
Octavia Crenshaw, a Jamaican-American coder living in Manhattan, is broke, burned out, and haunted by her parents’ deaths. Desperate to pay off some debts, she ditches her nonprofit job for a high-paying gig at Eustachian Inc., a Big Tech company that specializes in audio entertainment. Language, communication, human connection—these are the markets Eustachian wants to revolutionize...and dominate.
Octavia finds herself swept up in the world of the Tech Titans, with its lure of instant riches and its seemingly limitless future. But as one of Eustachian’s very few Black employees, Octavia is uncomfortably aware of things that seem to escape her coworkers: unexplained tech glitches, cryptic remarks, a mysterious secret floor in the corporation’s gleaming headquarters.
But she sets her suspicions aside when she’s recruited by another Black coder—the infuriating but attractive Walcott—to collaborate on a secret project code-named Zion. Zion is a new kind of AI-powered storytelling, one that’s programmed to be free from the racist and sexist biases that plague other AI products. Zion could launch Eustachian into a bold new future and make its developers super rich while righting all kinds of injustices. Octavia and Walcott’s excitement over their creation sets off romantic sparks between the two of them, until they discover a toxic secret about their employer—something that they can’t unlearn, or overlook, but must overcome.
BIO
C.J. Farley was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and lives in New Rochelle, NY. A graduate of Harvard University, Farley is the author of the acclaimed fantasy adventure novel Game World and the best-selling biography Aaliyah: More Than a Woman, which was adapted into a hit Lifetime movie. Farley’s young adult novel Around Harvard Square won an NAACP Image Award and was named a 2020 Honor Book by the Paterson Prize for Books for Young People. 
REVIEWS
“With prose as provocative as it is entertaining, WHO KNOWS YOU BY HEART brings readers face-to-face with AI in fiction's most original and visceral way yet. A story about the cost of getting ahead without selling your soul, Farley's latest shows that machines are not inert, but living reflections of our own society. This novel couldn't have come at a better time.” -- Mateo Askaripour, New York Times bestselling author of Black Buck
“Farley’s Who Knows You by Heart is a timely masterpiece addressing the prevalent racism and sexism in technology and the moral conundrums presented by AI.”  -- Booklist (starred review)
“This brilliant book is the novel we urgently need right now. In an addictively readable way, it weaves together insights about love, race, gender, and work in the era of Big Tech. This is the first great AI novel of our time, and it is unlikely to be surpassed anytime soon.” -- Walter Isaacson, New York Times best-selling author of “Steve Jobs” and “Elon Musk”
[H]  William Morrow &amp; Company  /  November 11, 2025<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta charset="utf-8">288 pages

Who Knows You by Heart: A Novel /// C.J. Farley /// pre

The first volume in a major new series offering a compelling glimpse into the transformative and revolutionary world of HBCUs, that reveals the complex stories that their collections tell us. This book, featuring objects from the museums and archives at five HBCUs—Jackson State, Tuskegee, Florida A&M, Clark Atlanta, and Texas Southern Universityies—attests to the aesthetic value of African American cultural production on university campuses, the persistent development and expansion of HBCU academic programs, and the impact of student-led activism on campuses and throughout surrounding communities. Organized into four main sections, focusing on the partner institutions, arts, academics, and activism, this remarkable assembly of images will inspire readers to engage with, reflect on, and examine the unforgettable stories they represent. The museums and archives at the five HBCUs featured tell unique stories, from detailed community histories and accounts of civil-rights era activism to premiere collections of African American art. Together, these institutions paint a powerful and multifaceted picture of African American academia and beyond. This multi-volume series of publications stemming from the work of NMAAHC’s HBCU History and Culture Access Consortium (HCAC), is a companion publication to the exhibition that will travel to each participating institution from September 2025. BIO Deborah Tulani Salahu-Din is a writer and researcher with twenty years of university teaching experience in academic and creative writing and an editor with significant corporate experience. Tulani Salahu-Din is also a museum consultant with ten years of experience in exhibition research with a sole focus on African American history and culture. She is currently a researcher with the Smithsonian in Washington, DC. REVIEWS At the Vanguard does more to take seriously the life changing work of Black memory workers at HBCUs; it artfully and rigorously pushes us to accept the multiple ways cultural workers at HBCUs have created the most lasting artful pathways in my lifetime. Absolutely necessary and unforgettable." -- Kiese Laymon, Professor of English and Creative Writing, Rice University “Opening the pages of this book is like diving into a treasure trove of African American history...The essays, informative and tautly written, provide critical information about museums, archives, murals, records, and sculptures of HBCUs. The pictures are a joy to behold...pictures of some of the art works collected are a powerful reminder of our persistence and resilience.” -- Dr. Julianne Malveaux, economist, author, and President Emerita of Bennett College [P] Giles / September 16, 2025 9.0" L x 7.0" W 88 pages

At the Vanguard: Making and Saving History at Historically Black Colleges and Universities /// edited by Deborah Tulani Salahu-Din, contributions by Dorothy Berry, Kinshasha Holman Conwill, Jelani M. Favors and Jeanelle K. Hope /// new

A deeply personal account of a young Black woman who set out to shake up her life by moving abroad but got a lot more than she bargained for. Surviving Paris is not Emily in Paris. It’s not a story of moving to the City of Light, meeting a dashing Frenchman, and raising beret-wearing enfants. It is not a romantic fantasy. It is a true story about a young, Black single woman and what happens when your Paris dream turns into a Paris nightmare. After more than a decade as a journalist and television producer, Robin Allison Davis decided to shake up her life and move to France. But it wasn’t quite the life she expected. When she was just thirty-four, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Surviving Paris recounts her journey from diagnosis through multiple surgeries to surviving the strictest Covid-19 lockdowns, only to be told her cancer had come back—and how she got to finding herself healthy again, including all the detours in between. While this book is about cancer, it’s not just about survival. It's a love story about cancer. It's a story about Robin's love of adventure, her love of love, and her love for herself. Grounded yet irreverent, informative and anecdotal, Surviving Paris has laughter, sorrow, and some unforgettable cringe-worthy moments. It also has courage, surprises, and remarkable depths of heart. Robin writes about the struggles of finding her community and family away from home, dating on Tinder with one boob, and learning to be the best advocate for her medical care in a culture she doesn't completely understand, and that doesn’t understand her. Surviving Paris details the good, the bad, and the ugly of expatriating to Paris and one American woman’s unexpected and often hilarious journey—and her precious second chance at life. BIO Robin Allison Davis is an Emmy Award-winning journalist, writer, and producer based in Paris and born and raised in the Washington DC area. After a ten-year television career in New York City and desiring to see more of the world, she moved to Paris in 2016 to pursue the dream of a more international lifestyle - and got more than she bargained for. A two-time breast cancer survivor, her first book, “Surviving Paris: A Memoir of Healing in the City of Light" was released in 2025. REVIEWS “Davis's detailed account of her challenges upon settling in Paris demonstrates how even the world's most romanticized and beloved cities can lay the backdrop to hardship. With refreshing honesty and grace, she weaves a moving story of perseverance, faith, and the power of community. All of it allowed her to reclaim the French capital as her own with great triumph.” -- Lindsey Tramuta, journalist and author of The New Parisienne: the Women & Ideas Shaping Paris “Robin is a one-of-a-kind storyteller — vividly capturing every emotion and sentiment in this loving memoir... Prepare yourself for laughter, tears, and a whole lot of inspiration from this courageous story of triumph. It’s honest. It’s bold. It’s intimate. It’s real. It’s survival. This is a must-read for anyone with a wanderlust spirit, anyone seeking a deeper relationship with themselves — and especially for those wondering how to survive some of life’s greatest challenges. Get ready for your heart to be cracked open — in the most courageous, beautifully human way possible.” -- Alencia Johnson, social impact leader and national bestselling author of Flip the Tables: The Everyday Disruptors Guide to Finding Courage and Making Change “Surprisingly funny, expectantly heartwarming, and refreshingly honest, Surviving Paris is the perfect dose of love we all need right now. Davis gives us a glimpse into her world of both dreams and nightmares, while weaving in an underlying theme of hope, resilience, pastries and wine. Can't forget the wine!” -- Deesha Dyer, Former Obama White House Social Secretary and Award-Winning Author of Undiplomatic: How My Attitude Created the Best Kind of Trouble [H] Amistad Press / September 16, 2025 0.93" H x 9.0" L x 6.0" W (0.92 lbs) 304 pages

A deeply personal account of a young Black woman who set out to shake up her life by moving abroad but got a lot more than she bargained for.
Surviving Paris is not Emily in Paris. It’s not a story of moving to the City of Light, meeting a dashing Frenchman, and raising beret-wearing enfants. It is not a romantic fantasy. It is a true story about a young, Black single woman and what happens when your Paris dream turns into a Paris nightmare.
After more than a decade as a journalist and television producer, Robin Allison Davis decided to shake up her life and move to France. But it wasn’t quite the life she expected. When she was just thirty-four, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Surviving Paris recounts her journey from diagnosis through multiple surgeries to surviving the strictest Covid-19 lockdowns, only to be told her cancer had come back—and how she got to finding herself healthy again, including all the detours in between.
While this book is about cancer, it’s not just about survival. It's a love story about cancer. It's a story about Robin's love of adventure, her love of love, and her love for herself. Grounded yet irreverent, informative and anecdotal, Surviving Paris has laughter, sorrow, and some unforgettable cringe-worthy moments. It also has courage, surprises, and remarkable depths of heart.
Robin writes about the struggles of finding her community and family away from home, dating on Tinder with one boob, and learning to be the best advocate for her medical care in a culture she doesn't completely understand, and that doesn’t understand her. Surviving Paris details the good, the bad, and the ugly of expatriating to Paris and one American woman’s unexpected and often hilarious journey—and her precious second chance at life.
BIO
<meta charset="utf-8">Robin Allison Davis is an Emmy Award-winning journalist, writer, and producer based in Paris and born and raised in the Washington DC area. After a ten-year television career in New York City and desiring to see more of the world, she moved to Paris in 2016 to pursue the dream of a more international lifestyle - and got more than she bargained for. A two-time breast cancer survivor, her first book, “<a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/surviving-paris-a-memoir-of-healing-in-the-city-of-light-robin-allison-davis/27354523?aid=94836&amp;ean=9780063353138&amp;listref=books-to-flourish-in-the-foreign-f688a647-e9d3-4e75-9e74-05406e2bdce2&amp;next=t" target="_blank">Surviving Paris: A Memoir of Healing in the City of Light</a>" was released in 2025.
REVIEWS
“Davis's detailed account of her challenges upon settling in Paris demonstrates how even the world's most romanticized and beloved cities can lay the backdrop to hardship. With refreshing honesty and grace, she weaves a moving story of perseverance, faith, and the power of community. All of it allowed her to reclaim the French capital as her own with great triumph.” -- Lindsey Tramuta, journalist and author of The New Parisienne: the Women &amp; Ideas Shaping Paris
“Robin is a one-of-a-kind storyteller — vividly capturing every emotion and sentiment in this loving memoir... Prepare yourself for laughter, tears, and a whole lot of inspiration from this courageous story of triumph. It’s honest. It’s bold. It’s intimate. It’s real. It’s survival. This is a must-read for anyone with a wanderlust spirit, anyone seeking a deeper relationship with themselves — and especially for those wondering how to survive some of life’s greatest challenges. Get ready for your heart to be cracked open — in the most courageous, beautifully human way possible.” -- Alencia Johnson, social impact leader and national bestselling author of Flip the Tables: The Everyday Disruptors Guide to Finding Courage and Making Change
“Surprisingly funny, expectantly heartwarming, and refreshingly honest, Surviving Paris is the perfect dose of love we all need right now. Davis gives us a glimpse into her world of both dreams and nightmares, while weaving in an underlying theme of hope, resilience, pastries and wine. Can't forget the wine!” -- Deesha Dyer, Former Obama White House Social Secretary and Award-Winning Author of Undiplomatic: How My Attitude Created the Best Kind of Trouble 
[H]  Amistad Press  /  September 16, 2025<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta charset="utf-8">0.93" H x 9.0" L x 6.0" W (0.92 lbs) 304 pages

Surviving Paris: A Memoir of Healing in the City of Light /// Robin Allison Davis /// new

With her mom's new boyfriend, her best friend's new crush, and her dad's interest in her gym teacher, Berry vows to never catch a crush—and to show everyone how much better things would be without theirs—in this stand-alone contemporary middle grade from Tanita S. Davis, author of The Science of Friendship and Partly Cloudy. Every year, Berry’s mom, Ivy, visits for a three-week “August Invasion.” And every summer Berry hopes will be the one when Ivy will stay—forever. Which is why Ivy’s surprise return visit is amazing—until Berry realizes her mom didn’t come for her. Ivy’s back to pack the last of her things, and she’s brought her new “friend,” Mr. Cole to help. When Berry discovers that Mr. Cole is taking a job in England, she’s convinced that Ivy wants to move all the way across the ocean with him, to where an August Invasion can’t reach. Even at school, messy feelings are ruining everything. Berry’s best friend, Lia, rearranges her schedule to have classes with her crush, leaving Berry alone all day. Even Berry’s normally boring dad is making excuses to talk to her gym teacher. All these crushes are crushing the life out of Berry. Weren’t things better before these extra people came along? Why do things have to change? BIO Tanita S. Davis is the award-winning author of several novels for middle grade and young adult readers, including Serena Says, Peas and Carrots, Happy Families, and Mare’s War, which was a Coretta Scott King Honor Book and earned her a nomination for the NAACP Image Award. She grew up in California and was so chatty as a kid that her mother begged her to “just write it down.” Now she’s back in California, doing her best to keep writing it all down. Visit her at tanitasdavis.com. REVIEWS "This emotionally intelligent novel will resonate with readers who have experienced shifting relationship dynamics. Berry is a compelling protagonist, and Davis portrays the arc of her growth authentically. The author cleverly uses colors to evoke artistic Berry’s different moods and her perceptions of how she and others are feeling. An introspective, insightful look at the uncomfortable changes of early adolescence." -- Kirkus Reviews "A Black middle schooler resolves to prove that life is better without the distraction of romance in this wistful novel by Davis (The Science of Friendship). As Berry navigates shifting relationships, Davis utilizes sympathetic prose to detail a hopeful yet bittersweet story about confronting change while remaining true to oneself." -- Publishers Weekly "Davis (The Science of Friendship, 2024) always incorporates meaningful explorations of friendship in her novels, and here tween readers will relate to Berry and her friends as they find their footing in middle school and experience their first romantic feelings. A first purchase for middle-grade library collections." -- Booklist [H] HarperCollins / September 16, 2025 8.25" L x 5.5" W (0.81 lbs) 336 pages For ages 8 to 12

With her mom's new boyfriend, her best friend's new crush, and her dad's interest in her gym teacher, Berry vows to never catch a crush—and to show everyone how much better things would be without theirs—in this stand-alone contemporary middle grade from Tanita S. Davis, author of The Science of Friendship and Partly Cloudy.
Every year, Berry’s mom, Ivy, visits for a three-week “August Invasion.” And every summer Berry hopes will be the one when Ivy will stay—forever.
Which is why Ivy’s surprise return visit is amazing—until Berry realizes her mom didn’t come for her. Ivy’s back to pack the last of her things, and she’s brought her new “friend,” Mr. Cole to help. When Berry discovers that Mr. Cole is taking a job in England, she’s convinced that Ivy wants to move all the way across the ocean with him, to where an August Invasion can’t reach. Even at school, messy feelings are ruining everything. Berry’s best friend, Lia, rearranges her schedule to have classes with her crush, leaving Berry alone all day. Even Berry’s normally boring dad is making excuses to talk to her gym teacher.
All these crushes are crushing the life out of Berry. Weren’t things better before these extra people came along? Why do things have to change?
BIO
<meta charset="utf-8">Tanita S. Davis is the award-winning author of several novels for middle grade and young adult readers, including Serena Says, Peas and Carrots, Happy Families, and Mare’s War, which was a Coretta Scott King Honor Book and earned her a nomination for the NAACP Image Award. She grew up in California and was so chatty as a kid that her mother begged her to “just write it down.” Now she’s back in California, doing her best to keep writing it all down. Visit her at tanitasdavis.com.
REVIEWS
"This emotionally intelligent novel will resonate with readers who have experienced shifting relationship dynamics. Berry is a compelling protagonist, and Davis portrays the arc of her growth authentically. The author cleverly uses colors to evoke artistic Berry’s different moods and her perceptions of how she and others are feeling. An introspective, insightful look at the uncomfortable changes of early adolescence." -- Kirkus Reviews
"A Black middle schooler resolves to prove that life is better without the distraction of romance in this wistful novel by Davis (The Science of Friendship). As Berry navigates shifting relationships, Davis utilizes sympathetic prose to detail a hopeful yet bittersweet story about confronting change while remaining true to oneself." -- Publishers Weekly
"Davis (The Science of Friendship, 2024) always incorporates meaningful explorations of friendship in her novels, and here tween readers will relate to Berry and her friends as they find their footing in middle school and experience their first romantic feelings. A first purchase for middle-grade library collections." -- Booklist
[H]  HarperCollins  /  September 16, 2025
<meta charset="utf-8">8.25" L x 5.5" W (0.81 lbs) 336 pages
For ages 8 to 12

Berry Parker Doesn't Catch Crushes /// Tanita S. Davis /// new

The highly anticipated sequel to the instant #1 New York Times bestseller Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy—a boldly original and suspenseful fantasy adventure by one of the most popular and imaginative voices of this generation, Angie Thomas. All of Nic’s dreams have come true. After years of living in hiding as a Remarkable in the Unremarkable world, she now has everything she’d ever wanted: certified hero status, a big family and a real home in the hidden city of Uhuru, and a chance to develop her Gift at a school for young Manifestors like her. So life is perfect, right? Not quite. Her-favorite-author-turned-vengeful-outcast wants to destroy her. Then there’s the terrifying secret prophecy that still threatens Nic’s future, and the dangerous new power she seems to have—one she cannot control. And that’s all before she encounters a cult of mysterious Manifestors who threaten to reveal the truth about her power and prophecy unless Nic delivers to them a legendary artifact, the Book of Anansi. There’s just one small complication: No one knows if it still exists, or where it could be hidden. Nic now has only her twin brother, Alex, and her best friend, JP, to rely on as she makes a desperate attempt to uncover one of the Remarkable world’s oldest mysteries—and hold on to the home and family she has been searching for her entire life. BIO Angie Thomas is the author of the award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling Nic Blake and the Remarkables series, The Hate U Give, On the Come Up, and Concrete Rose as well as Find Your Voice: A Guided Journal for Writing Your Truth. She is also a coauthor of the bestselling collaborative novels Blackout and Whiteout. A former teen rapper who holds a BFA in creative writing, Angie divides her time between her native Mississippi, and Atlanta. You can find her online at angiethomas.com. REVIEWS "Grappling with questions of freedom and restraint, the greater good, and cycles of pain, Nic’s moral core and care for others result in her facing complex dilemmas that render her relatable and appealing. Nic ends the story changed in ways that will leave readers excited to see what comes next. A beautifully executed sequel that surpasses the first book." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "The ending leaves [Nic] reeling from stunning revelations and game-changing twists but resolutely poised to chase after those elusive baddies. Readers will be on tenterhooks to follow her in the wake of this rich and rousing middle volume." -- Booklist (starred review) [H] Clarion Books / September 16, 2025 8.25" L x 5.5" W (1.14 lbs) 480 pages For ages 8 to 12

The highly anticipated sequel to the instant #1 New York Times bestseller Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy—a boldly original and suspenseful fantasy adventure by one of the most popular and imaginative voices of this generation, Angie Thomas.
All of Nic’s dreams have come true. After years of living in hiding as a Remarkable in the Unremarkable world, she now has everything she’d ever wanted: certified hero status, a big family and a real home in the hidden city of Uhuru, and a chance to develop her Gift at a school for young Manifestors like her.
So life is perfect, right?
Not quite. Her-favorite-author-turned-vengeful-outcast wants to destroy her. Then there’s the terrifying secret prophecy that still threatens Nic’s future, and the dangerous new power she seems to have—one she cannot control. And that’s all before she encounters a cult of mysterious Manifestors who threaten to reveal the truth about her power and prophecy unless Nic delivers to them a legendary artifact, the Book of Anansi. There’s just one small complication: No one knows if it still exists, or where it could be hidden.
Nic now has only her twin brother, Alex, and her best friend, JP, to rely on as she makes a desperate attempt to uncover one of the Remarkable world’s oldest mysteries—and hold on to the home and family she has been searching for her entire life.
BIO
Angie Thomas is the author of the award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling Nic Blake and the Remarkables series, The Hate U Give, On the Come Up, and Concrete Rose as well as Find Your Voice: A Guided Journal for Writing Your Truth. She is also a coauthor of the bestselling collaborative novels Blackout and Whiteout. A former teen rapper who holds a BFA in creative writing, Angie divides her time between her native Mississippi, and Atlanta. You can find her online at angiethomas.com.
REVIEWS
"Grappling with questions of freedom and restraint, the greater good, and cycles of pain, Nic’s moral core and care for others result in her facing complex dilemmas that render her relatable and appealing. Nic ends the story changed in ways that will leave readers excited to see what comes next. A beautifully executed sequel that surpasses the first book." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"The ending leaves [Nic] reeling from stunning revelations and game-changing twists but resolutely poised to chase after those elusive baddies. Readers will be on tenterhooks to follow her in the wake of this rich and rousing middle volume." -- Booklist (starred review)
[H]  Clarion Books  /  September 16, 2025
<meta charset="utf-8">8.25" L x 5.5" W (1.14 lbs) 480 pages
For ages 8 to 12

Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Book of Anansi /// Angie Thomas /// new

“An epic love song and remarkable ballad of generations.” —Leslie Jamison, author of The Empathy Exams A powerful new voice, telling the American story through three generations of Black mothers.Sasha Bonét grew up in 1990s Houston, worlds removed from the Louisiana cotton plantation that raised her grandmother, Betty Jean, and the Texas bayous that shaped Sasha’s mother, Connie. And though each generation did better, materially, than the last, all of them carried the complex legacy of Black American motherhood with its origins in slavery. All of them knew that the hands used to comb and braid hair, shell pecans, and massage weary muscles were the very hands used to whip children into submission.When she had her own daughter, Sofia, Bonét was determined to interrupt this tradition. She brought Sofia to New York and set off on a journey—not only up and down the tributaries of her bloodline but also into the lives of Black women in history and literature—Betty Davis, Recy Taylor, and Iberia Hampton among them—to understand both the love and pain they passed on to their children and to create a way of mothering that honors the legacy but abandons the violence that shaped it.The Waterbearers is a dazzling and transformative work of American storytelling that reimagines not just how we think of Black women, but how we think of ourselves—as individuals, parents, communities, and a country. BIO Sasha Bonét is a writer and cultural critic based in New York City. Her criticism and essays have appeared in The Paris Review, Aperture, New York Magazine, Vogue, and BOMB, among other publications. Bonét is a professor of creative writing for Columbia University and Barnard College. REVIEWS “The Waterbearers is one of the most beautiful and truthful books I’ve ever read. Bonét tells the whole history of this country through the relationships of and between Black mothers and daughters. It is as intimate and tender as it is vast and stormy. Unforgettable.” -- Imani Perry, National Book Award-winning author of South to America“Sasha Bonét’s The Waterbearers is a bold new entry in the canon of literature about Black motherhood. With great intention and beauty, Bonét explores what it means to care for others and for oneself in the matrix of race, class and gender that powers American culture. A beautiful counternarrative to the ways motherhood—and Black motherhood specifically—are usually imagined in American literature, this is an intricately constructed sonnet on the inherent contradictions in mothering another person.” -- Kaitlyn Greenidge, author of Libertie“Sasha Bonét’s tale is a tale of evolution and hope—a moving forward while looking back at generations of women who have sought something better for themselves, their families, and, ultimately, the worlds that sought to define them. I have been waiting to read this story for a very long time.” -- Hilton Als, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of White Girls [H] Knopf Publishing Group / September 16, 2025 1.21" H x 9.53" L x 6.47" W (1.25 lbs) 320 pages

The Waterbearers: A Memoir of Mothers and Daughters /// Sasha Bonét /// new

In this thrilling mystery from "master of craft and narrative" Walter Mosley (National Book Foundation), Detective Easy Rawlins has settled into the happy rhythm of his new life when a dark siren from his past returns and threatens to destroy the peace he's fought for.The name Easy Rawlins stirs excitement in the hearts of readers and fear in the hearts of his foes. His success has bought him a thriving detective agency, with its first female detective; a remote home, shared with children and pets and lovers, high atop the hills overlooking gritty Los Angeles; and more trouble, more problems, and more threat to those whom he loves. In other words, he’s still beset on all sides. A number of below-the-law powerbrokers plead with Easy to locate a mysterious, dangerous woman—Lutisha James, though she’s gone by another name that Easy will immediately recognize. 1970s Los Angeles is a transient city of delicate, violent balances, and Lutisha has disturbed that. She also has a secret that will upend Easy’s own life, painfully closer to home. BIO Walter Mosley is one of America’s most celebrated writers. He was given the 2020 National Book Award’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, named a Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America, and honored with the Anisfield-Wolf Award, a Grammy, a PEN USA Lifetime Achievement Award, the Robert Kirsch Award, numerous Edgars, and several NAACP Image Awards. His work is translated into 25 languages. He has published fiction and nonfiction in The New Yorker, Playboy, and The Nation. As an executive producer, he adapted his novel, The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, for AppleTV+ and serves as a writer and executive producer for FX’s “Snowfall.” [H] Mulholland Books / September 16, 2025 1.35" H x 9.7" L x 6.4" W (1.22 lbs) 336 pages

Gray Dawn: An Easy Rawlins Mystery /// Walter Mosley /// new

Named Amazon Editor’s Pick and one of the Best Books of the Month for August 2024. A riveting true story of an unsuspecting woman who creates an ingeniously clever white-collar scheme that manipulates the Federal banking system out of millions—who eventually loses everything that is most important to her. In Never Saw Me Coming, Tanya Smith shares her deeply personal and remarkable story of how she went from a precocious young girl to a money-grabbing, computer-savvy wiz. It starts out as a keen interest in technology and innocently acquiring phone numbers to Michael Jackson, as well as other celebrities, and moves to her successfully stealing and depositing $5,000 into her grandmother’s banking account. By the time she is 18, the risk taker has confiscated millions in cash. The FBI is hot on her tail and hauls her in for an interview, demanding Smith let them know who she’s working for, “as these are not the kind of crimes Black people are smart enough to commit.” Their words, indicating that intelligence was determined by race, severely offended Smith. Up for the challenge, she proves the FBI wrong and over time steals $40 million dollars, while securing diamonds, gold bars, and other commodities. Her lifestyle attracts the wrong kind of people, even those who set out to kill her. Law enforcement persisted, ultimately dubbing Smith “one of the single biggest threats to the entire United States banking system.” She receives an outrageous prison sentence—the longest for a white-collar offense—and is eventually released by mounting her own brilliant defense. Complete with unexpected twists and turns, Never Saw Me Coming is a gripping caper that reminds never to underestimate a woman. BIO Tanya Smith was born and raised on the Northside of Minneapolis, where her father ran the Capri Theater, famous for launching the career of Prince. She was inspired by her daughter to write her memoir. Currently, she lives quietly in Southern California, enjoying the peace of suburban motherhood. REVIEWS "A scintillating story of one determined woman. Unforgettable." -- Sonja Sohn, Actress “Unpredictable—thrilling and exciting true story that makes the heart race and the head shake. Love it!” -- Zane, New York TimesBestselling Author “What an immersive adventure? Tanya Smith’s story is one that you would expect to be fiction and is anything but. Throughout this crazy caper and cautionary tale of twists and turns, one thing never changed—I was always wanting her to win. Highly entertaining!” -- Karrine Steffans, New York Times bestselling author of Confessions of a Video Vixen [H] Little Brown and Company / August 13, 2024 1.75" H x 9.55" L x 6.45" W (1.42 lbs) 432 pages

Never Saw Me Coming /// Tanya Smith

Join a mother and son on a journey through their city’s downtown in this picture book that celebrates strong communities–the love they give us, and what we can give back in return.When Wendall and Mama take their weekly downtown walk, he always pays attention to the doors they pass.Wood doors. Glass doors. Metal doors. Doors that spill yummy smells into the street. Doors up top. Doors down below. There are doors of all shapes and sizes.As they later make their way back home, Wendall can’t help but think about all the people behind each door. They all open their hearts and make him feel loved and at home. Could he be an open door to people in his community too?With stunning and evocative artwork, Downtown Doors is a heartwarming layered tale that highlights the importance and beauty of community when navigating life’s challenges and caring for our neighbors BIO Natasha Tripplett lives in Northern California, where she writes from a tree house perched in a sycamore. She is a Jamaican Jewish American author who is passionate about cultural representation in children's literature. You can visit her at natashabooks.com. REVIEWS “Each turn of the page is a trip from one fantastic door to the next. Downtown Doors is a journey into and through the heart of a child—and when you get to the last page, your own heart will soar.” -- Martha Brockenbrough, award-winning author of A Gift of Dust [H] Waterbrook Press / September 16, 2025 0.35" H x 8.76" L x 8.77" W (0.64 lbs) 40 pages For ages 3 - 7

Downtown Doors /// Natasha Tripplett, illustrations by Leah Giles /// new

A page-turning, tenderhearted debut about a Black woman who is finally given a chance to pursue her dream of becoming a renowned choreographer, only to find that it comes at a tremendous personal costONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE FALL: People, Oprah Daily, Los Angeles Times“Lauren Morrow’s smart, incisive and hilarious debut is an ode to the creative process and to people everywhere who feel the pull to take a risk and try something new.”—Minneapolis Star TribuneLayla Smart was raised by her pragmatic Midwestern mother to dream medium. But all Layla’s ever wanted is a career in dance, which requires dreaming big. So when she receives a prestigious offer to be the choreographer-in-residence at Briar House, an arts program in rural Vermont, she leaves behind Brooklyn, her job, her friends, and her husband to pursue it.Navigating Briar House and the small, white town that surrounds it proves difficult—Layla wants to create art for art’s sake and resist tokenization, but the institution’s director keeps encouraging Layla to dig deep into her people’s history. Still, the mental and physical demands of dancing spark a sharp, unexpected sense of joy, bringing into focus the years she’d distanced herself from her true calling for the sake of her marriage and maintaining the status quo.Just as she begins to see her life more clearly, she discovers a betrayal that proves the cracks in her marriage were deeper than she ever could have known. Then Briar House’s dangerously problematic past comes to light. And Layla discovers she’s pregnant. Suddenly, dreaming medium sounds a lot more appealing.Poignant, propulsive, and darkly funny, Little Movements is a novel about self-discovery, about what we must endure—or let go of—in order to realize our dreams. BIO Lauren Morrow studied dance and creative writing at Connecticut College and earned an MFA in fiction from the Helen Zell Writers’ Program. She was a Kimbilio Fellow and an Aspen Words Emerging Writer Fellow and is the recipient of two Hopwood Awards, among other prizes. Her writing has appeared in Ploughshares and the South Carolina Review. She worked in publicity at BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and is now a senior publicist at Dutton, Plume, and Tiny Reparations Books. Originally from St. Louis, she lives in Brooklyn. REVIEWS “With comic verve, Morrow’s novel dances on the page as she explores the dilemma of being a Black artist who is expected by traditionally white arts organizations to represent their notions of Blackness.” -- Los Angeles Times“Lauren Morrow’s smart, incisive and hilarious debut is an ode to the creative process and to people everywhere who feel the pull to take a risk and try something new. I have never read a book quite like this one . . .It beautifully (and amusingly) asks us to acknowledge the pitfalls the illusion of stability engenders, in order to embrace a fuller, more courageous life.” -- Minneapolis Star Tribune“Lauren Morrow’s debut urges us to take charge of our own narratives and resist the pressures to conform, no matter the cost. It’s a beautifully wrought tribute to all that inspires us to move, and a necessary reminder that, though missteps and stumbles are inevitable, they’re only a part of life’s wondrous dance.” -- Mateo Askaripour, author of Black Buck“Morrow’s debut shines with snappy dialogue, spot-on status details, and lovely writing about dance and creativity.” -- Oprah Daily [H] Random House / September 09, 2025 1.06" H x 9.46" L x 6.43" W (1.08 lbs) 256 pages

Little Movements: A Novel /// Lauren Morrow /// new

A deeply personal exploration of the generational impact of guns on the Black experience in AmericaA few years ago, Trymaine Lee, though fit and only 38, nearly died of a heart attack. When his then five-year-old daughter, Nola, asked her daddy why, he realized that to answer her honestly, he had to confront what almost killed him—the weight of being a Black man in America; of bearing witness, as a journalist, to relentless Black death; and of a family history scarred by enslavement, lynching, the Great Migration, the also insidious racism of the North, and gun violence that stole the lives of two great-uncles, a grandfather, a stepbrother, and two cousins.In this powerful narrative, Lee weaves together three strands: the long and bloody history of African Americans and guns; his work as a chronicler of gun violence, tallying the costs and riches generated by both the legal and illegal gun industries; and his own life story. With unflinching honesty he takes readers on a journey, from almost being caught up in gun violence as a young man, to tracing the legacy of the Middle Passage in Ghana through his ancestors’ footsteps, to confronting the challenges of representing his people in an overwhelmingly white and often hostile media world, and most importantly, to celebrating the enduring strength of his family and community.In A Thousand Ways to Die, Lee answers Nola and all who seek a more just America. He shares the hard truths and complexities of the Black experience, but he also celebrates the beauty and resilience that is Nola’s legacy. BIO Trymaine Lee is a Pulitzer Prize and Emmy Award-winning journalist and correspondent for MSNBC and the host of the “Into America” podcast, where he explores the intersection of politics, race and justice through the lens of the Black experience in America. Trymaine is a contributing writer to the New York Times Magazine’s “1619 Project,” and has reported for a host of local and national news outlets, including The New York Times, the Huffington Post, the New Orleans Times-Picayune, the Trentonian and the Philadelphia Tribune. He was a 2016/2017 New America Foundation fellow and has been named to Ebony magazine's "Power 100" and The Root’s “Root 100” lists of influential African Americans. Trymaine is also a past recipient of the National Association of Black Journalists Emerging Journalist of the Year award. REVIEWS Outstanding Book Award, National Association of Black Journalists"A stunning, powerful testament of survival and love." -- BookPage, starred review"A provocative and informative read that expertly blends memoir with hard-hitting reporting." -- Kirkus"A Thousand Ways to Die is a trenchant examination of how the personal intersects with the political, of the too-often high tolls of living Black in America. Trymaine’s extraordinary journey is also a vital lesson on the healing power of sharing whole truths with our posterity." -- Mitchell S. Jackson, winner of the Pulitzer Prize"A poetic, political, and powerful work—purposefully written to resonate with both today and the future." -- Shaka Senghor, bestselling author of Writing My Wrongs, Letters to the Sons of Society and How to be FreeA Thousand Ways to Die is a historical and literary gift. In juxtaposing his family history and personal trauma with the bloody and painful history of gun violence in America, Trymaine Lee has crafted a brilliant narrative of generational struggle, hope, and resilience. This riveting blend of memoir, reportage, and history reveals how, for Black families, the heartbreak that accompanies premature death can engender healing only if we honor our stories and, in so doing, help to change the world.” -- Peniel Joseph, LBJ School of Public Affairs and the Department of History, the University of Texas at Austin"What more can be said about gun violence in the United States? In "A Thousand Ways to Die," Trymaine Lee unearths an untold story about the ways the weapon has altered the geography, physiology and psychology of African Americans in a work that is deep, revelatory and readable. " -- Robert Samuels, co-author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning His Name is George Floyd“We all know Trymaine Lee as a prescient and powerful storyteller of Black life. With this book, he promises to bring his truth-telling which captivates us on screen to even deeper elaboration and insight on the page.”-- Imani Perry, author of South to America, National Book Award Award winner, Henry A. Morss, Jr. and Elisabeth W. Morss Professor of Studies of Women, Gender and Sexuality and of African and African American Studies at Harvard University.“It takes a special kind of fearlessness to stare deeply into the dark corners of our world and our history and candidly relay what you’ve found there. Trymaine Lee possesses it in abundance. There’s no one better equipped to tell the story he chronicles here — and no one I trust more to get it right.”-- Jelani Cobb, Dean, Columbia Journalism School [H] St. Martin's Press / September 09, 2025 0.96" H x 8.5" L x 5.75" W (0.77 lbs) 272 pages

A Thousand Ways to Die: The True Cost of Violence on Black Life in America /// Trymaine Lee /// new

*** Finalist for the PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay**** In this engaging follow up to How to Make a Slave and Other Essays, the recipient of PEN New England Award for nonfiction and finalist for the National Book Award sharply examines and explains Black life and culture with equal parts candor and humor. In Magically Black and Other Essays Jerald Walker elegantly blends personal revelation and cultural critique to create a bracing and often humorous examination of Black American life. He thoughtfully addresses the inherent complexities of topics as eclectic as incarceration, home renovations, gentrification, the crip walk, pimping, and the rise of the MAGA movement, approaching them through various Black perspectives, including husband, father, teacher, and writer. The collection’s overarching theme is captured in the titular essay, which examines the culture of heroic action African Americans created in response to their enslavement and oppression, giving proof to Albert Murray’s observation that the “fire in the forging process . . . for all its violence, does not destroy the metal that becomes the sword.” BIO Jerald Walker’s work has appeared in publications such as the Harvard Review, Creative Nonfiction, the Iowa Review, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Mother Jones, as well as six editions of The Best American Essays series and the Pushcart Prizes. A recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the James A. Michener Foundation, Walker is a professor of creative writing and African American literature at Emerson College. He lives outside Boston, Massachusetts. REVIEWS "Poignant, hilarious, and slyly self-indulgent, Magically Black and Other Essays is a totally original investigation of one eloquent writer’s lived Blackness. Whether he’s teaching Black literature, facing a MAGA neighbor, worrying about his teen-aged sons, or second guessing White people, Jerald Walker’s voice is unique . What a gem of a book!" -- Nell Irvin Painter, author of I Just Keep Talking: A Life in Essays and Old in Art School: A Memoir of Starting Over and The History of White People "Magically Black and Other Essays by Jerald Walker is a brilliant and necessary addition to the canon on race in America... Walker is a stubborn individualist who writes about Blackness without laying claim to its familiar forms, who chronicles racism and white privilege but complicates his findings with complexity and doubt. His essays, while highly personal, are so light-handed that a few humorous pages recounting a dinner party or a trip to the doctor fearlessly expose a hot topic, make challenging observations, and critique both the topic and himself. Idiosyncratic and smart, Magically Black moves the dialogue forward" -- The Rumpus.com "As the zestful exploration of how Black identities are shaped, including by conflicts between the compromised and authentic self—Magically Black is brilliantly alive to the dynamic interactions of the personal and the political. That’s part of the riveting and multidimensional magic act performed by one of our most gifted essayists.” -- Robert Atwan, Series Editor of the Best American Essays [H] Amistad Press / September 10, 2024 0.8" H x 8.1" L x 5.0" W (0.5 lbs) 176 pages [P] Amistad Press / September 09, 2025 0.44" H x 8.02" L x 5.13" W (0.29 lbs) 176 pages

*** Finalist for the PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay****
In this engaging follow up to How to Make a Slave and Other Essays, the recipient of PEN New England Award for nonfiction and finalist for the National Book Award sharply examines and explains Black life and culture with equal parts candor and humor.
In Magically Black and Other Essays Jerald Walker elegantly blends personal revelation and cultural critique to create a bracing and often humorous examination of Black American life. He thoughtfully addresses the inherent complexities of topics as eclectic as incarceration, home renovations, gentrification, the crip walk, pimping, and the rise of the MAGA movement, approaching them through various Black perspectives, including husband, father, teacher, and writer. The collection’s overarching theme is captured in the titular essay, which examines the culture of heroic action African Americans created in response to their enslavement and oppression, giving proof to Albert Murray’s observation that the “fire in the forging process . . . for all its violence, does not destroy the metal that becomes the sword.”
BIO
<meta charset="utf-8">Jerald Walker’s work has appeared in publications such as the Harvard Review, Creative Nonfiction, the Iowa Review, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Mother Jones, as well as six editions of The Best American Essays series and the Pushcart Prizes. A recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the James A. Michener Foundation, Walker is a professor of creative writing and African American literature at Emerson College. He lives outside Boston, Massachusetts.
REVIEWS
"Poignant, hilarious, and slyly self-indulgent, Magically Black and Other Essays is a totally original investigation of one eloquent writer’s lived Blackness. Whether he’s teaching Black literature, facing a MAGA neighbor, worrying about his teen-aged sons, or second guessing White people, Jerald Walker’s voice is unique . What a gem of a book!" -- Nell Irvin Painter, author of I Just Keep Talking: A Life in Essays and Old in Art School: A Memoir of Starting Over and The History of White People
"Magically Black and Other Essays by Jerald Walker is a brilliant and necessary addition to the canon on race in America... Walker is a stubborn individualist who writes about Blackness without laying claim to its familiar forms, who chronicles racism and white privilege but complicates his findings with complexity and doubt. His essays, while highly personal, are so light-handed that a few humorous pages recounting a dinner party or a trip to the doctor fearlessly expose a hot topic, make challenging observations, and critique both the topic and himself. Idiosyncratic and smart, Magically Black moves the dialogue forward" -- The Rumpus.com
"As the zestful exploration of how Black identities are shaped, including by conflicts between the compromised and authentic self—Magically Black is brilliantly alive to the dynamic interactions of the personal and the political. That’s part of the riveting and multidimensional magic act performed by one of our most gifted essayists.” -- Robert Atwan, Series Editor of the Best American Essays
[H]  Amistad Press  /  September 10, 2024<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta charset="utf-8">0.8" H x 8.1" L x 5.0" W (0.5 lbs) 176 pages
[P]  Amistad Press  /  September 09, 2025<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta charset="utf-8"><meta charset="utf-8">0.44" H x 8.02" L x 5.13" W (0.29 lbs) 176 pages

Magically Black and Other Essays /// Jerald Walker

A speculative middle grade novel about three generations of Black girls connected across time and space through a wormhole in their school locker.What if your locker was a wormhole to the past?On the first day of eighth grade, Candace Wells opens her locker and is astonished when an unusual bird flies out. Soon after, a notebook mysteriously appears on the top shelf, labeled Tracey Auburn, 1988. Stranger still, as Candace reads the notebook, new messages start to appear.Professor Tracey Auburn only vaguely remembers a bird flying into her locker in eighth grade, way back in 1988, and losing a notebook she could have sworn she put on the top shelf. Until Candace shows up at her office with the missing notebook forty years later.Quantum physicist Loretta Spencer will never forget the bird flying out of her locker in eighth grade in 1948. Her life’s work has been to study the portal and others like it, and now she needs Tracey’s and Candace’s help to complete her research.So begins an unlikely friendship and a hunt around Chicago and the state of Illinois to uncover the secrets of the locker, the universe, and everything. One thing’s for sure: Eighth grade will never be the same again. BIO Sherri L. Smith is not a pilot, but she makes an excellent passenger (unless it’s a very small plane). She is the author of numerous acclaimed fiction and nonfiction books for young people, including Flygirl, the winner of the California Book Awards’ Gold Medal; The Blossom and the Firefly, the winner of the Golden Kite Award from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators; Orleans; and Who Were the Tuskegee Airmen? She teaches creative writing at Hamline University. Born in Chicago, Sherri now lives in Los Angeles. Learn more at SherriLSmith.com and follow her on Twitter @Sherri_L_Smith. REVIEWS * “A captivating blend of science fiction and coming-of-age ­storytelling that explores friendship, identity, and wonder across generations . . . ­A sophisticated blend of science and ­realism for readers who enjoyed the time-travel ­mystery of Rebecca Stead’s When You Reach Me or the ­intergenerational depth of Kelly Barnhill’s The Girl Who Drank the Moon. A strong addition to those seeking diverse speculative fiction with ­emotional resonance.” -- School Library Journal, starred review“A stellar work of middle-grade science fiction . . . Smith’s novel is filled with cosmic metaphors, intergenerational connections, science, and self-discovery . . . With its contemporary When You Reach Me tone, Candace, the Universe, and Everything reminds readers that although the universe is boundless, our connections to each other are limited and thus extremely meaningful.” -- Shelf Awareness“With perceptive prose and nods to both “A Wrinkle in Time” and the Underground Railroad, this is a cerebral speculative mystery to be savored.” --The Washington Post“Smith offers nuanced portrayals of the well-rounded characters and their relationships, combined with enjoyable fantasy elements . . . A heartwarming adventure that explores courage, self-belief, and dreams.” -- Kirkus Reviews [H] G. P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers / September 09, 2025 1.3" H x 8.3" L x 5.6" W (0.9 lbs) 336 pages For ages 10 and up

Candace, the Universe, and Everything /// Sherri L. Smith /// new

“This stunning collection from one of the great writers on Black culture covers the gamut: aging, love, poverty, trauma and plenty of lightness in between.”—PeopleFrom the #1 New York Times bestselling author of How Stella Got Her Groove Back and Waiting to Exhale comes a remarkable, career-spanning collection of previously published short fiction and nonfiction pieces, as well as never-before-seen works.Before Terry McMillan found success as a novelist in the early 1990s, she published provocative, boundary-pushing short stories, capturing the struggles and triumphs of Black life in America with vitality and honesty, from the workaday factory man’s malaise in “The End” to the cast-aside lover’s resolve in “Touching” to the elderly woman’s wiles in “Ma’Dear.” McMillan’s inimitable voice bravely explores the dark corners of human relationships with compassion, humor, and nuance. This collection also features five unpublished stories that reveal how she wrestled with controversial topics rarely addressed in short fiction, from domestic abuse in “Mama, Take Another Step” to extreme poverty in “Can’t Close My Eyes to It.”Whether she’s revealing life lessons, pontificating about aging, recalling her sources of inspiration, or laying bare the beginnings of her life as a writer, McMillan approaches every piece with enduring candor, wit, and fearlessness.Devoted fans and new readers alike will be delighted to discover these treasures spanning McMillan’s long, groundbreaking career. Indeed, it wasn’t only what Terry McMillan has said that made her so beloved . . . it was the way she said it. BIO Terry McMillan is the award-winning, critically acclaimed #1 New York Times bestselling author of Waiting to Exhale, Getting to Happy, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, A Day Late and a Dollar Short, The Interruption of Everything, Who Asked You?, Mama, Disappearing Acts, I Almost Forgot About You, It’s Not All Downhill From Here, and the editor of Breaking Ice: An Anthology of Contemporary African-American Fiction. She lives in California. Ishmael Reed is one of America’s most renowned African American writers. He has taught at Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, and UC Berkeley. Reed is the award-winning author of more than 20 books—novels, essays, plays, and collections of poetry—that have been translated into seven languages. He has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and has twice been nominated for the National Book Award. Reed lives in Oakland, California. REVIEWS “This stunning collection from one of the great writers on Black culture covers the gamut: aging, love, poverty, trauma and plenty of lightness in between.” -- People“The best part of reading this entertaining collection of published and unpublished fiction, sketches, and nonfiction is the sheer delight of immersing yourself in the works of a writer who has plenty to say and has never been afraid to say it. . . . An entertaining reminder of McMillan’s storytelling abilities and unflinching honesty.” -- Kirkus Review, starred review“McMillan is a sharp writer who never fails to give readers memorable, richly developed characters and powerful insights.” -- Library Journal [H] Ballantine Books / September 09, 2025 1.5" H x 8.0" L x 5.7" W (0.85 lbs) 256 pages

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