Harpers Bazaar | January 6, 2022

The daughter of parents who lived through and marched in the Civil Rights Movement, Stephanie Stokes Oliver was raised on the legacy of fashion as a gateway to a brighter political future.

The Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, has an historic past as the site of the 1965 Bloody Sunday march for voting rights. What’s little known, though, is for years before that, after it opened in 1940, the town’s teenagers saw it as just another scenic background for prom pics and photo shoots on sunny Sundays. My mother, Josephine, around 16 at that time, was one of those who with her friends posed after church at the bridge.

Among our family’s treasured possessions is a fuzzy black-and-white 8-by-10 photo, taken, mounted, and signed by her own cousin Frank, just 20 days younger than she, as the budding photographer. Josephine is wearing a dark suit dress with white zigzag piping. Totally accessorized, she has on white gloves, is holding a flat envelope purse, and is wearing a turban that lends a sophistication beyond her young age. There are additional photos of that day with two other teenagers styling and smiling in a decades-old photo album.

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Food and Wine | January 4, 2022

Dubai's Alkebulan Dining Hall features 11 regional restaurants — and plans are underway to bring the concept to more cities around the globe.

"As a kid, I was told if I loved what I did, I'd never have a job," acclaimed chef, James Beard Award-winning cookbook author, and entrepreneur Alexander Smalls told Food & Wine recently. "I've never had a job. I've been able to create work for myself by following my passion and understanding the mission of my passion. And this is how we got here, if you will."

The "here" he's referring to is the grand opening of Alkebulan, the first dining hall in the world that showcases and celebrates African food. It opened in Dubai last fall as part of the pandemic-delayed Expo Dubai 2020, and it's also the realization of a vision that Smalls has focused on for well over a decade. "I've had five restaurants, starting with The Cecil in Harlem, all of which have been about the food of the African diaspora," he explained. "About six or seven years ago, I set out to create a destination that would tell the story of African food on five continents [and tell] how through slavery, Africans changed the global culinary conversation."

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Forbes | January 4, 2022

Only days into the new year, two major cities are slated to get even more delicious.

Harlem-based Chef Alexander Small, the James Beard award-winning visionary of The Cecil and its sister restaurant Minton's, is opening the world's first African food hall, Alkebulan.

Small, a former opera singer turned culinary activist, debuted the concept at Expo 2020 Dubai in October 2021. Following an extremely positive global reception, Alkebulan will remain permanent in Dubai, with expansions in both Harlem and London.

Alkebulan, which is the oldest name for Africa, is envisioned as a cultural and culinary movement that celebrates the untapped cuisine of the African continent. Smalls curated the Alkebulan location in Dubai to offer elevent African chef-led concepts showcasing the diverse cuisines that Africa has to offer, from gourmet dishes and street bites to fusion fare. Local art and live music also amps up the cultural immersion at the food hall.

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Glamour | January 2, 2021

This will be a year of spectacular books. The best books of 2022—that is, the most anticipated new book releases of the year ahead—are stunners. There are nonfiction books and novels about cults, female friendships, family ties, and future civilizations. Books that will make you laugh until the mascara drips down your face. Chilling thrillers and thrilling memoirs. Romantic books that will have you downloading dating apps again. There'’s no reason to ask, “What book should I read?” for a full year.

An Abolitionist’s Handbook: 12 Steps to Changing Yourself and the World by Patrisse Cullors (January 25)

Any decent non-Black person who thinks about about American slavery imagines—hopes—insists to themselves—that they would have been on the side of the abolitionists. Contemporary abolition usually refers to abolishing the legalized slavery of the prison system, and sometimes to abolishing the police. If that sounds like going too far, it could be time to read up on why many of the great activists of our day are abolitionists. If we’re serious about real change, and not just Black squares, we’re going to need a handbook. Patrisse Cullors, one of the original cofounders of the Black Lives Matter movement, teaches how to build an activism practice from a place of compassion and love.

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Publishers Weekly | December 31, 2021

DEAL OF THE WEEK

Shatner to ‘Boldly Go’ with Atria

William Shatner sold an essay collection, titled Boldly Go, to Atria. The book, which is set for fall 2022, was preempted by Peter Borland, in a world rights agreement, from Victoria Sanders, who has an eponymous shingle. Atria said the collection, written with TV writer/producer Joshua Brandon (who’s worked on, among other shows, CBS’s Friend Me), sees the author examining “key events from his 90 years of life, using them as a springboard to reflect on the interconnectivity of all things, our fragile bond with nature, and the joy that comes from always being open to learning something new.”

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Bookreporter | December 20, 2021

Recently we asked our reviewers to provide us with a list of some of their favorite books from 2021. Included is a mix of fiction and nonfiction titles, all published for the first time this year. Take a moment to read these varied lists of titles and see if you agree with any of their selections! Please note that due to personal and professional commitments, some reviewers were not able to participate in this feature.

Kate Ayers has picked THE STRANGER IN THE MIRROR by Liv Constantine as one of her picks.

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New York Public Library | November 29, 2021

Our expert librarians selected the year's best books for kids, teens, and adults. Check out these outstanding titles.

Can't Stop Won't Stop: A Hip-Hop History (Young Adult Edition)
By Jeff Chang & Dave "Davey D" Cook

A comprehensive history of hip-hop from its origins in the Bronx to its current status as one of the biggest cultural phenomena in American history.

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CBS Saturday Morning | November 20, 2021

The Dish: Alexander Smalls on music career, becoming a restaurateur

Watch the video here.

USA Today | September 24, 2021

Mine is not an easy story to tell. I have been crying for days as I've watched history repeat itself at the border. I try to process emotions that are as complex as my identity – Haitian, Black, immigrant, woman, mother, daughter.

Throughout my childhood, my mother repeated the narrative of our journey from Haiti to America countless times: how her father vanished, presumed murdered by the Duvalier regime; how my father maneuvered to sponsor our visas and scraped together money for our plane tickets; how my mother made the journey to a foreign country where she knew no one with two toddlers in tow. We weren’t fleeing political persecution, although our country was rife with that plague. But our plight was still dire. We were pleading for a reprieve from poverty, for relief from hunger and hopelessness.

And we had immigrated to the United States the “right way,” as American politicians and immigration agents insist. They flippantly refer to the arduous and excruciating “alien” registration process with no understanding of its deliberately invincible obstacles. The route to legal immigration is barricaded by stacks of complex and undecipherable application forms atop impossible-to-find documentation to prove our existence. It is mired with the condescension of U.S. Embassy examiners, the irrepressible disdain of racist officials and the insult of rejection. After many failed attempts at seeking entry via normal channels, after being turned away from the golden gates by doing things the “right way,” my people risk their lives on more dangerous routes to America.

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NPR | September 20, 2021

Here & Now's Tonya Mosley speaks with Francesca Momplaisir, a native Haitian and author of the novel "My Mother's House" about what it's like for Haitians to flee their country.

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International Latino Book Awards | September 15, 2021

If Dominican Were a Color by Sili Recio has been nominated for an International Latino Book Award.

The International Latino Book Awards is a major reflection that the fastest growing group in the USA has truly arrived. The Awards are now by far the largest Latino cultural Awards in the USA and with the 276 finalists this year in 105 categories, it has now honored the greatness of 3,470 authors and publishers over the past two decades. The size of the Awards is proof that books by and about Latinos are in high demand. In 2020 Latinos will purchase over $750 million in books in English and Spanish.

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Library Journal | September 1, 2021

In this latest work, Cullors (co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement; author of the best-selling When They Call You a Terrorist) sets out 12 principles for activists in the movement to abolish policing and mass incarceration. Cullors is adamant that current American police establishments cannot be reformed and must be built anew. Here she proposes that accomplishing abolition will require activists to engage in courageous conversation, active forgiveness and accountability, community-building, and thinking creatively about reform. For each precept, she writes an analysis illustrated by examples from her experience and the experiences of other activists, tips for growth, and practical scenarios. Cullors uses her own experiences to illustrate her theories in a way that helps readers make connections. She aims to set out a space for developing healthy communication and reflection skills, which she argues are not taught or modeled effectively in the United States. Cullors invites readers to engage critically with the text, which is accessible to a wide audience; there are key questions at the end of each chapter to help direct readers’ actions.

VERDICT A useful and surprisingly personal handbook for activists. Recommended for all readers interested in social change activism, particularly prison reform and the defund-the-police movement.

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New York Public Library | August 28, 2021

In this special edition of KidsLIVE, NYPL librarians talk to world-renowned ballet dancer Misty Copeland, author of Bunheads, and bestselling author and journalist Denene Millner.

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Midwest Independent Booksellers Association | August 26, 2021

Me and Mama by Cozbi Cabrera has been named as a finalist in the 2021 Heartland Booksellers Awards in the "Children's Picture Book" category.

The Heartland Booksellers Award is a reflection of handselling at its best, as all the books are selected directly by independent booksellers, and celebrate literature in the Great Lakes and Midwest, with content either about the region, or an author from our region.

The Heartland Booksellers Award is a joint award given annually by the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association and the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association.

Visit the link above for more information and to cast your vote.

Hurston/Wright Foundation | August 18, 2021

The Book of the Little Axe by Lauren Francis-Sharma has been nominated for a 2021 Hurston/Wright Foundation Legacy Award in the Fiction category.

The 2021 Hurston/Wright Legacy Awards continues the foundation’s tradition of recognizing literary excellence by Black writers from the United States and around the world. Now in its 20th year, the Annual Legacy Awards Ceremony honors an esteemed group of authors and brings together writers, readers, scholars, publishers, journalists, and cultural activists to celebrate the best in Black literature. The evening will culminate in the announcement of the winners of the juried awards for books by Black authors published in 2020 in the categories of debut fiction, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. More than 160 books were submitted by publishers and self-published authors. The judges – all Legacy Award Honorees from previous years – worked independently of the foundation to evaluate the books for artistic excellence and contribution to the literary canon.

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The National | August 7, 2021

Ever since he launched his first restaurant, one of the first African American fine-dining concepts, in New York City in 1994, chef Alexander Smalls has been traveling the length and breadth of the African continent, connecting with his roots and, as he puts it, “understanding the regional vernacular of food”.

He has since been on a mission to make food from Africa get the respect it deserves.

Smalls won the James Beard Foundation Award, which recognises achievements by US culinary professionals, for his 2018 book Between Harlem and Heaven: Afro-Asian-American Cooking for Big Nights, Weeknights, and Every Day.

His latest book, Meals, Music, and Muses: Recipes from My African American Kitchen, which came out last year, is an ode to his musical past, as well as his African roots.

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Mystery Tribune | August 3, 2021

Gabino Iglesias takes a closer look at the suburban noir novel The Hunting Wives by May Cobb. Mr. Iglesias writes “Brass Ovaries: Reading Women” column for Mystery Tribune. He is the author of Coyote Songs, Zero Saints, and Gutmouth and his nonfiction has appeared in places like The New York Times and the Los Angeles Review of Books.

Crime and horror fiction only truly work when there’s empathy present. That said, complicating those feelings of empathy by creating deeply flawed characters that more or less deserve whatever they get is something only great storytellers with a deep understanding of human nature can do. May Cobb’s The Hunting Wives accomplishes that and much more while exploring the way in which friendship, desire, and secrets can collide in unexpected ways to create chaos in the least likely places.

Sophie O’Neill was tired of life in the big city, so she left Chicago and moved to Mapleton, a small Texas town, with her husband and toddler son. Sophie wants to work on her blog and garden, and the quietness of Mapleton, a town of about 50,000 residents, is perfect for that. Unfortunately, while she doesn’t miss the hectic pace and sounds of suburban Chicago, small-town living soon gets to her and Sophie starts feeling bored and a little agitated.

When she meets a group of wealthy local women that call themselves the Hunting Wives at a party, Sophie thinks her uninteresting days are over. However, nothing is exactly as it seems. For starters, Sophie starts obsessing about Margot, the leader of the group, and gets pulled into her manipulative persona and inexplicable outbursts. Also, while there is shooting and the Hunting Wives use Margot’s land for late-night target practice, gossiping, and drinking, the group also partake of darker and more dangerous pastimes, including sleeping with teenagers and cheating on their husbands.

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San Francisco Chronicle | August 3, 2021

Carolina De Robertis’ exceptional new novel is about a humble statesman, a man who quietly leaves office after one presidential term and retreats to his small farmhouse and his vegetable garden. Yes, such leaders exist. But they’re about as common as talking frogs.

Which brings us to the book’s key supporting character. “The President and the Frog” reserves an important role for a loquacious amphibian who helps the politician understand himself and the world. Inspired by the life of José Mujica, former president of De Robertis’ native Uruguay, and Aristophanes’ 2,400-year-old comedy “The Frogs,” the Oakland writer beguilingly blends the earthbound and the fantastical. Her fifth novel is a hopeful, entertaining paean to language, justice and perseverance.

De Robertis’ protagonist never shares his name, but he’s forthcoming on many other subjects. Decades before he’s elected — he takes office in his 70s — he’s imprisoned for challenging his country’s dictatorship. He spends lots of time in solitary confinement.

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