Documenting the ever-growing African American literary tradition, this new edition highlights African Americans who wrote centuries ago, as well as modern storytellers whose work reflects the changing global landscape. Readers will explore what inspired various African-American writers to create poems, plays, short stories, novels, essays, opinion pieces and numerous other works, and how those writing contributed to American culture. From autobiography to young adult fiction, these volumes provide an overview and more in-depth context of each author's biography and literary career as well as a ready-reference listing of his or her major works in all genres.