Natalia Temesgen ’08 writes poignant, thought-provoking stories for the stage and screen. A playwright, screenwriter, and associate professor of creative writing at Columbus State University, she draws on her Princeton studies of English, African American studies, theater, and dance. Her body of work includes episodes of Dear White People — a series tackling issues of race through the stories of Black characters at an Ivy League university — and the political drama Lawnpeople, which received an honorable mention for the American Playwriting Foundation’s Relentless Award. Her play for young audiences, Look Forward: A Ruby Bridges Story, had a 2025 Regional Premiere Production at Prime Stage Theatre in Pittsburgh.
In honor of Black History Month, PAW asked Temesgen to recommend three books that celebrate Black writers, stories, and culture, and she selected these.
By Tayari Jones
I spent a week over the holidays reading this fantastic novel about two daughters in a nontraditional Black family living in Atlanta in the ’80s. In a way, Tayari’s incredible detail around character dynamics and scene work made me feel like I was bingeing an incredible drama series, but the poetry in her language elevates even the most compelling plot point into something much richer. Thrilled to be reading it again now with my English students this spring.
What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez?
By Claire Jimenez
Again, a story about a sister in a unique family dynamic; here, she’s wrangling with loss, grief, racial, cultural and familial pressures, and the strange world of trashy reality TV. I know that sounds heavy, but there’s humor throughout and a kind of absurdist look at how it can feel to grow up as a woman of color in this society.
By Tricia Hersey
I’ve never felt more empowered to take a midday nap as I did after reading this book. It’s something between a meditation and a mandate, and it charges its reader to consider the inherent power in rest and dreaming. As our work weeks get longer and the lines between work and home get thinner, Hersey challenges us to detangle ourselves from a system of endless productivity and reclaim our human right to take our time.
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