african american authors

A collection of stories and essays in which Ernest Gaines shares the inspirations behind his books, explains why he became a writer, describes the events from his childhood that shaped his life, and discusses his portrayal of the black experience in the South.

A biography of Richard Wright, author of the acclaimed 1940 novel "Native Son," tracing his journey from his birth in a sharecropper's shack in Mississippi to international fame as a writer and activist against racism.

The autobiography of an African-American writer, recounting his early years and the harrowing experiences he encountered drifting from Natchez to Chicago to Brooklyn.

Discusses the life of James Baldwin, his activism in civil rights, and the importance of his writings.

Examines the life of poet and author Maya Angelou, discussing her difficult childhood, her education, and her marriages and son, and looking at her accomplishments as the first African-American streetcar conductor in San Francisco, as an entertainer, writer, and civil rights activist.

A continuation of her autobiography by the author of "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" and "Gather Together In my Name." Tells of her marriage and her theatrical career.

An account by the African-American author of her rise to a place of prominence among American writers.

A biography of writer Maya Angelou, discussing her early life in Stamps, Arkansas, her move to San Francisco, her involvement in the Civil Rights movement, and her success as an author.