From the author of the acclaimed Invisible Generals comes the unsung history of the first Black US senators—two men who overcame fierce resistance to help America forge a multiracial democracy.

In 1870—a mere five years after the Civil War ended—Hiram Revels became the first Black US senator sworn into office. Abolitionist Wendell Phillips proclaimed him “the Fifteenth Amendment in flesh and blood.” During his tenure, Revels would fight for civil rights, public education, and birthright citizenship. Blanche K. Bruce followed in Revels’s footsteps, introducing pivotal legislation to secure back pay for Black veterans and promoting infrastructure projects to help reunite the North and South. Bruce would go on to become the register of the treasury, the first Black American to have his signature appear on US currency.

Revels and Bruce faced fierce opposition from within both major political parties, and the emergence of the Ku Klux Klan and Jim Crow laws further eroded Blacks’ momentum. When Bruce’s term ended, there wouldn’t be another Black US senator for eighty-six years. A systematic campaign of diminishment reduced the accomplishments of Revels, Bruce, and their Reconstruction-era peers to the point of obscurity.

Invisible Senators is a surprising, clear-eyed, and inspiring tribute that restores Revels and Bruce to their rightful place in US history. Their powerful story compels us to reflect on the progress they made and to recognize the ongoing struggles for justice in America—moving us to continue building the inclusive democracy that they began.

Searching for the truth of her community’s experience during the war with the undead leads a girl to believe they are on the brink of another outbreak in this post-apocalyptic middle grade novel.

Kyle Woodward has never seen a reaper—the Undead War ended before she was born. But every aspect of her life has been shaped by them.

Kyle was raised in a remote compound built for survival and taught to guard against the reaper threat, even while being taught reapers no longer exist. When rumors of new reaper sightings begin to spread, Kyle grows frustrated by her community’s silence and her parents’ refusal to talk about the war. Guided by the gut feeling that there’s more to the story, Kyle decides to document her community’s history and the war that defined it. But the deeper she digs, the more dangerous the secrets she uncovers.

If the truth is being buried on purpose, Kyle might be the only one who can expose it. Because if her community refuses to face what nearly destroyed the world once, they might be standing on the edge of the apocalypse all over again.

For anyone who has ever carried the weight of inheritance, faith, and survival—and refused to be silent.

I Who Have Always Felt Words is a poetry collection shaped by inheritance, faith, and the radical act of thriving amid hardship. Moving through the four temperaments, Shams Alkamil crafts a lyric architecture that holds Sudanese identity, familial lineage, political violence, spirituality, and the pursuit of compassion in delicate tension.

These poems braid etymology with embodiment, tracing how language is inherited, questioned, and transformed. Alkamil interrogates what it means to belong—to a homeland fractured by violence, to a lineage marked by survival, to a spiritual tradition that both anchors and unsettles. Across the collection, voice becomes both offering and resistance: a means of devotion, protest, and continuity.

Rooted in Black diasporic consciousness and spiritual inquiry, I Who Have Always Felt Words insists on the necessity of speech even when silence is demanded. This is a book that listens deeply—to ancestors, to faith, to grief—and answers with clarity, grace, and unflinching honesty.

If I Were You, I’d Kill Myself is an unapologetic, hilarious, and triumphant memoir that revolutionizes what it means to be disabled.

Imani Barbarin was two years old when she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, a congenital motor disability that affects her ability to walk without crutches. Because of that, she has been called “inspiring” for simply living, “pretty for a disabled girl,” and “brave.” One person tried to offer sympathy by saying that in her place, “I would kill myself.” But what others offer as kindness, Imani recognizes for what it is: a projection of fear, discomfort, and deeply ingrained ideas about whose lives are worth living.

Since her diagnosis, she has spent her life navigating not just the physical realities of her condition, but the relentless assumptions of able-bodied strangers—people who stare, comment, and insist on turning her existence into something for their own comfort.

With sharp humor and unflinching clarity, Imani dismantles these everyday encounters, exposing the quiet violence and ableism beneath this surface sympathy. With the sardonic wit of Samantha Irby and the incisive cultural criticism of Roxane Gay, Barbarin finally reclaims her story on her own terms.

A library kid can’t wait to check out the book bus in this first book in the Library Kids Level 2 Ready-to-Read series by the world’s most famous librarian and the host of Reading Rainbow, Mychal Threets.

Library Kid Grey loves the library. The library has a book bus that goes all over town to bring books and other services to people. Grey wants to go inside and explore the bus. When will it be their turn?

Determined to make friends at her new school, a girl dons a hot dog mascot costume to earn enough money to throw the perfect party in this hilarious and achingly true-to-life middle grade graphic novel from the beloved and award-winning creators of Duel.

Popular Frankie’s middle school life turns upside down when her family’s hot dog restaurant goes up in literal flames and they move to a new neighborhood with a different school. Suddenly she’s the new kid trying to figure out who her friends are when the classmates she likes most are decidedly uncool and the popular kids are kind of mean.

Frankie’s determined to win everyone over with an extravagant, super fun birthday blowout. But to earn the money for her party, she’ll have to spend her summer dressed as a giant hot dog mascot for her quirky family’s new food truck. Will Frankie’s brat summer doom her to be a loser or will she discover that wieners never quit?

Lily searches for inspiration while making arts and crafts with her friends in this third Level 1 Ready-to-Read in the Fairies Welcome series from New York Times bestselling illustrator Bea Jackson.

Willow and Lily and the fairy friends are having fun being creative in the Fairy Forest. While Willow draws, Sky paints, and Jasmine traces flower petals with crayons, Lily is stumped. She doesn’t have crafty skills like the others. What can she make?

Celebrate the release of Carla Bakes with Carla Hall!

EVENT DEETS

When: Friday, December 11 @ 7PM CST

Where: 2310 Elgin St. Houston, TX 77004

How: 

• RSVP ONLY to reserve your seat.

• RSVP WITH BOOK to reserve your seat and purchase a copy of Carla Bakes, supporting both the author and our store programming. The book will be available for pickup at the event.

• RSVP (I ALREADY HAVE THE BOOK) to reserve your seat and bring your copy of Carla Bakes that you purchased from another retailer. 

Please Note: Copies of Carla Bakes purchased from other retailers are not permitted in the bookstore and are not eligible for the signing or photo line unless you select the RSVP: I Already Have the Book ticket option, which allows you to bring a copy purchased elsewhere. If you already purchased your book from Kindred Stories, you may select the RSVP Only ticket option and bring your Kindred Stories copy to the event.

If you purchase a ticket and are unable to attend the event, your ticket is non-refundable. If your ticket includes a book, an email will be sent to all attendees before and after the event with instructions on how to receive your book. Books must be claimed within 14 days following the event. If your book is not retrieved it will be returned to the publisher and will not be available for pick up in the future.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Acclaimed chef, TV host, Top Chef fan-favorite, and author Carla Hall returns to her first culinary love story—baking—with over 80 sweet and savory recipes.

For Carla Hall, baking is a creative outlet, her source of play, and her first true passion. But her journey from absolute beginner to Top Chef fan-favorite didn't start until she was well into her twenties with two careers— accounting and modeling —already behind her. Away from home and missing the Southern flavors she grew up with, she took to the kitchen and began to experiment, master, and perfect. 

Now, as a multi-cookbook author and guest judge on multiple baking competitions, Carla is ready to share all her baking knowledge that will guide you whether you're a novice baker or an expert one. Carla Bakes is filled with over 80 recipes for baking savory and sweet goods rooted in her Southern traditions and inspired by her world travels.  Carla brings her joy and playfulness to every recipe, showing you just how much fun it is to bake and bring your own twists to new recipes, including:

• breakfast treats like Sorghum Flour Drop Biscuits, Crisp Sweet Corn Waffles, and Savory Clafoutis with Tomatoes, Goat Cheese, and Smoky Tomato Curd
• cookies like Nut Butter Puffed Cereal Treats, Southern Pecan Crinkle Baklava, and Shortbread Cookie Canvas
• pastries like Giant Frosted Strawberry Pop Tart, Sweet Po-Punkin Pie, and Ham & Cheese Paris-Brest
• cakes like Double Chocolate Oat Flour Snack Cake, Lemon Meringue Cake, and Fairytale Forest Party Cake
• yeasted goods like Hot Cross Milk Buns with Port- and Hibiscus-Soaked Fruit, Butternut Squash Beignets with Spiced Sugar, and Chocolate Focaccia

If you've ever felt intimidated by baking, set those fears aside. Carla's expert guidance and encouragement in Carla Bakes will leave you feeling confident and inspired in your kitchen!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Carla Hall first won over audiences on Bravo’s Top Chef, where her “cook with love” philosophy became her hallmark. Her belief that food connects us all, provides a through-line in her work both on and off camera. Carla charmed viewers as a co-host on ABC’s Emmy Award–winning The Chew for seven years, appearing on the Food Network on various baking shows and now on Next Level Baker on Fox. She is also the host of the Emmy-winning travel-food series Chasing Flavor on HBO Max. Carla is the author or co-author of five cookbooks—including the NAACP Image Award–nominated Carla Hall’s Soul Food—and two children’s books. She also hosts the hit podcast Chewed Up and created and stars in her acclaimed one-woman show, Carla Hall: Please Underestimate Me. Carla is active in many charitable endeavors and focuses her board member-level participation in organizations where she can make an impact advocating for children through Beyond Bedtime (formerly Pajama Program) and GENYOUth.

From the award-winning author of Layla’s Happiness and a dynamic cut-paper artist making her debut, this fresh, collage-style bedtime story shares the feelings of working parents everywhere, while grounding mother and daughter in deepest love.

Mommy and Daddy have an adventurous daughter, Rosa, who is a joy to behold. Both parents work but things are still harmonious more often than not. However, the balances tip when Daddy goes on a business trip, Mommy has had a long day, and Rosa has energy to spare. How will Mommy and Rosa get the rest they both need?

Beautifully told and highly relatable, the melodious text from Mariahadessa Ekere Tallie and gorgeous, textured images from Mirlande Jean-Gilles, accomplish what they aim to do: soothingly carry readers into a place of tranquility and rest.

In over a dozen interviews, Conversations with Kiese Laymon provides an in-depth look at author Kiese Laymon as an educator, creative writer, activist, family member, and Mississippian. Interviews capture surprising insights into Laymon’s life and craft. Within these pages, Laymon talks about his engagement with other writers, including Richard Wright, William Faulkner, and Eudora Welty. These revelations situate his memoir, Heavy, among other great Mississippi autobiographies and memoirs, such as Anne Moody’s Coming of Age in Mississippi, Welty’s One Writer’s Beginnings, Jesmyn Ward’s Men We Reaped, and Natasha Trethewey’s Memorial Drive. In other interviews, he discusses his obsession with revision and deftly fields questions about pop culture, politics, and Black masculinity, along with a host of other pressing contemporary issues.

As the first collection of its kind, Conversations with Kiese Laymon serves as the perfect introduction to studying Laymon. The cross section of interviews included reflects Laymon’s humility, while simultaneously celebrating his accomplishments. Most importantly, the interviews reflect his stature as a major American literary figure. With topics ranging from hip-hop and family to politics and everything in between, this volume provides an unfiltered look at the prolific Southern writer in his own words.

Celebrate the release of City Summer, Country Summer with Kiese Laymon!

EVENT DEETS

When: Sunday, April 6 @ 2PM

Where: 2304 Stuart Street, HTX, 77004

How: RSVP ONLY to reserve your seat or RSVP WITH BOOK to support the author and our store programming

ABOUT THE BOOK

A lyrical picture book from the award-winning author of Heavy, about three Black boys who form a deep connection during a transformative summer trip down South to visit family.

On the ground of that garden, covered in vegetables and dirt, coated in laughter, I want to say that the Mississippi and New York in our Black boy bodies were indistinguishable.

Three Black boys spend one special summer exploring the Mississippi woods and woulds and coulds of sharing the kind of freeing friendship that is love.

Watched over and given space to discover by Grandmama and Mama Lara, New York, Country, and little C find camaraderie in their contrasts and all the unspoken things between them while playing games of marco polo in the thick garden and sledding on cardboard by the underpass. 

With text brimming with love by award-winning author Kiese Laymon and deeply evocative illustrations by Ashley Franklin, City Summer, Country Summer illuminates the tenuous and tender bonds of friendship Black boys forge with one another.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kiese Laymon is a Black southern writer from Jackson, Mississippi. Laymon is the Libbie Shearn Moody Professor of English and Creative Writing at Rice University. Laymon is the author of Long Division, which won the 2022 NAACP Image Award for fiction, and the essay collection, How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America, named a notable book of 2021 by the New York Times critics. Laymon’s bestselling memoir, Heavy: An American Memoir, won the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction, the Christopher Isherwood Prize for Autobiographical Prose, the Barnes and Noble Discovery Award, the Austen Riggs Erikson Prize for Excellence in Mental Health Media, and was named one of the 50 Best Memoirs of the Past 50 Years by The New York Times. The audiobook, read by the author, was named the Audible 2018 Audiobook of the Year. Laymon is the recipient of 2020-2021 Radcliffe Fellowship at Harvard. Laymon is at work on the books, Good God, and City Summer, Country Summer, and a number of other film and television projects. He is the founder of The Catherine Coleman Literary Arts and Justice Initiative, a program based out of the Margaret Walker Center at Jackson State University, aimed at aiding young people in Jackson get more comfortable reading, writing, revising and sharing on their on their own terms, in their own communities. He is the co-host of Reckon True Stories with Deesha Philyaw. Kiese Laymon was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 2022.

Celebrate the release of Pretty: Memoir with author, KB Brookins!

EVENT DEETS

When: Wednesday, May 29 @ 7:30 PM CST

Where: Kindred Stories Reading Garden (2304 Stuart Street, HTX, 77004)

How: RSVP ONLY to reserve your seat or RSVP with book to support the author and our programming. 

ABOUT THE BOOK

By a prize-winning, young Black trans writer of outsized talent, a fierce and disciplined memoir about queerness, masculinity, and race.

Even as it shines light on the beauty and toxicity of Black masculinity from a transgender perspective—the tropes, the presumptions—Pretty is as much a powerful and tender love letter as it is a call for change.  

“I should be able to define myself, but I am not. Not by any governmental or cultural body,” Brookins writes. “Every day, I negotiate the space between who I am, how I’m perceived, and what I need to unlearn. People have assumed things about me, and I can’t change that. Every day, I am assumed to be a Black American man, though my ID says ‘female,’ and my heart says neither of the sort. What does it mean—to be a girl-turned-man when you’re something else entirely?” 

Informed by KB Brookins’s personal experiences growing up in Texas, those of other Black transgender masculine people, Black queer studies, and cultural criticism, Pretty is concerned with the marginalization suffered by a unique American constituency—whose condition is a world apart from that of cisgender, non-Black, and non-masculine people. Here is a memoir (a bildungsroman of sorts) about coming to terms with instantly and always being perceived as “other”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

KB BROOKINS is a Black, queer, and trans writer and cultural worker from Texas. They are the author of Freedom House and How to Identify Yourself with a Wound. Brookins has poems, essays, and installation art published in Academy of American Poets, Teen Vogue, Poetry Magazine, Prizer Arts & Letters, Okayplayer, Poetry Society of America, Autostraddle, and other venues. They have earned fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, PEN America, Equality Texas, and others.

ABOUT THE CONVERSATION PARTNER

Kiese Laymon is a Black southern writer from Jackson, Mississippi. Laymon is the Libbie Shearn Moody Professor of English and Creative Writing at Rice University. Laymon is the author of Long Division, which won the 2022 NAACP Image Award for fiction, and the essay collection, How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America, named a notable book of 2021 by the New York Times critics. Laymon’s bestselling memoir, Heavy: An American Memoir, won the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction, the Christopher Isherwood Prize for Autobiographical Prose, the Barnes and Noble Discovery Award, the Austen Riggs Erikson Prize for Excellence in Mental Health Media, and was named one of the 50 Best Memoirs of the Past 50 Years by The New York Times. The audiobook, read by the author, was named the Audible 2018 Audiobook of the Year. Laymon is the recipient of 2020-2021 Radcliffe Fellowship at Harvard. Laymon is at work on the books, Good God, and City Summer, Country Summer, and a number of other film and television projects. He is the founder of “The Catherine Coleman Literary Arts and Justice Initiative,” a program based out of the Margaret Walker Center at Jackson State University, aimed at aiding young people in Jackson get more comfortable reading, writing, revising and sharing on their on their own terms, in their own communities. Kiese Laymon was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 2022.