Pamela Samuels Young was dubbed by one reviewer as “John Grisham with a sister’s twist.” An attorney, Pamela has penned more than a dozen novels. A desire to see people of color depicted in the legal thrillers she read prompted here to write her first mystery while still practicing law. Her thriller Anybody’s Daughter, a gripping tale of a teen unwittingly drawn into the world of child sex trafficking, won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Fiction. A former TV

Octavia Grant is a native of Georgetown, SC. Her passion for creative writing began in her Junior year of High School. After relocating to Jacksonville, FL, she chose to share her passion with the world and began writing professionally in 2016. As an Independent Author, Octavia has penned over 40 novels. She has spoken on the Thrilling Tales Author Panel at ESSENCE Fest, and she’s been featured in WYB Lifestyle magazine, VoyageJacksonville, Canvas Rebel, Bold Journey, and named in 160 Black

Katie Mitchell is a storyteller and bookseller. Katie lives, works, and writes in Atlanta, Georgia and is the author of Prose to the People: A Celebration of Black Bookstores. Her online and pop-up Black bookstore, Good Books, has been featured in The New York Times, NBC, NPR, PBS, and many other outlets. Katie is a Dorothy Porter Wesley fellow. Prose to the People is  stunning visual homage to Black bookstores around the country along with profiles and essays that celebrate the history, community,

Brian Copeland is an award-winning actor, comedian, author, playwright, television and radio talk show host based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He began his career in standup at the tender age of 18 performing in comedy venues in San Francisco. Soon he was traveling the country opening for such legendary performers as Smokey Robinson, Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, Ray Charles, The Temptations, Natalie Cole, Julio Iglesias, Ringo Starr and Gladys Knight. Copeland performed his brand of biting, cutting edge

Corey Minor Smith is the recipient of the 2024 Secretary’s Mission Support Excellence Award and certificate of completion from the Harvard Business School 2023 Women of Color Executive Leadership Program who moved 21 times and attended 14 different schools before graduating high school. She became a mother was a senior in college. Additionally, she has a loved one living with schizophrenia. All that, and she still emerged to become an accomplished attorney and mental health advocate–and author of the book #Driven,

Malene Barnett is a multidisciplinary artist and textile designer and the founder of the BlackArtists + Designers Guild, a global platform and community of independent Black artists, makers, and designers. She is also the author of Crafted Kinship, a beautiful book that offers readers a unique visual and narrative journey, capturing the essence of Black Caribbean creativity through powerful interviews and stunning photographs. Each artist featured in this collection creates a deep connection with their land, people, and cultural heritage, exploring themes

Steven Anthony King is an international motivational speaker, mental health advocate, certified life/relationship coach and author of the compelling book, It’s Really Good To See You. Steven was mentored by Les Brown, who wrote the foreward to the book, which chronicles Steven’s battle with his vision and the more than a dozen surgeries he endured to save his vision. Doctor after doctor refuses to perform surgery. “The risks are too high,” they said. As hope slips away, Steven finds Dr. Stanley Chang—one

Daria Burke is a speaker and possibility strategist who crafted her intriguing memoir, Of My Own Making, which tells the gripping story of her childhood growing up under the shadow of an absent father and a mother debilitated by drug addiction. Her existence was marked by neglect and poverty. More than a story of personal triumph, Of My Own Making is a soulful and scientific exploration of the power to shape one’s destiny. In facing the stark reality of her past, Burke reminds us that

Alencia Johnson is an award-winning and highly sought-after social impact adviser and cultural commentator on MSNBC, CNN and ABC who served as political advisors for Kamala Harris and former president Barack Obama, among others. Her book, Flip The Tables: The Everyday Disrputor’s Guide to Finding Courage and Making Change, is a must-read that inspires one to be a part of the change in these turbulent times. One reader said: “Alencia Johnson’s Flip the Tables is more than just a book—it’s a wake-up call, a guide, and a personal challenge