All Books
- Undue Burden: Life and Death Decisions in Post-Roe America
Undue Burden: Life and Death Decisions in Post-Roe America
by Shefali Luthra
$29.00"An absolute must-read; tell your friends; buy it for your family; sit with it on your own. This is storytelling we need." —Rebecca Traister
An urgent investigation into the experience of seeking an abortion after the fall of Roe v. Wade, and the life-threatening consequences of being denied reproductive freedom.
On June 24, 2022, Roe v. Wade was overturned, and the impact was immediate: by 2024, abortion was virtually unavailable or significantly restricted in 21 states. In Undue Burden, reporter Shefali Luthra traces the unforgettable stories of patients faced with one of the most personal decisions of their lives.
Outside of Houston, there’s a 16-year-old girl who becomes pregnant well before she intends to. A 21-year-old mother barely making ends meet has to travel hundreds of miles in secret for medical treatment in another state. A 42-year-old woman with a life-threatening condition wants nothing more than to safely carry her pregnancy to term, but her home state’s abortion ban fails to provide her with the options she needs to make an informed decision. And a 19-year-old trans man struggles to access care in Florida as abortion bans radiate across the American South.
Before Dobbs, it was a common misconception that abortion restrictions affected only people in certain states but left one's own life untouched. Since the fall of Roe, a domino effect has cascaded across the entire country. As the landscape of abortion rights continues to shift, the experiences of these patients—who crossed state lines to seek life-saving care, who risked everything in pursuit of their own bodily autonomy, and who were unable to plan their reproductive future in the way they deserved—illustrate how fragile the system is, and how devastating the consequences can be.
A revelatory portrait of inequality in America, Undue Burden examines abortion not as a footnote or a political pawn, but as a basic human right, something worthy of our collective attention and with immense power to transform our lives, families, and futures.
- Ruby René Had So Much to Say
Ruby René Had So Much to Say
by Ashley Iman
$18.99A debut picture book about a curious student who finds herself in trouble for talking in class—even though she just wants to share all that she’s learned.
“Did you know that flamingos don’t have teeth?” Questions, facts, and dreams—Ruby René could talk for hours. Once she got going, it was hard for her to stop. It didn’t matter if it was history, science, or the lunch menu—Ruby René had so much to say! But when her teacher called home because she found her sharing distracting, Ruby vowed to keep quiet. Until . . . she finds the perfect outlet for her gift of gab.
With charming text by debut author/educator Ashley Iman and colorful illustrations by Gladys Jose, Ruby René Had So Much to Say is a celebration of owning your voice, honing your skills, and turning challenges into opportunities.
- Do It Anyway: Don't Give Up Before It Gets Good
Do It Anyway: Don't Give Up Before It Gets Good
by Tasha Cobbs Leonard
from $18.00In this inspiring guide to the power of faithful resilience, Tasha Cobbs Leonard—Grammy Award winner and Billboard’s Gospel Artist of the Decade—shares the secret that helps her persevere: When saying yes to God doesn’t make sense, do it anyway.
“Prepare to be invigorated to claim every promise, realize every dream, cast aside every excuse, and embrace every God-given desire within your heart.”—Travis and Jackie Greene, pastors of Forward City Church
Pastor, entrepreneur, and gospel music icon Tasha Cobbs Leonard tells of journeying through moments of unforeseen challenges while holding to an unshakable God and discovering that our greatest breakthroughs come when we make the courageous choice to show up and do hard things anyway.
Tasha tells remarkable stories of experiencing this firsthand when she committed to dreams even when they seemed unrealistic, pursued adoption though it looked impossible, navigated the dynamics of a blended family despite challenges, and watched God move in each step of endurance through infertility and depression.
With true testimony and conviction, Tasha inspires you toward a bolder way of life with the promise that it will always be worth it on the other side. Along the way, she equips you with practical tools to help you
• Dream big with God again
• Focus on God’s direction over the loudness of the world
• Never forget God’s faithfulness, especially in the midst of your hopelessness
• Don’t let fear of failure force you to quit on your miracle too soon
• Believe firmly that no mess and no amount of pain is beyond God’s redemptionWhether you’re feeling stuck, stressed, or simply weary—there’s a more a hopeful way to live, a bolder way to believe.
To follow God when the way seems impossible, persevere in faith even when the odds are stacked—this is what it means to “do it anyway.”
- A Child's Introduction to African American History: The Experiences, People, and Events That Shaped Our Country
A Child's Introduction to African American History: The Experiences, People, and Events That Shaped Our Country
by Jabari Asim
Sold outA comprehensive, entertaining look at heroes, heroines, and critical moments from African American history -- from the slave trade to the Black Lives Matter movement -- by award-winning author Jabari Asim.
Jabari Asim goes beyond what's taught in the classroom to reveal a fact-filled history of African American history through politics, activism, sports, entertainment, music, and much more. You'll follow the road to freedom beginning with the slave trade and the middle passage through the abolitionist movement and the Civil War where many African Americans fought as soldiers. You'll learn how slave songs often contained hidden messages and how a 15-year-old Jamaican-born young man named Clive Campbell helped to create hip-hop in the early 1970's.
You'll experience the passionate speeches, marches, and movements of the Civil Rights era along with and the sacrifices of Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Medgar Evers, and many others. Along the way there are dozens of profiles of political trailblazers like Shirley Chisholm, the first black women elected to Congress in 1968; dominants athletes like Tiger Woods who, in 1995, was only the second African American to play in a Master's Golf Tournament which he went on to win in 1997; popular musicians like Miles Davis, one the most influential artists of the twentieth century; and inspiring writers like Toni Morrison, the first African American to win the Nobel Prize in literature.
Filled with beautiful illustrations by Lynn Gaines that bring these figures and events to life, plus a removable historical timeline poster, A Child's Introduction to African American History is a fascinating and comprehensive guide to this often overlooked yet immensely important part of American history.
- Letter to Jimmy
Letter to Jimmy
Sold outWritten on the twentieth anniversary of James Baldwin’s death, Letter to Jimmy is African writer Alain Mabanckou’s ode to his literary hero and an effort to place Baldwin’s life in context within the greater African diaspora.
Beginning with a chance encounter with a beggar wandering along a Santa Monica beacha man whose ragged clothes and unsteady gait remind the author of a character out of one of James Baldwin’s novels Mabanckou uses his own experiences as an African living in the US as a launching pad to take readers on a fascinating tour of James Baldwin’s life. As Mabanckou reads Baldwin’s work, looks at pictures of him through the years, and explores Baldwin’s checkered publishing history, he is always probing for answers about what it must have been like for the young Baldwin to live abroad as an African-American, to write obliquely about his own homosexuality, and to seek out mentors like Richard Wright and Ralph Ellison only to publicly reject them
later.As Mabanckou travels to Paris, reads about French history and engages with contemporary readers, his letters to Baldwin grow more intimate and personal. He speaks to Baldwin as a peera writer who paved the way for his own work, and Mabanckou seems to believe, someone who might understand his experiences as an African expatriate.
- Sophie Washington: Treasure Beach (Book #13)
Sophie Washington: Treasure Beach (Book #13)
by Tonya Duncan Ellis
Sold outA message in a bottle leads Sophie Washington and friends on a seaside treasure hunt in this exciting, illustrated chapter book adventure.
It's summertime, and Sophie and her best friend, Chloe and her younger brother, Cole, are spending two fun-filled weeks in Corpus Christi, Texas with her young-at-heart grandmother. A surprise discovery on a day out at the beach takes them on a quest for riches. During their search, the kids snorkel, encounter endangered sea turtles, visit a World War II warship and learn that honesty and true friendship are worth more than gold.
- Sophie Washington: Lemonade Day (Book #12)
Sophie Washington: Lemonade Day (Book #12)
by Tonya Duncan Ellis
Sold outSixth-grader Sophie Washington and friends learn lessons about entrepreneurship, team work, and friendship when they sign up for a city-wide, Lemonade Day event. Sophie wants to buy her mother something special for her birthday, but she's short on cash. Her bestie, Chloe, comes up with the perfect solution. Build their own lemonade stand to raise money at Lemonade Day. The girls add friends Carly and Nathan, and Sophie's little brother, Cole, to their team, and decide to donate some of their earnings to a local animal shelter to help save stray animals. Things are going great, until the family dog destroys their supplies. They get worse when Sophie tries to impress another boy in their class and upsets Nathan. Can they save their business in time for the event?
- Sophie Washington: Class Retreat (Sophie Washington #11)
Sophie Washington: Class Retreat (Sophie Washington #11)
by Tonya Duncan Ellis
$8.99"There is no such thing as Big Foot! Or is there... Sophie Washington and her classmates are on their way to Camp Glowing Spring for a class retreat. It'll be two full days of swimming, eating s'mores around a campfire, tug-of-war, archery, and more! Sophie's been looking forward to the trip all school year and can't wait to spend extra time with her friends. It will also be great to get away from her bratty younger brother, Cole, and his constant stories about Big Foot. If Cole warns her about what to do if she sees the hairy ape man on the retreat one more time, she'll put in ear plugs. Everybody knows Big Foot is a hoax! Once the kids arrive at the retreat site, things are as exciting as Sophie imagined. She has fun exploring nature with her besties, Chloe, Valentina, Toby, Nathan, and Mariama, and meeting new friends, too. Then the kids see a giant footprint during a nature hike in the woods and the adventure really begins! - Brujería: A Little Introduction
Brujería: A Little Introduction
by Yvette Montoya
$7.95Learn more about Brujería, the set of practices and rituals found in traditional Latin American mysticism with this mini guide.
Developed over centuries and influenced by Indigenous, Caribbean, African, Latin, and European culture, Brujería has a unique history. This beautifully illustrated introduction will outline the primary methods, practices, rituals, tools, and terms used in Brujería. Learn about limpias, mal de ojo, crystals, cleanses, astrology, and so much more in this enchanting guide.
- The Essential Signs & Skymates (Abridged Edition): Astrological Compatibility for Every Sign
The Essential Signs & Skymates (Abridged Edition): Astrological Compatibility for Every Sign
by Dossé-Via Trenou, Neka King
Sold outThe abridged paperback edition of Signs & Skymates is your ultimate guide to the astrological pairings of the zodiac—including all twelve signs and a brand-new foreword by the author—from star astrologer and founder of @ScorpioMystique and KnowTheZodiac Dossé-Via Trenou.
Get to know yourself, your partner(s), and your friendships through the full constellation of your astrological self! In the abridged paperback edition of Signs & Skymates West African astrologer Dossé-Via Trenou explores all of the astrological pairings between the twelve signs of the zodiac—Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces.
Using astrology as a guiding light in her evolutionary approach to compatibility, Dossé-Via invites you to connect to your innermost self, and others, in new and more expansive ways. Comprehensive explorations of relationships between different signs dismantles the ideas of which signs "go together," encouraging readers to expand their ideas about each sign—including the ones in their own chart. Discover the joys, challenges, and opportunities in your relationships as you deepen your knowledge of each sign and the relationships it has with friends, lovers, family, and coworkers.
- Plantas: Modern Vegan Recipes for Traditional Mexican Cooking
Plantas: Modern Vegan Recipes for Traditional Mexican Cooking
by Alexa Soto
$35.00With Plantas, Alexa Soto elegantly pays homage to Mexico's storied legacy of plant-based cooking while deftly adapting its soulful repertoire to modern times. I may still be a card-carrying carnivore, sure, but I now find myself craving dishes like her mole negro with roasted oyster mushrooms even more than my beloved carne asada.
- Jorge Gaviria, James Beard Award-winning author of MASA
A celebration of traditional Mexican recipes with a vibrant vegan twist for a modern audience from Alexa Soto, creator of the @alexafuelednaturally platform
Join Alexa Soto as she highlights the beauty of traditional Mexican cuisine with a plant-based twist for simple, affordable, and healthful vegan meals from breakfast to postre. Paired with Alexa's own gorgeous photography, Plantas is a joyful, welcoming guide to enjoying the traditional food of Mexico in a modern, sustainable way, a celebration of the array of fruits and vegetables that make up the staples of this beloved cuisine. Perfect for full-time vegans and those looking to incorporate more plants into their diet alike, Plantas is full of weeknight meals, snacks, salsas and cocktails that will simplify dinner and inspire your next taco night, including:
* Salsas and garnishes like Guacasalsa, Abue's Salsa Habanero Piña, and dairy-free Chipotle Crema
* Taco dishes from Taquitos de Jamaica to Jackfruit Mushroom Carnitas Tacos
* Main courses such as Hearts of Palm Ceviche Tostadas, Tamales de Elote, Cauliflower Al Pastor and Lasagna de Mole
* Dessert showstoppers like Tres Leches Cake, Churros and Chocoflan
* plus cocktails, coffee drinks, and nonalcoholic beverages to round out every mealFull of traditional flavors, modern spins, stories passed down through Alexas' family and tips for bringing more plants into your life, Plantas is your resource for vibrant, decadent, and healthy meals with beloved Mexican flavors and ingredients that inspire and highlight the natural beauty and bounty of cooking with plants.
- House of Bone and Rain
House of Bone and Rain
by Gabino Iglesias
$29.00In the latest from Shirley Jackson and Bram Stoker Award-winning author of THE DEVIL TAKES YOU HOME, a group of five teenage boys in Puerto Rico seek vengeance after one of their mothers is murdered; a Latinx STAND BY ME with a haunted, obsidianly dark heart.
For childhood friends Gabe, Xavier, Tavo, Paul, and Bimbo, death has always been close. Hurricanes. Car accidents. Gang violence. Suicide. Estamos rodeados de fantasmas was Gabe’s grandmother’s refrain. We are surrounded by ghosts. But this time is different. Bimbo's mom has been shot dead. We’re gonna kill the guys who killed her Bimbo swears. And they all agree.
Feral with grief, Bimbo has become unrecognizable, taking no prisoners in his search for names. Soon, they learn Maria was gunned down by guys working for the drug kingpin of Puerto Rico. No one has ever gone up against him and survived. As the boys strategize, a storm gathers far from the coast. Hurricanes are known to carry evil spirits in their currents and bring them ashore, spirits which impose their own order.
Blurring the boundaries between myth, mysticism, and the grim realities of our world, House of Bone and Rain is a harrowing coming of age story; a doomed tale of devotion, the afterlife of violence, and what rolls in on the tide.
- Hoodoo: A Little Introduction
Hoodoo: A Little Introduction
by Donyae Coles
Sold outDiscover the history, practices, and magic of Hoodoo—from veneration of ancestors to worship rituals—in this miniature illustrated guidebook, written by a longtime practitioner.
Hoodoo is a rich cultural and spiritual tradition, created by enslaved Africans and practiced today throughout the United States. This multi-faceted practice draws on elements of African spiritual traditions, Christianity, Spiritualism, indigenous knowledge, and natural healing. This gorgeously illustrated miniature book delves into the practice, history, and profound magic of Hoodoo, and its significance for the Black community within the United States, as well as ways to incorporate this tradition into your own practice.
- Keyana Loves School
Keyana Loves School
by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley, illustrated by Charnelle Pinkney Barlow
$18.99Keyana is heading back to school in this exciting picture book written by bestselling author Natasha Anastasia Tarpley (I Love My Hair!) and illustrated by Charnelle Pinkney Barlow!
Keyana has come up with the perfect idea for a class project, and getting it done is pretty fun! All she has to do is pick the people and places she loves around her school. But when the teacher asks Keyana to present the project in front of everyone, she’ll have to find a little bit of confidence and a big way to share.
Praise for the KEYANA series:
Tarpley's pleasant, relatable text and Barlow's vivid soft-pastel illustrations combine here to create a heartwarming story...This book is a beauty to behold.―Booklist
A celebration of big ideas, teamwork, and family...A loving depiction of a warm, affectionate Black family.
―KirkusIn a delightful story about Black child joy and family, Tarpley gives us an adorable and dynamic main character in Keyana, who has presence and confidence aplenty... A recommended purchase for collections needing a little more Black joy on the shelves.―School Library Journal
- Beyond Policing
Beyond Policing
by Dr. Philip V. McHarris Ph.D
$30.00In the tradition of New York Times bestseller The World Without Us, Princeton and Yale scholar and notable activist Philip V. McHarris imagines what society would look like in a world without police.
It’s evident that policing is a problem. But what is the way best forward? In Beyond Policing, distinguished scholar and writer Philip V. McHarris reimagines the world without police to find answers and ask, How can we make police departments obsolete? Beyond Policing tackles thorny issues with evidence, including data and personal stories, to uncover the weight of policing on people and communities and the patterns that prove police reform only leads to more policing.
McHarris challenges us to envision a future where safety is not synonymous with policing but is built on the foundation of community support and preventive measures. He explores innovative community-based safety models (like community mediators and violence interrupters), the decriminalization of driving offenses, and the creation of nonpolice crisis response teams. McHarris also outlines strategies for responding to conflict and harm in ways that transform the conditions that give rise to the issues. He asks us to imagine a world where people thrive without the shadow of inequality, where our approach to safety is a collective achievement.
McHarris writes, “What if our response to crisis wasn’t about control but about care? How can we create conditions where safety is a shared responsibility? How can we design justice so that no community is routinely oppressed? Envisioning such a world isn’t just a daydream; it’s the first step toward building a society where violence and fear no longer dictate our lives.”
Transformative and forward thinking, Beyond Policing provides a blueprint for a brighter, safer world. McHarris’s vision is clear: we must dare to move beyond policing and foster a society where everyone has the resources to thrive and feel safe.
- We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance
We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance
by Kellie Carter Jackson
from $17.99Paperback Release: January 27, 2026
A radical reframing of the past and present of Black resistance—both nonviolent and violent—to white supremacy
Black resistance to white supremacy is often reduced to a simple binary, between Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s nonviolence and Malcolm X’s “by any means necessary.” In We Refuse, historian Kellie Carter Jackson urges us to move past this false choice, offering an unflinching examination of the breadth of Black responses to white oppression, particularly those pioneered by Black women.
The dismissal of “Black violence” as an illegitimate form of resistance is itself a manifestation of white supremacy, a distraction from the insidious, unrelenting violence of structural racism. Force—from work stoppages and property destruction to armed revolt—has played a pivotal part in securing freedom and justice for Black people since the days of the American and Haitian Revolutions. But violence is only one tool among many. Carter Jackson examines other, no less vital tactics that have shaped the Black struggle, from the restorative power of finding joy in the face of suffering to the quiet strength of simply walking away.
Clear-eyed, impassioned, and ultimately hopeful, We Refuse offers a fundamental corrective to the historical record, a love letter to Black resilience, and a path toward liberation. - Pardon My Frenchie
Pardon My Frenchie
by Farrah Rochon
Sold outThe New York Times bestselling author of Almost There delivers the start of a new rom-com series with an enemies-to-lovers romance, perfect for readers of Abby Jimenez and Jasmine Guillory.
Ashanti Wright is thrilled over the success of her doggie daycare, Barkingham Palace. But handling the business and taking care of her teen twin sisters is a lot. And now that the antics of her adorable French bulldog and poodle bestie are blowing up on social media, things are even more chaotic than usual. And they only get worse when the world’s worst dog hater shows up.
Thad Sims is not a dog person. He’s barely a person’s person. But after his grandmother is transferred to a senior living facility that doesn’t accept pets, the former army officer agrees to care for her annoying standard poodle, and his first move is taking Puddin’ out of daycare.
Now Ashanti’s beloved Duchess is bereft of her companion, social media is outraged, and Ashanti’s business is hanging in the balance. Her only option is to make nice with the surly, sexy Thad at all costs. But it’s gonna take a tiara-wearing Frenchie, a well-dressed poodle, and a whole lotta treats to teach these humans a few new tricks about falling in love.
- Soul Step
Soul Step
by Jewell Parker Rhodes and Kelly McWilliams, Illustrated by Briana Mukodiri Uchendu
$18.99Follow one girl's journey to discover the joy and history of step dancing– an ode to sisterhood and a strong mother-daughter bond, perfect for fans of Bunheads.
What does sisterhood sound like? STOMP, CLAP! How does pride move? FLIP, FLAP! How do we uphold tradition? GO HARD, SNAP BACK! SOUL STEP!
Written by the mother-daughter duo Jewell Parker Rhodes and Kelly McWilliams, and gorgeously illustrated by Briana Mukodiri Uchendu, Soul Step is a loving ode to sisterhood and the tradition of stepping that lets women and girls, and people of all backgrounds, step loud and be proud.
- Saturday Magic: A Hoodoo Story
Saturday Magic: A Hoodoo Story
by Nyasha Williams
$18.99An ode to the family, friendship, and the beautiful tradition of Hoodoo practice, this book celebrates the magic and symbolism to be found in every day, written by bestselling author Nyasha Williams.
Dayo practices Hoodoo with her family. One Saturday, she wakes from an interesting dream about a yellow bird. What could it mean? She knows that it’s up to her to figure it out. Over the course of the day, as Dayo and her family move through their daily rituals (mantras and affirmations included), the message sent from her Ancestors through her dream reveals itself. This celebration of spirituality (and heritage) highlights the rich history of Hoodoo and the beauty we can find in everyday magic.
- skin & bones: a novel
skin & bones: a novel
by Renee Watson
from $18.99From the acclaimed #1 New York Times bestselling author comes a soulful and lyrical novel exploring sisterhood, motherhood, faith, love, and ultimately what gets passed down from one generation to the next
At 40, Lena Baker is at a steady and stable moment in life—between wine nights with her two best friends and her wedding just weeks away, she’s happy in love and in friendship until a confession on her wedding day shifts her world.Unmoored and grieving a major loss, Lena finds herself trying to teach her daughter self-love while struggling to do so herself. Lena questions everything she’s learned about dating, friendship, and motherhood, and through it all, she works tirelessly to bring the oft-forgotten Black history of Oregon to the masses, sidestepping her well-meaning co-workers that don’t understand that their good intentions are often offensive and hurtful.
Through Watson’s poetic voice, skin & bones is a stirring exploration of who society makes space for and is ultimately a story of heartbreak and healing.
- Hunted
Hunted
by Abir Mukherjee
$30.00In this action-packed thriller from a New York Times bestselling and award-winning author, two parents facing catastrophe must find their lost children before the unthinkable can happen.
In London, the police storm Heathrow Airport to bring in a father for questioning about his missing daughter.
In Florida, a mother makes a connection between her son and the bomber, fearing he has been radicalized.
And in Oregon, an unknown organization’s conspiracy to bring America to its knees unfolds…
On the run from the authorities, the two parents are thrown together in a race against time to stop a catastrophe that will derail the country’s future forever.But can they find their kids before it’s too late?
For fans of The Chain and I Am Pilgrim, this ground-breaking, blockbuster thriller is unlike any other thriller you will read this year. - KHALIF TAHIR THOMPSON
KHALIF TAHIR THOMPSON
Denise Wendel-Poray
$45.00A comprehensive look at the early career of a rising star in contemporary Black portraiture
This is the first monograph on the practice of young American painter Khalif Tahir Thompson (born 1995), who will receive an MFA from the Yale School of Art in the spring of 2024. With several solo exhibitions and artwork in museum permanent collections, Thompson is already prolific. His paintings are populated by Black figures set in colorful, shimmering environments that sometimes resemble patchworks verging on abstraction. They incorporate multiple materials apart from oil and acrylic, including handmade paper, pearls, fabric, velvet, newspaper and leather. Whether isolated or in a group, candid or posed, each figure is imbued with an innate identity. Says Thompson of his work: "I believe painting can be a tool in considering the emotional, psychological complexity of an individual's story and identity ... I alter perception and invoke empathy towards my subjects, depicting their reality across a visceral lens."
- Eight Seconds: Black Rodeo Culture: Photographs
Eight Seconds: Black Rodeo Culture: Photographs
Ivan McClellan
Sold outGlorious tributes to contemporary Black rodeo culture across America
In 2015, photographer Ivan McClellan attended the Roy LeBlanc Invitational in Oklahoma, the country’s longest-running Black rodeo, at the invitation of Charles Perry, director and producer of The Black Cowboy. “It was like going to Oz―there was all this color and energy,” McClellan says. “There was a backyard barbecue atmosphere … It felt like home.” Over the next decade, he embarked on journeys across America, crafting a multilayered look at contemporary Black rodeo culture. Whether photographing teen cowgirl sensation Kortnee Solomon at her family’s Texas stables, capturing bull riding champion Ouncie Mitchell in action or hanging out with the Compton Cowboys at their Los Angeles ranch, McClellan chronicles the extraordinary athletes who keep the magic and majesty of the “Old West” alive with high-octane displays of courage, strength and skill.
The book’s title refers to the sport of bull riding. Athletes must stay on a bull for a total of eight seconds while it bucks; the more hectic the ride, the higher they score. It’s an apt metaphor for McClellan’s devotion to this long-form documentary project, which required him to hone his reflexes, endurance and stamina to get the perfect picture. With Eight Seconds, McClellan honors the highest ideals of independence, integrity and grit with intimate photographs that preserve the deep-rooted connections between people and land.
Ivan McClellan (born 1983) is a photojournalist based in Portland, Oregon. His work has been featured in ESPN: The Undefeated and Fast Company. As a designer, he has led projects for Nike, Adidas, Disney and the U.S. National Soccer Team. - Lyle Ashton Harris: Our first and last love
Lyle Ashton Harris: Our first and last love
by Lyle Ashton Harris
$50.00Both personal and universal, Harris’ multimedia works weave together legacies of family dynamics, racial discrimination and queer histories
Gathering photographs and installations from both his celebrated and lesser-known series, Our First and Last Love charts new connections across the artistic practice of New York–based artist Lyle Ashton Harris (born 1965). Inspired by his adolescence divided between New York City and Dar es Salaam, Harris explores the complexities of African and African American collective identity while forging his own personal narrative as a queer Black man. The retrospective exhibition chronicles Harris’ approach to representation and self-portraiture while tracing central themes and formal techniques in his work over the last 35 years. Central to this collection are Harris’ most recently completed pieces. Titled Shadow Works, these multimedia assemblages set photographic prints amid Ghanaian funerary textiles, shells, pottery and locks of the artist’s hair. In the exhibition and the corresponding catalog, the pieces function as starting points for thematic groups of Harris’ other works. Juxtaposed with handwritten notes and family photographs, these arrangements underscore Harris’ layered approach to his practice.
- Barkley L. Hendricks: Solid!
Barkley L. Hendricks: Solid!
Barkey L. Hendricks
$70.00The long-awaited monograph on Barkley L. Hendricks’ powerful portraits of contemporary Black subjects
Barkley L. Hendricks is rightly known as one of the foremost American painters of the late 20th century. His six-decade artistic oeuvre encompasses not only portraits but also includes evocative landscapes, hard-edged geometric abstractions, lush watercolors on paper and singular photographs informed by his studies with Walker Evans. This final publication of a five-volume set dedicated to the artist is a 300-page monograph that captures his full evolution as a portraitist.
Solid! is a compilation of Hendricks’ acclaimed figurative paintings: large-scale canvases of distinctively dressed (or undressed) individuals, including several self-portraits, against solid-color backgrounds. Critical essays from curators and fellow artists provide further, often personal, insight into all aspects of Hendricks’ practice: probing his photographic experimentation as a forbear to contemporary street photography; celebrating his sensitivity as a colorist whose unique expertise seamlessly combines oil-based and water-based pigments; and highlighting the observational genuineness in his provocative and personal interpretations of women, of unapologetically visible queer identities and of his own beloved Black communities across the African Diaspora. The book closes with a conversation between Trevor Schoonmaker and Barkley’s widow, Susan Hendricks, in which she recounts their trips to Jamaica and Barkley’s process for creating landscape and fruit paintings outdoors.
Barkley L. Hendricks (1945–2017) was born in Philadelphia and trained at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and Yale. His life-size paintings of everyday Black Americans have inspired generations of artists. Hendricks gave up painting in favor of photography, but returned to oil portraits later in life. He taught at Connecticut College from 1972 until 2010. - Surrealism and Us: Caribbean and African Diasporic Artists since 1940
Surrealism and Us: Caribbean and African Diasporic Artists since 1940
Maria Elna Ortiz
Sold outHow modern and contemporary artists across the African and Caribbean diasporas transformed European Surrealism into a tool for Black expression
On the centennial anniversary of André Breton’s first Surrealist Manifesto, Surrealism and Us shines new light on how Surrealism was consumed and transformed in the Caribbean and the United States. It brings together more than 50 works from the 1940s to the present that convey how Caribbean and African diasporic artists reclaimed a European avant-garde for their own purposes.
Since its inception, the Surrealist movement―and many other European art movements of the early 20th century―embraced and transformed African art, poetry and music traditions. Concurrently, artists in the Americas proposed subsets of Surrealism more closely tied to African diasporic culture. In Martinique, Aimé and Suzanne Césaire proposed a Caribbean Surrealism that challenged principles of order and reason and embraced African spiritualities. Meanwhile, artists in the United States such as Romare Bearden and Ted Joans engaged deeply with Surrealist ideas. These trends lasted far beyond those of their European counterparts. Indeed, the term “Afro-surrealism” was created by poet Amiri Baraka in 1974; today the movement still flourishes in tandem with Afrofuturism. The Surrealism and Us catalog is divided into three themes: “To Dare,” “Invisibility” and “Super/Reality”. These sections, galvanized by scholarly essays, create transnational and multi-generational connections between Black life and artistic practice over the past 100 years.
Artists include: Firelei Báez, Agustin Cárdenas, Myrlande Constant, Rafael Ferrer, Ja’Tovia Gary, Hector Hyppolite, Ted Joans, Wifredo Lam, Simone Leigh, Kerry James Marshall. - My Black Country: A Journey Through Country Music's Black Past, Present, and Future
My Black Country: A Journey Through Country Music's Black Past, Present, and Future
$28.99Alice Randall, award-winning professor, songwriter, and author with a “lively, engaging, and often wise” (The New York Times Book Review) voice, offers a lyrical, introspective, and unforgettable account of her past and her search for the first family of Black country music.
Country music had brought Randall and her activist mother together and even gave Randall a singular distinction in American music history: she is the first Black woman to cowrite a number one country hit, Trisha Yearwood’s “XXX’s and OOO’s”. Randall found inspiration and comfort in the sounds and history of the first family of Black country music: DeFord Bailey, Lil Hardin, Ray Charles, Charley Pride, and Herb Jeffries who, together, made up a community of Black Americans rising through hard times to create simple beauty, true joy, and sometimes profound eccentricity.
What emerges in My Black Country is a celebration of the most American of music genres and the radical joy in realizing the power of Black influence on American culture. As country music goes through a fresh renaissance today, with a new wave of Black artists enjoying success, My Black Country is the perfect gift for longtime country fans and a vibrant introduction to a new generation of listeners who previously were not invited to give the genre a chance.
- White Girls
White Girls
Hilton Als
$17.00"This book will change you." --Chicago Tribune
White Girls is about, among other things, blackness, queerness, movies, Brooklyn, love (and the loss of love), AIDS, fashion, Basquiat, Capote, philosophy, porn, Eminem, Louise Brooks, and Michael Jackson. Freewheeling and dazzling, tender and true, it is one of the most daring and provocative books of recent years, an invaluable guide to the culture of our time.
- There Is a Rio Grande in Heaven: Stories
There Is a Rio Grande in Heaven: Stories
by Ruben Reyes Jr.
Sold out*Ships/ready for pick up in 5-8 business days*
An electrifying debut story collection about Central American identity that spans past, present, and future worlds to reveal what happens when your life is no longer your own.
An ordinary man wakes one morning to discover he’s a famous reggaetón star. An aging abuela slowly morphs into a marionette puppet. A struggling academic discovers the horrifying cost of becoming a Self-Made Man.
In There Is a Rio Grande in Heaven, Ruben Reyes Jr. conjures strange dreamlike worlds to explore what we would do if we woke up one morning and our lives were unrecognizable. Boundaries between the past, present, and future are blurred. Menacing technology and unchecked bureaucracy cut through everyday life with uncanny dread. The characters, from mango farmers to popstars to ex-guerilla fighters to cyborgs, are forced to make uncomfortable choices—choices that not only mean life or death, but might also allow them to be heard in a world set on silencing the voices of Central Americans.
Blazing with heart, humor, and inimitable style, There Is a Rio Grande in Heaven subverts everything we think we know about migration and its consequences, capturing what it means to take up a new life—whether willfully or forced—with piercing and brilliant clarity. A gifted new storyteller and trailblazing stylist, Reyes not only transports to other worlds but alerts us to the heartache and injustice of our own.
- The Cottage on Pelican Bay (Catalina Cove, 7)
The Cottage on Pelican Bay (Catalina Cove, 7)
by Brenda Jackson
$18.99Sometimes one hot night simply isn’t enough.
Two years ago, Zara Miller found herself heartbroken and stranded in a New Orleans hotel bar with a sexy stranger named “Saint.” One thing led to another and to a night of unforgettable pleasure. Though contact info wasn’t exchanged—no strings attached—Zara hasn’t been able to stop thinking about him or that one scorching night ever since. Now she’s returned to her hometown of Catalina Cove only to discover that her brother’s new hire is Evans “Saint” Toussaint, the one-night man she can’t forget.
Though Saint, like Zara, grew up in Catalina Cove, they'd never crossed paths. Now all of a sudden they can’t seem to avoid each other. Despite an enduring attraction, Zara and Saint decide to keep their spicy secret in the past. Everybody knows everybody’s business in Catalina Cove, and they don’t need everybody knowing theirs—especially since they’ve both been burned in the past.
But when their intense desire becomes impossible to ignore, they escape to Zara’s secluded cottage on Pelican Bay, where they’re free to explore whether their casual connection might actually be the lasting love they’ve both been missing.
Catalina Cove
Book 1: Love in Catalina Cove
Book 2: Forget Me Not
Book 3: Finding Home Again
Book 4: Follow Your Heart
Book 5: One Christmas Wish
Book 6: The House on Blueberry Lane
Book 7: The Cottage on Pelican Bay - Black Crossword: 100 Mini Puzzles Celebrating the African Diaspora
Black Crossword: 100 Mini Puzzles Celebrating the African Diaspora
by Juliana Pache
$15.99Groundbreaking new book based on the popular site blackcrossword.com featuring over 100 original puzzles inspired by the Diaspora and covering history, popular culture, trailblazers, literature, and politics.
“Crosswords, and puzzles in general, are good in times of stress,” Will Shortz, the puzzle editor of The New York Times, has said, and during the pandemic sales of crossword puzzles and participants in online games such as Wordle, skyrocketed. Frustrated by the dearth of Black people creating puzzles or appearing as clues, entrepreneur Juliana Pache created blackcrossword.com in early 2023. The site at once took off counting such regular players and fans as Academy Award winner Questlove, popular social activist Brittney Packet Cunningham, and author and cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib.
Now, to expand her platform, Pache is looking to bring her cultural crossword puzzles to book publishing. Like her site, the concept for the first BLACK CROSSWORD is a game that places emphasis on terms and clues from across the diaspora. By highlighting prominent cultural figures, movements, artistic achievements, and Black vernacular from across the globe, BLACK CROSSWORD on the page will serve as a simple yet impactful way for solvers to engage in the diaspora and celebrate Black culture.
In a crossword landscape that is predominantly white, BLACK CROSSWORD will provide puzzles to an underserved and passionate market. While the puzzles are meant to increase Black representation in crosswords, they also underscore the fact that this historically underserved market — Black solvers who would like puzzles that are culturally relevant to them—has the potential to become both a commercial hit and resonate with multiple generations of readers. BLACK CROSSWORD has the potential to become a series of books, including a general edition, a calendar edition, a pop culture edition across the diaspora, a Black History edition, and a trailblazer edition. While in a trade paperback format, BLACK CROSSWORD could have an elevated look/tone that would be a perfect gift or keepsake – the possibilities are endless.
- The Bookshop Sisterhood: A Novel
The Bookshop Sisterhood: A Novel
by Michelle Lindo-Rice
Sold outWhen life rewrites the story, only friendship will see them through.
After years of hard work, four best friends—Celeste, Yasmeen, Toni and Leslie—are finally on the verge of opening the bookstore of their dreams. A place where their community can find solace with an intriguing new read, a comforting beverage and book-loving friends.
But before they can cut the ribbon, their worlds are upended.
Toni receives devastating news just months before her wedding, while Celeste’s struggling marriage threatens to collapse completely. Leslie learns a shocking secret about her family, and a lotto ticket changes Yasmeen’s life—but not for the better.
As the bookstore’s grand opening fast approaches, the four women must lean on each other now more than ever to navigate their grief and uncertainty. And together, they’ll learn that sometimes, even life’s most unexpected plot twists can lead to beautiful new beginnings.
Stay Informed. We're building a community committed to celebrating Black authors + artisans. Subscribe to keep up with all things Kindred Stories.