Amplify Black Voices image featuring THE UGLY CRY by Danielle Henderson
Amplify Laughter: Humor Essays by Black Authors

The best friends are the ones who can deliver the perfect deadpan one liner, make you laugh until you’re doubled over, and still have a lot of heart. Meet your new favorite pals in these audiobooks of essays by Black authors that are simultaneously laugh-out-loud funny, sharp, and poignant.

Abandoned at ten years old, Danielle Henderson grew up Black and overwhelmingly uncool in a mostly white neighborhood under the eye-rolling, foul-mouthed, loving tutelage of her uncompromising grandmother, who gifted her a faith in her own capabilities that the world would not have most Black girls possess. With humor, wit, and deep insight, Danielle shares lessons she’s carried from those days to these in The Ugly Cry.

By turns perceptive, laugh-out-loud funny, and heartfelt, Please Don’t Sit on My Bed in Your Outside Clothes is a brilliant look at our current cultural moment. With sharp, timely insight, and her always unforgettable voice, Phoebe Robinson is back with her most must-listen audiobook yet.

“Comedian Phoebe Robinson narrates her second collection of essays with all the vim and vigor for which she’s known…Listeners will be laughing out loud—and along—with her observations on everything…This intimate and fun listening experience will draw people in for its honesty, warmth, and humor.”—AudioFile

Author: Desus & Mero
Read By: Desus & Mero

From Desus & Mero comes God-Level Knowledge Darts, a wild and hilarious guide to life from the hosts of the hit Bodega Boys podcast. As they put it: “We want to share all we’ve learned, after years in the Bronx streets, with you: the people. So with a lifetime spent building up a plethora of information from trials and tribulations and a handful of misdemeanors, we decided to write this book—a sequel to the Bible, or maybe to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, depending on how big a nerd you are. Let this book be your North Star.”

From the author of Meaty and We Are Never Meeting in Real Life. Samantha Irby is forty, and increasingly uncomfortable in her own skin despite what Inspirational Instagram Infographics have promised her. Wow, No Thank You is Irby at her most unflinching, riotous, and relatable.

“Samantha Irby’s droll humor, unflinching realness, and impeccable timing are on full display in her narration of her latest audiobook.”-AudioFile Magazine

R. Eric Thomas didn’t know he was different until the world told him so. In essays by turns hysterical and heartfelt, Thomas reexamines what it means to be an “other” through the lens of his own life experience. Here for It will resonate deeply and joyfully with everyone who has struggled with self-acceptance, or wished to shine more brightly in a dark world. Stay here for it—the future may surprise you.

“. . . Whether dealing with love, breakups, or other setbacks, Thomas is an affable narrator with a penchant for pop culture, funny quips, and charming humility.”—Publishers Weekly

In Akilah Hughes’s world, family and life are often complicated, but always funny. Through the intimate and hilarious essays in Obviously, Akilah takes listeners along on her journey from a small Kentucky town to New York City, where she took careful steps to fulfill her dream of becoming a writer and performer.

“Her [Akilah] honesty and do-or-die attitude toward achieving her goals will appeal to listeners of all ages.”-AudioFile Magazine

Amplify your playlist: browse our full Amplify Black Voices Collection.