Recent Works | Features

Run Girl, Run | The Women of the Black Panther Party

In her 20s, Assata Shakur became a target for government forces aiming to discredit Black liberation movements. Soon, she would emerge as one of America’s most notorious fugitives. After being convicted of murdering a state trooper, Assata is sentenced to life in prison. But, she maintains her innocence. Two years into her sentence, she is broken out of prison and escapes to Cuba. Forty years after the murder, she becomes the first woman to be placed on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list.

Written by

Hari Ziyad

Dear Mama | The Women of the Black Panther Party

At only 23 years old, Afeni Shakur defended herself and 20 other Black Panther comrades in the famous Panther 21 trial. Best known as the mother of Tupac Shakur, Afeni’s legacy extends beyond her maternal role to a rap icon. Shakur’s fighting spirit helped her combat sexism within the Party and racism in the world, but her personal demons would have lasting impacts on her relationship with her son, until his untimely death.

Written by

Hari Ziyad

Dear Mama | The Women of the Black Panther Party

After many of her comrades are killed, imprisoned, and forced into exile, Elaine Brown rises the ranks to be tapped as the first and only female leader of the Black Panther Party. Like other vocal women within the Party, she faced rampant sexism. But violence within the Party and whispers of her being a government informant also threatened her ambitions to save and revitalize the Black Panther Party. 

Written by

Hari Ziyad

Huffington Post: If You’ve Ever Equated Taking Antidepressants With Failure, Read This

Salon: Who will keep us safe in a world without police? We will

The Root: Debating Whether Black People Can Be Gentrifiers Misses the Point

The Guardian: I’m an abolitionist. My sister’s a cop. And rethinking ‘family’ is how I am reconciling it all

Vanity Fair: The Stories and Lies of Jessica Krug

Buzzfeed: The Dangers of Tipping While Black

INTO: When a White Man Attempts to Steal Your Soul

AFROPUNK: My gender is Black

Slate: For Black Queers, Invisibility Is Often the Best Liberation Strategy

Deadline: Inevitable Foundation Reveals Winners Of Elevate Collective Grants & Winter 2024 Cohorts

Buzzfeed: 21 LGBTQ Memoirs You Need To Listen To

​Chicago Review of Book: A Midwestern LGBTQIA+ Book a Day for Pride Month

​Vogue: 9 LGBTQ+ Books We’re Looking Forward to This Spring

Seattle Times: Literature from the COVID-19 era: 5 books to read if you haven’t already

​Marie Claire: 35 Must-Read 2021 Book Releases by Black Authors

​Lambda Literary: March’s Most Anticipated LGBTQ Books

​The Root: PageTurners: Traversing the Literary Worlds Holding Us Down

​Book Riot: 2021 LGBTQ Books by Black Authors

​New In Books: Must-Read Biography & Memoir Books

​Cosmopolitan: 30 New LGBTQ+ Books to Add to Your Reading List in 2021

​Goodreads: The 2021 Pride Reading List: 75 New Books to Read Now

​Cleveland Magazine: You Should Be Reading These 10 Cleveland Authors This Summer​

Shepherd: The best books on loss and grief from a certified death doula

​Reckon: A Death Doula finds the joy in grieving on purpose

​INTO: Hari Ziyad’s Memoir Explores Prison Culture’s Impact on Black Children

​Cleveland.com: Author Hari Ziyad explores Cleveland childhood in memoir ‘Black Boy Out Of Time’

​Mic.com: Hari Ziyad on cultivating a world where Black queer people can thrive

​TheBody.com: Hari Ziyad’s Memoir ‘Black Boy Out of Time’ Is a Spiritual Look at Growing Up Black and Queer

​Disability Visibility: Interview with Hari Ziyad

New In Books: Interview with Hari Ziyad, Author of Black Boy Out Of Time

header photo by laquann dawson