Black History Month Readings For My Former Students
A couple folks asked me for some good stuff to read; had to oblige
This is not a general Black History Month reading list. I floated the idea of making a reading list for some of my former students who want more things to read, they wanted it, so this is for them. It’s more things inspired by the things they may have read in class with me/what I know about their interests. All by Black authors.
If you—i.e., not one of my former students—find something to read, great!
(Additional context: I have a Ph.D. in American Studies and I was a Media Studies professor for a while. Aside from that I’m an author. And even beyond that, I’m an avid reader. So I always have book recs.)
If you took #BlackGirlsMadeThis with me, read…
We Tried to Tell Y’all: Black Twitter and the Rise of Digital Counternarratives by Meredith D. Clark
Dr. Clark’s Black Twitter book has officially hit the streets! This is a great way to continue the conversations we had in #BlackGirlsMadeThis. I have not read this yet, but am familiar with Dr. Clark’s work to this point, so I know it’ll be great!
(I would actually be willing to read this in a group with y’all so let me know.)
Black Girl Autopoetics: Agency in Everyday Digital Practice by Ashleigh Greene Wade
Now this one? This book would have been absolutely perfect for extending some of the conversations we had around Black girls’ creative energy online. I definitely urge you to check this one out.
(These are also good books to check out if you took Media, Culture, and Identity with me)
If you took Black Comics with me, read…
Storm: Dawn of a Goddess by Tiffany D. Jackson
Hero Me Not: The Containment of Most Powerful, Black Female Superhero by Chesya Burke
Storm (2024) by Murewa Ayodele and Lucas Werneck
The day that I took my Storm unit off my Black Comics syllabus still haunts me. I think it would be really fun/interesting to review some of these new texts (a YA novel, a new comics run, and a scholarly text) about Storm in conjunction with something we did read, like Black Women in Sequence by Deborah Whaley.
If you took New Media Storytelling with me, read…
Love in 280 Characters or Less by Ravynn K. Stringfield (out April 15, 2025)
Is it a lot for me to recommend my own book? Yes. However, I think these questions about how we tell stories in the digital age are really at the core of my YA contemporary coming out in April.
If you want to read this early, let me know, I’ll send you the form to get a guaranteed eARC. (Electronic Advance Reader Copy)
Here are some books by historical Black authors* I think you should read based on conversations we had in and out of class…
For the one invested in racial imaginary:
Playing in the Dark by Toni Morrison
For the one who wants to alchemize feeling and language:
Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde
For the one who holds fast to a deep love of humanity:
All About Love by bell hooks
For the one who believes in the power of critique:
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
For the one who knows we go further together:
Let This Radicalize You: Organization and the Revolution of Reciprocal Care by Kelly Hayes and Mariame Kaba
For the one who wants to understand how this all connects:
Freedom is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine and the Foundations of a Movement by Angela Davis
For the one in pain about our now, who knows that pain has existed long before them:
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
(There is also a graphic novel adaptation by John Jennings and Damian Duffy that I highly recommend!)
Protip: Some of these titles are accessible as a PDF on Bilphena’s Library. Also take advantage of the university library while you have it, lol.
Miscellaneous Things I Think You’d Be Interested In…
Flamboyants: The Queer Harlem Renaissance I Wish I’d Known by George M. Johnson
A deliciously illustrated book of personal essays that center around key queer figures of the Harlem Renaissance.
A Little Devil in America: In Praise of Black Performance by Hanif Abdurraqib
This one is for Emma—you’ll salivate over Hanif’s language. The questions he raises and the way he puzzles through a million potential answers will blow your mind. A young philosopher’s dream.
Original Sins: The (Mis)Education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism by Eve L. Ewing
Y’all know I love Eve; some of y’all had the good fortune to hear her speak in my Black Comics class. She has a new book out on February 11th. This is just me reminding y’all she’s excellent.
Dressed in Dreams: A Black Girl’s Love Letter to the Power of Fashion by Tanisha C. Ford
Because y’all love to dress. Y’all love to hype each other up on outfits, nails, hair, all of it. Here’s some additional context.
*I put a bunch of links to purchase but check the school library and/or the public library!
I hope y’all find something good to read!