Vibrant, Impactful, and Personal: Neiman Mocombe ’26 Curates Library's Annual Book Display

Are they all coffee table books?

No, coffee table books are too big for the shelves! I acquired smaller volumes that fit more neatly, but I have a set of coffee table books resting on the table as a centerpiece.

What's the ratio?

Probably seventy/thirty, regular books to coffee table books.

Who are some of the individuals you discovered?

Where do I start! James Brown, Muhammad Ali, Nicki Minaj-well, I didn't discover her, obviously. But I got her book. Marsha P. Johnson, Katherine Johnson-the list goes on.

Nicki Minaj has a book?!

Obviously. It's called Nicki Minaj: The Woman Who Stole the World.

How did she steal the world?

You need to learn! Now I'm going to order more Nicki books.

How many new books are in the collection?

I would say sixty percent are books from the library, and forty percent are new.

Can people recommend people or books to you?

Yes, it is a living collection, so we can always add to it.

What are two books you would recommend to a friend to read? Besides the Nicki Minaj one!

Haitians and African Americans. As a Haitian person, it is a very monumental book for me. Personally, it is also very sentimental since it was written by my grandfather, Dr. Léon Dénius Pamphile. Race Matters by Cornel West also stands out to me since he confronts ideas that we are still skittish about today.

What do you hope people gain from the collection and the display?

I want people to flip through these books at their leisure in this really intimate nook in H-L. I want it to be a relaxing experience.

What did you gain from the project?

I learned that curation is not easy! It takes time, lots of people, lots of patience, and lots of love. Thankfully I have all of those things.

See below for a few more titles in "The Black Artist."

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