Urban writing is a about a culture; a people with a different type of story to tell. It is about living and surviving in the city, trying to fit in, or trying to climb your way out. Urban writing speaks to the hearts of millions from street corner to street corner, telling the stories that they wish many would grab hold to and aim to understand.

Also called “street”, “hip hop”, or “ghetto” lit, African-American urban fiction is a popular genre in public libraries, especially with teens and 20-something patrons. Two of the first urban writers were Iceberg Slim and Donald Goines, who both wrote urban fiction during the 1970s. Today with the popularity of Sister Souljah’s “The Coldest Winter Ever” the creative minds of many urban writers has been sparked, causing a surge in urban book availability.

Many of the urban writers are either self-published or are signed under small publishers, making it difficult at time to find professional reviews. And yet it still thrives.

Urban fiction, as opposed to African-American fiction in general, usually features characters living in gritty urban areas who are involved in drug dealing, gang violence, and/or prostitution. Interesting characters with more than just the streets in them – many of them have heart and a want to do more and be more.

Urban literature, like other genres, will not appeal to everyone. However, to those that do enjoy it, it allows them to have something to read. Many young people pick up these books to read about the gritty characters that so resemble the life they know. Then there are those who read the books and learn more about places they may never visit or become a part of while alive.

Everyone has a voice; everyone has a reason for being. In urban literature a list of talented writers have a chance to be seen and heard by an audience that loves the gritty characters and street presence represented in these book.