Today is Juneteenth, and across America, people celebrate the complete emancipation of enslaved Americans with festivities, food, and cultural demonstrations.
Houston is no different, and throughout the month, you can find events celebrating Juneteenth at our libraries, parks, and museums!
One way to celebrate is by elevating and promoting Black businesses, artists, and authors!
Take a look at these amazing Houston authors whose diverse works reflect their lives, values, and our precious Space City!
Bryan Washington
Publishing since 2019, Washington has had multiple successful novels and short story collections that have won awards and renown! Inspired by his personal experiences growing up in Houston as a gay man, his stories feature queer characters and interpersonal conflict that is as humorous as it is heartfelt.
Check out his award-winning books here:
Michael Arceneaux
Keeping in theme, Arceneaux is a queer writer from Houston who has written for publications such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, MSNBC, and many more. Additionally, this Windsor Village native has written a trilogy of biographical essays that reflect the lives of minorities in America. From coming out, to struggling financially, to the healing power of a great haircut, his essays are personal and relatable to anyone who lives their life outside of the norm. Confronting racism, anxiety, and grief, Arceneaux isn’t one to shy away from difficult topics, and his trilogy of books has something for everyone.
Check out his books here:
Dale Walls
Originally a script for a movie, Walls adapted the idea for their debut novel after being encouraged to do so by friends. An avid reader their whole life, Walls felt the urge to write a story about and for teenagers growing and struggling through life’s challenges in a relatable way.
Check out their book, and keep a lookout for future ones!
The Queer Girl Is Going to Be Okay
ReShonda Tate
A proud Houstonian transplant, ReShonda Tate is an acclaimed novelist, poet, and journalist who has written over 50 books, won hundreds of awards, and has adapted her work into successful movies. Her accolades could fill a whole blog on their own, and we’re proud to have her represent Space City in her work.
Check out our collection of Tate’s work here, opens a new window:
Tonya Duncan Ellis
Another award-winning author (sensing a pattern?) Ellis writes inspiring children's books that teach lessons about life, important history, and showcase diverse friendships. Her first series, Sophie Washington, is inspired by her own children and their friends, and her most recent book, They Built Me for Freedom, tells the story of the first Juneteenth celebration right here at Emancipation Park.
Check out her series here, opens a new window, and keep a lookout for her upcoming book, Cookout Chemistry!
Attica Locke
Author of the critically acclaimed Bluebird, Bluebird (the 2018 Gulf Coast Reads selection) and Pleasantville, no list of Houston authors is complete without Attica Locke. A proud Houston native, Locke’s thrilling novels intersect race, law, and family in ways that are raw and true to life. She has also successfully written and produced shows for Netflix, including an adaptation of her sister’s memoir, From Scratch.
Check out her and her sister’s work here:
Etta Easton
Easton is a self-described hopeless romantic whose contemporary romances are humorous and center Black relationships. Her first book, The Kiss Countdown, is set right here in Houston and revolves around a smug astronaut and a nervous event planner in a classic fake relationship trope.
Check out her books for a heart-melting good time.
Ayokunle Falomo
Using poetry, Falomo has written multiple collections that explore identity, culture, society, and the experience of being part of different worlds and reconciling the two. Being American and Nigerian, Falomo explores the intersectionality of his self through his art and has been published physically and digitally. He is also a TEDx speaker. While we don’t have his books just yet, keep a lookout as we update our catalog with his work. Learn more about him and his collections on his website.
Lane Fobbs
An independent comic creator, Fobbs writes unique Black stories for a young adult audience. His work includes fiction like “Becky”, a twist on a love story, and nonfiction like “Black Facts About Each United State”. He’s passionate about inspiring young readers with stories that center Black history that are also fun and contemporary. It can be difficult for the library to add independent publishers to our catalog, but you can find his comics and more at Gulf Coast Cosmos Comicbook Co., the only Black-owned comic store in all of Texas!
Further Reading
The library celebrates Black voices and creators all year long. Check out some of our other blogs for more recommendations such as comics, horror, and feminist fiction written by Black authors.
Consider visiting this Houston bookstore, Kindred Stories, which curates and centers stories not only by Black people, but people of other marginalized identities as well spanning all sorts of genres. They also hold many events that some of the authors on this list have even participated in.
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