# List of African-American writers

This is a list of Black American authors and writers, all of whom are considered part of African-American literature, and who already have Wikipedia articles. The list also includes non-American authors resident in the US and American writers of African descent.
* Top
* 0–9
* A
* B
* C
* D
* E
* F
* G
* H
* I
* J
* K
* L
* M
* N
* O
* P
* Q
* R
* S
* T
* U
* V
* W
* X
* Y
* Z

## A

* Aberjhani (born 1957), historian, columnist, novelist, poet, artist and editor
* Mumia Abu-Jamal (born 1954), political activist and journalist
* Linda Addison (born 1952), author and poet
* Tomi Adeyemi (born 1993), author and creative writing coach
* Ai, aka Ai Ogawa, birth name Florence Anthony (1947–2010), poet, NBA for poetry, 1999
* Rochelle Alers (born 1943), author and artist
* Elizabeth Alexander (born 1962), poet, essayist and playwright
* Kwame Alexander (born 1968), writer of poetry and children's fiction
* Larry D. Alexander (born 1953), author and artist
* Lewis Grandison Alexander (1898–1945), poet, actor and playwright
* Candace Allen (born 1950), novelist, cultural critic and screenwriter
* Clarissa Minnie Thompson Allen (1859–1941), author and educator
* Robert L. Allen (1942–2024), activist, writer and academic
* Garland Anderson (1886–1939), playwright
* Maya Angelou (1928–2014), author and poet
* Tina McElroy Ansa (born 1949), novelist, filmmaker, teacher and journalist
* Ray Aranha (1939–2011), actor, playwright and stage director
* Chalmers Archer (1928–2014), author, veteran and educator
* M. K. Asante, Jr. (born 1982), author, poet, screenwriter, professor
* Jabari Asim (born 1962), poet, playwright, professor
* Russell Atkins (1926–2024), musician, playwright and poet
* William Attaway (1911–1986), novelist, short-story writer, essayist, songwriter, playwright and screenwriter

## B

* Calvin Baker (born 1972), novelist
* James Baldwin (1924–1987), novelist, playwright, essayist, poet and activist
* Toni Cade Bambara (1939–1995), author, filmmaker and activist
* Leslie Esdaile Banks (1959–2011)
* Amiri Baraka (1934–2014), writer of poetry, drama, fiction, essays, and music criticism
* Aja Barber (living), fashion activist and writer
* Shauna Barbosa (born c. 1988), poet
* Steven Barnes (born 1952)
* Lindon W. Barrett (1961–2008)
* Samuel Alfred Beadle (1857–1932)
* Paul Beatty (born 1962)
* Robert Beck (1918–1992)
* Christopher C. Bell (born 1933)
* Derrick Bell (1930–2011)
* Brit Bennett (living), novelist
* Gwendolyn Bennett (1902–1981)
* Hal Bennett (1936–2004), novelist
* Lerone Bennett, Jr. (1928–2018)
* Bertice Berry (born 1960)
* Venise T. Berry (living), novelist
* Henry Bibb (1815–1854)
* Eleanor Taylor Bland (1944–2010), writer of crime fiction
* Marita Bonner (1899–1971), essayist and playwright
* Arna Bontemps (1902–1973), poet, novelist and librarian
* James Boggs (1919–1993)
* Demico Boothe (living), writer on civil rights
* David Bradley (born 1950)
* William Stanley Braithwaite (1878–1962), poet and literary critic
* Gwendolyn Brooks (1917–2000)
* Claude Brown (1937–2002)
* Hallie Quinn Brown (1849–1949)
* Roseanne A. Brown (born 1995), writer of fantasy, science fiction and young adult fiction
* Sterling A. Brown (1901–1989), poet, literary critic, professor, poet laureate of the District of Columbia
* William Wells Brown (1814–1884), wrote first novel published by an African American, Clotel (1853)
* Anatole Broyard (1920–1990)
* Ashley Bryan (1923–2022)
* Niobia Bryant (born 1972), author of romance and mainstream fiction novels
* Ed Bullins (1935–2021)
* Olivia Ward Bush (1869–1944)
* Octavia Butler (1947–2006)
* Roderick D. Bush (1945–2013), sociologist, activist and author

## C

* George Cain (1943–2010), novelist
* Bebe Moore Campbell (1950–2006), author, journalist and teacher
* Stokely Carmichael (1941–1998)
* Ben Carson (born 1951)
* Jennie Carter (1830–1881), journalist and essayist
* Stephen L. Carter (born 1954), legal scholar
* Cyrus Cassells (born 1957), poet and professor
* Kashana Cauley (living), comedy writer and novelist
* Lady Chablis (1957–2016), actress, author, drag performer
* Charles W. Chesnutt (1858–1932), novelist and short-story writer
* Alice Childress (1916–1994), playwright and novelist
* Paulette Childress (born 1948), poet and short story writer
* Breena Clarke (living)
* Cheril N. Clarke (born 1980)
* Cheryl Clarke (born 1947)
* John Henrik Clarke (1915–1998)
* Stanley Bennett Clay (born 1950), writer, director, actor, publisher
* Troy CLE (living), fiction writer
* Pearl Cleage (born 1948), playwright, essayist, novelist, poetm and activist
* Eldridge Cleaver (1935–1998)
* Michelle Cliff (1946–2016), novelist
* Lucille Clifton (1936–2010), poet and educator
* Wendy Coakley-Thompson (born 1966)
* Ta-Nehisi Coates (born 1975), author, journalist, and activist
* Wanda Coleman (1946–2013), poet
* Marvel Cooke (1903–2000), journalist, writer and civil rights activist
* Anna J. Cooper (1858–1964)
* Clarence Cooper Jr. (1934–1978), novelist
* J. California Cooper (1931–2014), playwright
* James Corrothers (1869–1917), poet and journalist
* Jayne Cortez (1934–2012), poet and activist
* Bill Cosby (born 1937)
* Joseph Seamon Cotter, Sr. (1861–1949)
* Donald Crews (born 1938), children's book author
* Stanley Crouch (1945–2020), poet, critic, columnist, novelist and biographer
* Harold Cruse (1916–2005), academic and social critic
* Countee Cullen (1903–1946), poet, novelist, children's writer and playwright
* Waring Cuney (1906–1976), poet
* Christopher Paul Curtis (born 1953), children's book author

## D

* Jeffrey Daniels (living), poet
* Meri Nana-Ama Danquah (born 1967)
* Christopher Darden (born 1956)
* Angela Davis (born 1944) political activist, writer, and professor.
* Frank Marshall Davis (1905–1987)
* Kyra Davis (born 1972), novelist
* Milton Davis (living)
* George Dawson (1898–2001)
* Samuel R. Delany, novelist, author, editor, professor, and literary critic
* Eric Jerome Dickey (1961–2021)
* Anita Doreen Diggs (born 1966)
* Nahshon Dion (born 1978) creative non-fiction writer
* Lonnie Dixon (1932–2011)
* Frederick Douglass (1818–1895)
* Rita Dove (born 1952), poet and educator. Youngest person and first Black American to be the U.S. Poet Laureate and Consultant in Poetry at the Library of Congress.
* Sharon Draper (born 1948)
* W. E. B. Du Bois (1868–1963) writer, sociologist, and activist, who was a founding member of the NAACP His most notable work is The Souls of Black Folk.
* Tananarive Due (born 1966) writer specializing in Black speculative fiction, and professor of Black Horror and Afrofuturism
* Henry Dumas (1934–1968)
* Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872–1906), poet
* Alice Dunbar-Nelson (1875–1935)
* David Anthony Durham (born 1969)
* Richard Durham, (1917–1984), wrote radio series Destination Freedom
* Michael Eric Dyson (born 1958)

## E

* Cornelius Eady (born 1954)
* Sarah Jane Woodson Early (1825–1907), educator, activist and author
* Junius Edwards (1929–2008)
* Ralph Ellison (1913–1994), novelist, best known as author of Invisible Man
* Olaudah Equiano (c. 1745–1797)
* Don Evans (1938–2003), playwright
* Mari Evans (1919–2017), poet
* Percival Everett (born 1956), novelist
* Eve Ewing (born 1986), author, educator, poet, and sociologist

## F

* Sarah Webster Fabio (1928–1979)
* Ronald Fair (1932–2018)
* Sarah Farro, 19th-century novelist
* John M. Faucette (1943–2003), science-fiction author
* Arthur Huff Fauset (1899–1983)
* Jessie Fauset (1882–1961), editor, poet, essayist and novelist
* London R. Ferebee (1849–1883), preacher and author
* Lolita Files (living), author, screenwriter and producer
* Antwone Fisher (born 1959)
* Rudolph Fisher (1897–1934), novelist, short story writer and dramatist
* Sharon G. Flake (born 1955), writer of young adult literature
* Robert Fleming (living), journalist and writer of erotic fiction and horror fiction
* Mary Weston Fordham (c. 1862–1905), poet
* Namina Forna (born 1987), author and screen writer
* Leon Forrest (1937–1997), novelist
* Tonya Foster (living), poet, essayist and educator
* J. E. Franklin (born 1937), playwright
* John Hope Franklin (1915–2009), historian, sociologist, memoirist
* Hoyt W. Fuller (1923–1981)
* Nina Foxx (living), novelist, playwright and screenwriter

## G

* Ernest Gaines (1933–2019), fiction writer
* Ruth Gaines-Shelton (1872–1938), educator and playwright
* Marcus Garvey (1887–1940)
* Tony Gaskins (born 1984), motivational, inspirational, self-help writer
* Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (born 1950)
* Roxane Gay (born 1974)
* Nikki Giovanni (1943–2024)
* Roy Glenn (1914–1971), fiction writer, Is It A Crime, Payback
* Donald Goines (1936–1974)
* Marita Golden (born 1950)
* Edythe Mae Gordon (c. 1897–1980), poet, fiction writer
* Eugene Gordon (1891–1972), journalist
* Charles Gordone (1925–1995), playwright
* Amanda Gorman (born 1998), poet
* Lawrence Otis Graham (born 1962)
* Moses Grandy (born c. 1786)
* Victor Hugo Green (1892–1960), travel writer
* Eloise Greenfield (1929–2021), children's book author
* Sam Greenlee (1930–2014), novelist, poet, best known as author of The Spook Who Sat by the Door
* Bonnie Greer (born 1948), novelist, playwright, critic
* Deborah Gregory, author of The Cheetah Girls book series
* Dick Gregory (1932–2017)
* Sutton E. Griggs (1872–1933)
* Nikki Grimes (born 1950), children's book author and poet
* Angelina Weld Grimke (1880–1958)
* Charlotte Forten Grimké (1837–1914)
* Rosa Guy (1922–2012)
* John Langston Gwaltney (1928–1998), anthropologist, author of Drylongso
* Yaa Gyasi (born 1989), Ghanaian-American novelist, author of Homegoing.

## H

* Alex Haley (1921–1992), author of Roots: The Saga of an American Family
* Virginia Hamilton (1934–2002), author of children's books
* Henry Hampton (1940–1998)
* Lorraine Hansberry (1930–1965), playwright
* Joyce Hansen (born 1942), author of children's books
* Vincent Harding (1931–2014), historian and social activist
* Edward W. Hardy (born 1992), playwright
* Nathan Hare (1933–2024), sociologist, activist, academic and psychologist
* Frances Harper (1825–1911), poet and abolitionist
* E. Lynn Harris (1955–2009)
* Juanita Harrison (1891–?)
* Saidiya Hartman (born 1961) writer and academic, known for her seminal work Scenes of Subjection
* Robert Hayden (1913–1980), poet, essayist, educator
* Essex Hemphill (1957–1995), poet and activist
* David Henderson (poet) (born 1942)
* Safiya Henderson-Holmes (1950–2001), poet
* Chester Himes (1909–1984), novelist
* Kameisha Jerae Hodge (born 1989), poet and publisher
* Corey J. Hodges (born 1970)
* Karla F. C. Holloway (born 1949)
* bell hooks (1952—2021), feminist, and social activist
* Pauline Hopkins (1859–1930), novelist, journalist, playwright, historian and editor
* Nalo Hopkinson (born 1960), Jamaican Canadian, currently based in California
* George Moses Horton (1798–after 1867)
* Roberta Hoskie, real-estate broker, writer, and media personality
* Tracie Howard, fiction writer
* Detrick Hughes (born 1966), poet
* Langston Hughes (1901–1967), poet, social activist, novelist, playwright and columnist
* Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960), folklorist, anthropologist, author of novels short stories, plays and essays

## I

* Jordan Ifueko (born 1993)
* Rashidah Ismaili (born 1941), poet, fiction writer, essayist and playwright

## J

* Brenda Jackson (born 1953)
* Jesse C. Jackson (1908–1983), young-adult novelist
* Mae Jackson (born 1946), poet
* Harriet Jacobs (1813 or 1815–1897), author of Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (1861)
* T. D. Jakes (born 1957)
* Ayize Jama-Everett (born 1974), science fiction and speculative fiction writer
* John Jea (1773–after 1817)
* N. K. Jemisin (born 1972), writer of speculative fiction. First person to win three consecutive Hugo Awards for Best Novel.
* Beverly Jenkins (born 1951)
* Joseph Jewell (living)
* Terri L. Jewell (1954–1995), poet, writer and Black lesbian activist
* Alaya Dawn Johnson (born 1982)
* Angela Johnson (born 1961)
* Charles R. Johnson (born 1948)
* Georgia Douglas Johnson (1880–1966), poet
* Helene Johnson (1906–1995), poet
* James Weldon Johnson (1871–1938), writer and civil rights activist
* Mat Johnson (born 1970), fiction writer
* Varian Johnson (born 1977)
* Edward P. Jones (born 1950), novelist and short-story writer
* Gayl Jones (born 1949), novelist
* Tayari Jones (born 1970), author and academic
* June Jordan (1936–2002), poet, essayist and activist

## K

* Ron Karenga (born 1941)
* Bob Kaufman (1925–1986), poet
* Elizabeth Keckley (1818–1907)
* William Melvin Kelley (1937–2017), novelist
* Emma Dunham Kelley-Hawkins (1863–1938), novelist
* Randall Kenan (1963–2020)
* Adrienne Kennedy (born 1931), playwright
* Nina Kennedy (born 1960), memoirist, screenwriter
* John Oliver Killens (1916–1987), novelist
* Jamaica Kincaid (born 1949), novelist and essayist
* Emeline King (born 1957)
* Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–1968)
* Woodie King Jr. (born 1937)
* Etheridge Knight (1931–1991), poet
* Yusef Komunyakaa (born 1941)

## L

* Pinkie Gordon Lane (1923–2008), poet, editor and teacher
* Nella Larsen (1891–1964), novelist
* Victor LaValle (born 1972), fiction writer
* Brent Leggs (born 1972), historian and preservationist, writer, academic
* Andrea Lee (born 1953), novelist and memoirist
* Julius Lester (1939–2018), writer and academic
* David Levering Lewis (born 1936), historian
* Willie Little (born 1961) author, multimedia artist
* Alain Locke (1885–1954) writer
* Attica Locke (born 1974), novelist
* Audre Lorde (1934–1992), author, poet, activist
* Bettina L. Love (living), abolitionist educator and writer
* Glenville Lovell (born 1955), novelist and playwright

## M

* Christopher Mwashinga (born 1965), poet, theologian, essayist
* Nathaniel Mackey (born 1947), poet, novelist, anthologist, literary critic and editor
* Naomi Long Madgett (1923–2020), poet
* Haki R. Madhubuti (born 1942), author, educator, poet, and publisher
* Clarence Major (born 1936), poet, painter and novelist
* Raynetta Manees (living), novelist
* Manning Marable (1950–2011)
* John Marrant (1755–1791)
* Paule Marshall (1929–2019)
* Ora Mae Lewis Martin (1889–1977), journalist and writer
* Hans Massaquoi (1926–2013)
* Brandon Massey (born 1973)
* Victoria Earle Matthews (1861–1907), essayist, newspaperwoman, activist
* Julian Mayfield (1928–1984)
* James McBride (writer) (born 1957)
* Nathan McCall (born 1955)
* Bernice McFadden (born 1965), novelist
* Claude McKay (1889–1948)
* Patricia McKissack (1944–2017)
* Reginald McKnight (born 1956)
* Kim McLarin (born 1964), novelist
* Terry McMillan (born 1951), novelist
* James Alan McPherson (1943–2016)
* Louise Meriwether (1923–2023), novelist, essayist, journalist and activist
* Oscar Micheaux (1884–1951)
* E. Ethelbert Miller (born 1950), poet
* May Miller (1899–1995), poet and playwright
* Arthenia J. Bates Millican (1920–2012), poet, essayist and educator
* Mary Monroe (living), novelist
* Anne Moody (1940–2015)
* Jessica Care Moore (born 1971), poet
* Toni Morrison (1931–2019), author, Nobel laureate 1993
* E. Frederic Morrow (c.1909–1994), first black American appointed to a president's administration (1955–60)
* Walter Mosley (born 1952), novelist
* Thylias Moss (born 1954), poet, filmmaker and playwright
* Willard Motley (1909–1965)
* Jess Mowry (born 1960)
* Albert Murray (1916–2013)
* Pauli Murray (1910–1985), civil rights activist, legal scholar, and author
* Walter Dean Myers (1937–2014), writer of children's books

## N

* Tariq Nasheed (living)
* Gloria Naylor (1950–2016), novelist
* Larry Neal (1937–1981)
* Barbara Neely (1941–2020), novelist, short-story writer and activist
* Huey P. Newton (1942–1989)
* Richard Bruce Nugent (1906–1987)

## O

* Mwatabu S. Okantah (born 1952) poet and professor
* Gabriel Okara (1921–2019), poet and novelist
* Nnedi Okorafor (born 1974), writer of science fiction and fantasy
* Marc Olden (1933–2003), author of mystery and suspense
* Porsha Olayiwola (born 1988), poet
* Rita Omokha (living), journalist and author
* Terry a. O'Neal (born 1973)
* Tochi Onyebuchi (born 1987), science fiction and fantasy writer and former civil rights lawyer
* Roscoe Orman (born 1944)
* Ewuare Osayande (living)
* Brenda Marie Osbey (born 1957), poet
* Candace Owens (born 1989), political activist

## P

* ZZ Packer (born 1973), writer of short fiction
* Gordon Parks (1912–2006), photographer, composer, author, poet, and film directo
* Suzan-Lori Parks (born 1963), playwright, screenwriter, musician and novelist
* Tyler Perry (born 1969), actor, filmmaker and playwright
* Eric Pete (living), novelist and short-story writer
* Ann Petry (1908–1997), writer of novels, short stories, children's books and journalism
* Delores Phillips (1950–2014), poet and novelist
* Steve Phillips (born 1964), author, columnist, political thought leader
* William Pickens (1881–1954), orator, educator, journalist, and essayist
* Leonard Pitts (born 1957), novelist, commentator, journalist, and columnist
* Ann Plato (c. 1824–unknown), educator and author
* Sterling Plumpp (born 1940), educator and author
* Carlene Hatcher Polite (1932–2009)
* Alvin F. Poussaint (1934–2025), author, psychiatrist, and academic
* Jewel Prestage (1931–2014), first African-American woman to earn a Ph.D. in political science, former Dean of the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs at Southern University
* Robert Earl Price (born 1942), playwright and poet

## R

* Aishah Rahman (1936–2014), playwright
* Alice Randall (born 1959), author and songwriter
* Dudley Randall (1914–2000), poet and publisher
* Cordelia Ray (1852–1916), poet and teacher
* Francis Ray (1944–2013), writer of romance fiction
* Andy Razaf (1895–1973), poet, composer and lyricist
* Ishmael Reed (born 1938), poet, essayist and novelist
* Kiley Reid (born 1987), novelist
* Jason Reynolds (born 1983), YA/Middle-Grade novelist/poet
* Willis Richardson (1889–1977), playwright
* Florida Ruffin Ridley (1861–1943), essayist and short-story writer
* Harrison David Rivers (born 1981), playwright
* Cliff Roquemore (1948–2002), writer, producer and director
* Carolyn Rodgers (1940–2010), poet
* Octavia V. Rogers Albert (1853–c. 1890)
* Al Roker (born 1954), journalist and author
* Fran Ross (1935–1985), novelist
* Shawn Stewart Ruff (born 1959), novelist
* Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin (1842–1924), journalist
* Malinda Russell (c. 1812–?), author of the first known cookbook by a Black woman in the United States
* Rachel Renee Russell (born 1959), author of the Dork Diaries series of children's novels
* Carl Hancock Rux, poet, essayist, playwright, novelist
* Rupaul (born 1960), actor, author, drag performer, TV show host

## S

* Kalamu ya Salaam (born 1947), poet, author, filmmaker, teacher, activist
* Sonia Sanchez (born 1934), poet
* Dori Sanders (born 1934) novelist
* Sapphire (born 1950)
* Charles R. Saunders (1946–2020), author and journalist
* Arturo Alfonso Schomburg (1874–1938), historian, writer, and activist
* George Schuyler (1895–1977), author, journalist and social commentator
* Gil Scott-Heron (1949–2011), poet and musician
* Clara Johnson Scroggins (1931–2019), author, collector
* Sandra Seaton (living), playwright and librettist
* Victor Séjour (1817–1874)
* Fatima Shaik (living), author
* Tupac Shakur (1971–1996)
* Ntozake Shange (1948–2018), playwright and poet
* Nisi Shawl (born 1955)
* Sister Souljah (born 1964)
* Iceberg Slim (1918–1992)
* Amanda Smith (1837–1915)
* Danez Smith (living), poet
* Effie Waller Smith (1879–1960), poet
* William Gardner Smith (1927–1974), journalist, novelist, and editor
* Thomas Sowell (born 1930), economist, social theorist, political philosopher
* A. B. Spellman (born 1935)
* Anne Spencer (1882–1975), poet
* Aurin Squire (born 1979), producer, playwright, screenwriter and reporter
* Theophilus Gould Steward (1843–1924)
* Maria W. Stewart (1803–1879), journalist, lecturer, abolitionist, women's rights activist
* Jeffrey C. Stewart (born 1950), professor and Pulitzer prize winner
* Nic Stone (born 1985)

## T

* Ellen Tarry (1906–2008), journalist and author
* Mildred D. Taylor (born 1943)
* Susie Taylor (1848–1912)
* Mary Church Terrell (1863–1954)
* Lucy Terry (c. 1730–1821)
* Michael Thelwell (born 1939), novelist and essayist
* Angie Thomas (born 1988), young adult author
* Clarence Thomas (born 1948)
* Joyce Carol Thomas (1938–2016), author, poet, playwright, and motivational speaker
* Lorenzo Thomas (1944–2005)
* Piri Thomas (1928–2011), writer and poet
* Truth Thomas (living), poet
* Pamela Thomas-Graham (born 1963)
* Era Bell Thompson (1905–1986)
* Howard Thurman (1899–1981)
* Wallace Thurman (1902–1934)
* Ruth D. Todd (1878–?)
* Lynn Toler (born 1959)
* Melvin B. Tolson (1898–1966)
* Jean Toomer (1894–1967)
* Touré (born 1971), journalist
* Askia M. Touré (born 1938), poet, essayist, leading voice of the Black Arts Movement
* Quincy Troupe (born 1939)
* Sojourner Truth (c.1797–1883)
* Omar Tyree (born 1969), novelist
* Neil deGrasse Tyson (born 1958)

## V

* Henry Van Dyke (1928–2011), novelist, editor, teacher and musician
* Ivan Van Sertima (1935–2009), professor, author, historian, linguist and anthropologist at Rutgers University
* Bethany Veney (c. 1813–1916), author of Aunt Betty's Story: The Narrative of Bethany Veney, A Slave Woman (1889)
* Olympia Vernon (born 1973), novelist

## W

* Alice Walker (born 1944)
* Frank X. Walker (born 1961), founding member of Affrilachian poets
* Margaret Walker (1915–1998), novelist, poet and writer
* Michele Wallace (born 1952)
* Eric Walrond (1898–1966)
* Mildred Pitts Walter (born 1922)
* Marilyn Nelson Waniek (born 1946)
* Douglas Turner Ward (1930–2021)
* Jesmyn Ward (born 1977), novelist
* Booker T. Washington (1856–1915)
* Frank J. Webb (1828–c.1894), novelist, poet, essayist
* Ida B. Wells (1862–1931)
* Richard Wesley (born 1945), playwright, screenwriter
* Valerie Wilson Wesley (born 1947)
* Cornel West (born 1953)
* Dorothy West (1907–1998), novelist
* Phillis Wheatley (1753–1784), first published African-American poet
* Walter Francis White (1893–1955)
* Colson Whitehead (born 1969), novelist (The Intuitionist, The Underground Railroad) and journalist
* Steven Whitehurst (born 1967), award-winning author
* Albery Allson Whitman (1851–1901), poet, minister and orator
* Anthony Whyte, writer of urban and hip-hop literature
* John Edgar Wideman (born 1941)
* Isabel Wilkerson (born 1961), journalist and author
* Crystal Wilkinson (living)
* Alicia D. Williams (born 1970), children's novelist
* Chancellor Williams (1893–1992), historian and sociologist
* John Alfred Williams (1925–2015), author, journalist and academic
* Samm-Art Williams (1946–2024), playwright
* Sherley Anne Williams (1944–1999)
* Walter E. Williams (1936–2020)
* August Wilson (1945–2005), playwright
* Harriet E. Wilson (1825–1900), author of Our Nig and the first African-American novelist
* Kathy Y. Wilson (died 2022), journalist, columnist, playwright, and commentator
* William Julius Wilson (born 1935), author of When Work Disappears, The Truly Disadvantaged, and The Declining Significance of Race
* Oprah Winfrey (born 1954), talk-show host, actress, author and media proprietor
* Carter G. Woodson (1875–1950), historian, author and journalist
* Jacqueline Woodson (born 1963), award-winning author of books for children and adolescents, including "Brown Girl Dreaming"
* David Wright (born 1964)
* Jay Wright (born 1934), poet
* Kelly Wright, author of Outed Obsession and Fatal Fixation
* Richard Wright (1908–1960), writer of novels, short stories, poems and non-fiction
* Sarah E. Wright (1928–2009), novelist
* David F. Walker, comic book writer and novelist

## X

* Malcolm X (1925–1965)
* Marian X (born 1944), playwright

## Y

* Camille Yarbrough (born 1938)
* Frank Yerby (1916–1991), historical novelist
* Al Young (1939–2021), poet, novelist, essayist, screenwriter and professor

## Z

* Zane (born 1966/67), author of erotic fiction
* Ahmos Zu-Bolton (1948–2005), activist, poet and playwright