Discover Your Next Diverse Read

Diverse Spines® is a book community dedicated to expanding awareness through diverse literature.

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ABOUT US

Expanding awareness through diverse literature

Our mission is to help you Discover Your Next Diverse Read! Diverse Spines® highlights books by Black Women and Women of Color. We are dedicated to amplifying marginalized stories that will help readers diversify their reading lists and discover new voices. We are a champion for expanding awareness and uplifting human experiences that are often underrepresented in the literary world!

 
 

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Spine of the Month

JUNE 2026 - A Harlem Wedding by Tiffany L. Warren

From The Unexpected Diva author Tiffany Warren—a dishy and dramatic novel of the Harlem Renaissance and its most famous Black debutante, Yolande Du Bois, daughter of W.E.B. Du Bois, whose spectacular wedding to poet Countee Cullen was the society event of the year...even though the bride and groom were not-so-secretly in love with other people.

A century ago, Harlem’s glittering social scene had a single princess: Yolande Du Bois, the only child of N.A.A.C.P. icon W.E.B. Du Bois. Yolande was bold, vivacious, and beloved of every gossip columnist. A true daddy’s girl, Yolande followed her father’s advice on everything: from where she went to college (Fisk—Papa’s alma mater) to which sorority she joined (Delta Sigma Theta). But in matters of the heart, Yolande and her father did not agree. Dr. Du Bois himself curated a string of handsome suitors from the “Talented Tenth” for her, but Yolande’s true love was jazz musician Jimmie Lunceford, son of a working-class family from far-off Denver, Colorado. Their romance was an open secret, and more than a little scandalous.

Despite it all, Yolande wound up marrying her father’s choice: famed poet Countee Cullen. Their lavish uptown wedding was the hottest social ticket of 1928. With three thousand attendees, sixteen bridesmaids, and Langston Hughes as a groomsman, it was truly a sight to behold.

But, immediately after the wedding, Yolande’s carefully constructed fairy tale begins to crumble. Torn between the expectations of her father and society and her heart’s true desire, Yolande is forced to decide whether she must leave Harlem to create a more authentic life on her own terms.

A Harlem Wedding is a heady read about love, notoriety, Black excellence, deception, and the très chic lifestyles of the Black elite, from speakeasies of Harlem and the green fields of Fisk University, all the way to Le Grand Duc in Paris.

INSTAGRAM LIVE BOOK CHAT with the author on Sunday, June 28, 2026 at 1:00 PM ET

 

 Diverse spines® presents

the chat

Meet The Author

Watch the replay of our monthly conversations. Each chat explores the featured book and offers insight into the author’s writing process, with reflections for readers and aspiring writers. Hosted by Jamise Harper, founder of Diverse Spines®.

 
 

It’s time to diversify your reading list

Bibliophile: Diverse Spines

by Jamise Harper & Jane Mount

This richly illustrated and vastly inclusive collection uplifts the works of authors who are often underrepresented in the literary world. Using their keen knowledge and deep love for all things literary, coauthors Jamise Harper (founder of the Diverse Spines book community) and Jane Mount (author of Bibliophile) collaborated to create an essential volume filled with treasures for every reader:

  • Dozens of themed illustrated book stacks—like Classics, Contemporary Fiction, Mysteries, Cookbooks, and more—all with an emphasis on authors from diverse cultural backgrounds.

  • A look inside beloved bookstores owned by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color

  • Reading recommendations from leading BIPOC literary influencers

 
 
 

1.

EASY TO GIFT

This portable guide is packed with more than 150 colorful illustrations and is a perfect gift for any booklover. The textured paper cover, gold foil, and ribbon marker make this book a special gift or self-purchase.

 

2.

DISCOVER UNSUNG LITERARY HEROES

The authors dive deep into a wide variety of genres, such as Contemporary Fiction, Classics, Young Adult, Sci-Fi, and more to bring the works of authors of color to the fore.

 

3.

ENDLESS READING INSPIRATION

Themed book stacks and reading suggestions from luminaries of the literary world provide curated book recommendations. Your to-read list will thank you.

 
 
 

ANTICIPATED READS 

Read Diverse Spines

The year ahead is packed with exciting new releases. Here’s what to look forward to in 2026.

 
 

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