TimBookTu offers the opportunity for many unpublished and novice writers to get their work before the public and this in turn provides greater recognition and the opportunity for feedback from the readers. This will ultimately help them to hone their poetic and writing skills.

Another goal is to establish a community of writers and poets where they will be able to exchange ideas, locate resources, receive and give encouragement to/from fellow poets and writers.  TimBookTu gives recognition and provides a forum for writers and poets that may not be readily available through other traditional avenues that are non-Internet based.

TimBookTu was established in October 1996.  Since that time it has featured the works of over 2000 writers and poets.  It has been recognized by several sites such as Black Issues Book Review magazine, Black Reign newspaper, Black Writers Alliance, BET, EUR, and other allied sites. Numerous other web sites have linked TimBookTu to their sites.

TimBookTu is a free site and thus payment for your work is not possible at this time. TimBookTu does feature some banner ads on its pages and funds generated from that are used to defray the costs of maintaining the site.  You can help support TimBookTu by clicking on the banner ads each time you visit the site.  You are not obligated to purchase anything by clicking on the ads and you can hit your back button to return to TimBookTu.

All works should be original and if they have been previously published permission must be granted to TimBookTu by the publisher or author. Submitted works will not be sold or used by any other entity other than for display on this site unless permission is granted by the author. TimBookTu reserves the right to remove any work at any time. Works will remain on this site for at least 90 days depending on the amount of submissions. After that period they will be held in our archives for at least 6 months. The author can request to have their work removed at any time upon notification by e-mail.  Refer to the Submission Guidelines for more information.

TimBookTu is a copyrighted site. While work submitted remains the property of the writer, the web pages are the property of TimBookTu.

TimBookTu continues to add features that will provide the user to the site with a worthwhile, informative and enjoyable visit.  Among the features are:

Ajani Bookstore: Online bookstore highlighting books by and about African-American writers. There is a special page highlighting books by authors who have had their work on the TimBookTu site. Ajani Books also features magazines, movies, music, software, and other products.  Many items are discounted up to 40% and transactions and shipments are handled by Amazon.com.

TimBookTu Discussion Board: Provides a forum for gaining and sharing information, communicating with other writers, and participating in writing activities.

Guest Book where guests can leave a message and read the messages of others.  

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Page:  Page that attempts to answer the most frequently asked questions.

What's New Page:  Page that provides news, updates, and changes to the TimBookTu site.

How did we come up with the name? It is a variation on the name of the great African city and trade post on the Sahara, Timbuktu. Timbuktu was one of the richest commercial cities of Africa and was a prominent center of learning, religion and culture. It was at its peak during the period of 1300 A.D. to 1600 A.D. Today it remains an important historical city in the country of Mali.

Editor and Publisher,
Memphis Vaughan, Jr.
E-mail address: editor@timbooktu.com