Five black writers who have shaped (or are shaping) the literary world

 Written by Meg Nielsen and Samantha Szumloz ​

Image Source: https://www.blackalbinism.org/blog/celebrating-black-history-month-in-october-honoring-black-heritage-and-progress-while-pushing-for-integration-of-albinism-into-the-black-community

Black History Month 
Welcome to February, the month of observing black achievements in our country. For over four decades, ever since the ASALH formally established Black History Month in 1976, our government (as well as classrooms across the nation) has been commemorating African American milestones. There have been many innovations within the black community that have advanced our country: Granville T. Woods with his induction telegraph system, Garret Morgan with his traffic signal, Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner with her sanitary menstruation belts, etc. These innovations are revolutionary, as they have made living easier for all people. With that being said, black innovations do not just lie in technology. They lie in art, too. Today, we will be taking a brief look at five black writers who have shaped (or are shaping) the literary world.

#1: Jesmyn Ward 
Born in 1977 in Berkeley, California, Jesmyn Ward is an English Professor at Tulane University. She has studied at Stanford University and the University of Michigan, receiving her MFA. She has written novels such as Salvage the Bones, Sing, Unburied, Sing, Let Us Descend, and Where the Line Bleeds. She has won multiple awards throughout her writing career, including the MacArthur Fellows “Genius Grant.” She is additionally the only woman and only African American woman to have won the National Book Award for fiction twice.

#2: Alice Walker 
Born in 1944 in Eatonton, Georgia, Alice Walker is an author, particularly a novelist, and social activist. Her most well-known novel is The Color Purple, which has been adapted into two movies, one made in 1985 and the other in 2023. Her other works include The Temple of My Familiar, The Third Life of Grange Copeland, and In Love & Trouble. In 1983, she won the Pulitzer Prize for The Color Purple and the National Book Award for fiction. 

#3: Octavia Butler 
Born in 1947 in Pasadena, California, Octavia Butler was a science fiction writer and major developer of the feminist dystopian genre. Perhaps her most notable work is Kindred, which was turned into a one-season TV series in 2022. Her other works include Fledgling, Bloodchild, and Parable of the Talents. Butler received multiple Hugo and Nebula awards from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers association. She passed away in 2006, but her soul lives on through her writings.

#4: Toni Morrison
Born in 1931 in Lorain, Ohio, Toni Morrison was an editor and novelist. Her most famous works include Sula, Song of Solomon, and Beloved. Thanks to Beloved, she won a Pulitzer Prize in fiction in 1988 and the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993, making her the first African American woman to gain the Nobel Prize in Literature. After her death in 2019, she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame.

#5: James Baldwin 
Born in 1924 in Harlem, New York, James Baldwin was an essayist and creative writer. He has published works such as Giovanni’s Room, The Fire Next Time, and Go Tell It on the Mountain. Throughout his writing career, he centered on themes such as masculinity, sexuality, race, and class. His novel Go Tell It on the Mountain, according to TIME, is one of the top 100 English-language novels. He additionally received the Légion d'Honneur before his death in 1987.

Conclusion
These writers’ works are testaments to the black community. Without their contributions, we would not have the literature we have today. We would also have less black representation in our media. We urge readers to keep representing marginalized voices even in the face of oppression and injustice. Let our pens be our microphones. 

Work Cited

Woods, Margaret M. “Black History Month: A Commemorative Observances Legal Research Guide.” LOC, 9 Aug. 2020, https://guides.loc.gov/black-history-month-legal-resources/history-and-overview. 

​Jean-Phillipe, McKenzie, and Burnette, Jane. “15 African-American Inventors to Remember This Black History Month and Beyond.” Oprah Daily, 19 Jan. 2023, https://www.oprahdaily.com/life/work-money/g30877473/african-american-inventors/.

“Department of English: Jesmyn Ward.” Tulane University School of Liberal Arts, https://liberalarts.tulane.edu/english/faculty-staff/jesmyn-ward. Accessed 24 February 2025.  

Alexander, Kerri Lee. “Toni Morrison.” National Women’s History Museum, 2019. Accessed 24 February 2025. https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/toni-morrison#:~:text=In%201987%2C%20Morrison%20released%20her,the%20Nobel%20Prize%20in%20Literature. 

Grossman, Lev, and Lacayo, Richard. “All-TIME 100 Novels.” TIME, https://entertainment.time.com/2005/10/16/all-time-100-novels/slide/all/. Accessed 24 February 2025. ​


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