Award-winning television creator and writer Mara Brock Akil is heading on a multi-city tour this summer for her debut novel, The Revelation of Dionne Daphne — and the National Association of Black Bookstores is helping bring the tour directly to Black literary communities nationwide.

Presented in partnership with Storehouse Voices, the tour will spotlight Black-owned bookstores and collective bookselling efforts in each host city, reinforcing NAB²’s broader mission to strengthen Black-owned bookstore ecosystems through high-profile literary events and community engagement.

The novel marks a new chapter for Brock Akil, whose groundbreaking television work — including Girlfriends, Being Mary Jane, and The Game — helped shape modern Black storytelling onscreen. With The Revelation of Dionne Daphne, she turns her attention to fiction, exploring identity, ambition, womanhood, and self-discovery through a deeply personal lens.

Upcoming tour stops include:

• Atlanta — July 1 at Morehouse College

Books provided by Brave + Kind

Bookshop, The Book Cellar,

and The Bookworm Bookstore

• Detroit — July 2 at Garden Theater

Books provided by Source Booksellers

For NAB², the tour represents more than a book launch. It is part of a growing strategy to connect nationally recognized authors with Black-owned bookstores and create shared literary experiences rooted in community.