Hello, friends! COOL MACHINE, the conclusion of the whole dang Harlem saga, will be published in July of 2026. Publishers Weekly calls it a “transcendent and wildly entertaining novel” and “the greatest New York novel in years.”
HARLEM SHUFFLE, the first volume in the Harlem Trilogy, came out in the fall of 2021. The New Yorker ran an excerpt and also a piece where I talk about it. Here is some more information about it, and also the Publishers Weekly review, the Kirkus review, and an interview.
CROOK MANIFESTO, the second book, was published in 2023. Surely this was the return of the good gumbo. Kirkus: “It’s not just crime fiction at its craftiest, but shrewdly rendered social history.” Walter Mosley was very kind in the New York Times.
Barry Jenkins's adaptation of THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD came out — it’s freaking incredible. Here it is. Here is an interview and here is a review.
NOTICE! I've been notified that scammers are impersonating me online, making the false claim that I’m interested in mentoring or giving advice to other writers. Please be cautious. Often, the goal of these scams is to steal money, intellectual property such as a manuscript, and/or valuable personal information. If you’ve received a suspicious communication, please report it to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. To learn more about publishing scams, visit here. I’m sure you are very nice, but I’m not writing you to tell you how swell you are!
Contact: connect@aragi.net
Speaking Engagements: Penguin Random House Speakers Bureau
Publicity: Michael Goldsmith mgoldsmith@penguinrandomhouse.com
Photo: Chris Close
Upcoming Events:
March 26. Angelo State University. San Angelo, TX.
April 15. Villa Elizabeth. Berlin, Germany.
May 18. Teton County Library. Jackson, WY.
July 1-2. Amsterdam Book Tour. Locations TBA.
July 21. McNally Jackson. Brooklyn, NY.
July 22. Garden State Author Talks. Montclair, NJ.
July 23. Northshire Bookstore. Saratoga Springs, NY.
July 24. Gibson’s. Concord, NH.
July 27. Politics & Prose. Washington, DC.
July 28. Parnassus Books. Nashville, TN.
July 29. Lynx Books. Gainesville, FL.
July 30. Bookmarks. Winston-Salem, NC.
August 3. Barnes & Noble. Union Square, NYC.
August 4. McNally Robinson. Winnipeg, Canada.
August 5. Appel Salon. Toronto, Canada.
August 6. Ottowa Writers Fest. Ottowa, Canada.
August 13. Guild Hall. East Hampton, NY.
August 21. Edinburgh Book Festival. Edinburgh, Scotland.
August 22. Southbank Centre. London, England.
September 15. Calgary Wordfest. Calgary, Canada.
September 16. Vancouver Writers Fest. Vancouver, Canada.
September 21. Brooklyn Book Festival. Brooklyn, NYC.
September 24. Lighthouse Writers Workshop. Denver, CO.
September 30. Virgina Tech. Blacksburg, VA.
October 1. GrubStreet. Brookline, MA.
October 9. Frankfurt Theatre. Frankfurt, Germany.
October 10. Goettingen Festival. Goettingen, Germany.
October 11. LitCologne. Cologne, Germany.
October 21. Museum of the City of NY. Manhattan, NYC.
November 11. Talking Volumes. Minneapolis, MN.
November 12. InPrint. Houston, TX.
November 13-15. Texas Book Festival. TX.
November 23. Bookcity. Milan, Italy.
December 3-4. Tulsa Library. Tulsa, OK.