Cultural Literature

Prairie View A&M University is more than Texas's oldest public historically Black university--it is a crucible of political struggle and social transformation. Since its founding in 1876 on the grounds of a former slave plantation, Prairie View has stood...

Explore the hidden history of Portsmouth and uncover the city's enduring spiritOne of New Hampshire's oldest towns, Portsmouth has always been known for its historical sites. These encompass a rich heritage that has often been well documented. And yet,...

A triumphant, cross-generational exploration of Black joy and resilience. Remember frolicking outside during the long, jubilant days of summer? This vibrant collection invites readers to breathe deeply and return to that "carefree" season. From riding...

Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring This Very Short Introduction brings together a wide range of narratives of slavery across a broad historical period to understand how Black people--enslaved and not-enslaved--have experienced and...

Baltimore's Black Arts Then & Now brings to life the Chicory Revitalization Project, a public humanities initiative that revives Baltimore's historic Chicory magazine. From 1966 to 1983, Chicory served as a powerful voice for working-class Black...

From settlement to sediment Unlike the freedman communities in Spiro, Ft. Coffee and Poteau, the town of Skullyville faded into a forgotten ghost town. Dr. G. E. Hartshorne's 1950 "Skullyville and Its People in 1889" chronicled the inhabitants' lifestyle...

NATIONAL BESTSELLER From the tenth U.S. Secretary of Education, a deeply personal love letter to all the teachers in our lives. The story of John B. King Jr.'s inspiring path to President Obama's Cabinet begins the day that his mother died. He insisted...

High pressure. Hot kitchens. A memoir of ambition, belonging, and coming-of-age in America's premiere culinary school. "Her fast-moving coming-of-age memoir will appeal to anyone who's been curious about culinary school."--Eater "What truly makes Salt,...

Take a deep dive into legendary hip-hop group Run-DMC's groundbreaking album, Raising Hell, on its 40th anniversary with this handsome slipcased celebration. In 1985, Queens, New York-based rap group Run-DMC teamed with heavy metal producer Rick Rubin to...

Winner of the 2025 Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Nonfiction and the 2025 GLCA New Writers Award - By a prize-winning, young Black trans writer of outsized talent, a fierce and disciplined memoir about queerness, masculinity, and race. Even as it...

INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - A glorious chronicle of a life like none other--enlightening, entertaining, surprising, empowering--and a testament to the world-changing power of Black motherhood "A beautiful and brave story of strong women,...

In Pursuit of Freedom is a pioneering study of advertisements for fugitive slaves published in the early American South. Recovering, reconstructing, and reimagining stories that fugitive slaves compelled enslavers to advertise in print when they fled,...