These 5 Black authors are also siblings: Meet the Lewis authors

Rev. Delores Lewis Thornton and her four younger siblings have something unique in common. They are all published authors.

Most of the Lewis siblings grew up avid readers. Linda Lewis-Everett said she loved writing as a kid; Gloria Lewis-Vaughn and James Lewis were more into poetry; Lana Lewis-Talib and Thorton never thought about becoming authors. However, now all five of them have at least one published book to their name.

“We’re kind of different,” Lewis-Vaughn said. “I don’t know many families that have five authors … I consider it a blessing, and I thank God for the gifts that he’s given to each of us.”

Writing wasn’t something Thornton intended to make a career out of, but she wrote and published her debut novel, “Ida Mae,” in the late 1990s — becoming the first published author in the family. 

“My grown children laughed at me when I published my first book because at that time, my baby had just graduated from high school and went on to college, and so I was an empty nester,” Thornton said. “They said that I created this other character and named her Ida Mae, to (sic), in a way, I had brought my baby back.” 

The book was so successful that Thornton toured the country twice doing signings before going on to publish seven more books — including “Airing Dirty Linen” in 2013 — four plays and two films in addition to starting her publishing company, Marguerite Press, in 2015.

“I think it was basically divine intervention because … I’m a licensed, ordained minister. I’ve always been close to God,” Thornton said. “Once I got all my literary things down pat and started a bunch of projects here in the city, then I branched off, once I graduated from seminary and started writing biblical plays, and I’ve been doing that for the last several years.”

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In 2003, Lewis-Vaughn “followed Delores’ lead” and published her debut novel, “Lessons Learned On My Way Home.” The book, which was written as a “road map” for her daughter, deals with introspection and themes of forgiveness, Lewis-Vaughn said. 

Before she even sat down to write it, Lewis-Vaugn said she drew inspiration from her late sister Shirley — a “gifted” but still unpublished poet and essayist — to leave guiding life lessons behind for her family. 

However, the universal messages within the book earned it a much wider reception among community members and readers outside of the Lewis family.

In 2019, Linda Lewis-Everett would publish “I Still Hear The Drums,” a book she worked on while Lewis-Vaughn wrote her second book, “The Cost of The Oil: Becoming Authentically Alive in the Eyes of God.”

“I Still Hear The Drums” is an Arthur’s Academy Award-winning historical fiction novel that follows the journey of an African woman through slavery and emancipation and is “as close to the stories that we’ve always been told,” Lewis-Everett said.

Although Lewis-Vaughn’s second book was a “spiritual blueprint” and Lewis-Everett’s book was an Afrocentric historical nonfiction, the two sisters worked alongside one another as accountability partners.

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“She and I would just kind of talk back and forth,” Lewis-Vaughn said. “She would read me chapters, and we kind of kept ourselves accountable to one another. As she was bringing forth ‘I Still Hear The Drums,’ ‘Cost of The Oil’ was coming forth at the same time too.”

As the CEO and founder of the nonprofit Boundless Blessings, Lewis-Everett frequently travels to different African countries, and said that’s where she became inspired by the idea of drumming as a communication, celebration and connection method.

“The title, ‘I Still Hear The Drums,’ is her always reflecting back home,” Lewis-Everett said. “She thought she still heard the drums. In good times, they helped her stay buoyant, stay up, stay happy. In bad times, they brought her back up.”

In 2023, Lana Lewis-Talib published a memoir, “In Their Shoes: The Long Walk Away,” which details the life of her late sister Constance and her battle with dementia.

“The desire to be an author was never a part of who I was,” Lewis-Talib said. “I was just journaling and taking down notes as I had become my sister’s caregiver, and those notes and journaling started to just build up … I felt like this would benefit other family members, loved ones, health care providers and all that were caring for someone with dementia.”

The book not only gave Lewis-Talib a way to reflect on her sister’s life as it was unfolding in front of her but allowed her to share her own experiences and research with others to know they are not alone. 

Whether it’s fiction or nonfiction, Lewis-Talib said it’s important to continue advocating for people to write these stories so the information can be carried on.

James Lewis, a retired public-school teacher and coach, was the last of his siblings to become published. Similar to his sister Lewis-Talib, Lewis had no interest in writing a book and was more into athletics and poetry growing up. However, after Thornton approached him to work on an anthology project with five other individuals, he said yes.

“Every time I looked up, another one of my sisters was writing a book,” Lewis said. “I think it was just something that I figured if they could do it, I could do it too. That’s why I drew a lot of my inspiration from other individuals in my family.”

The book, “This is My Story,” was published by Thornton’s company in early 2025 as part of a grant from the Indy Arts Commission to create drama and writing projects for older adults.

In Lewis’ portion of the book, he writes about his childhood in Indianapolis and growing up as one of 13 siblings — most of whom have now passed away. However, Lewis said he’s glad to have written and published his story and now be able to share the title of author with the rest of his sisters.

“It just brings back warm feelings because when you think back on all the memories and things you went through … it’s good to just have it on paper,” Lewis said. “It’s just one small portion of Black history my family will have to know about me when eventually I’m no longer around.”

As the first sibling to be published, Thornton said it was nice to be able to help guide everyone else “as they entered into the literary arena.” In fact, the Lewis siblings help each other with writing frequently, from bouncing ideas around to holding each other to their deadlines, Thornton and Lewis-Everett said.

“Gloria, she was my accountability partner — because if you’re writing and you keep putting it down, you need somebody to hold you accountable,” Lewis-Everett said. “As far as writing goes, and just in life itself, we have always been accountable and supportive of each other.”

The support of her siblings goes beyond just writing, as Lewis-Everett said she can always count on them to be there any time one has a speaking engagement, book signing or event.

“There’s no greater support than a sibling. You can be married 40 years, but if my sister said she’s doing something, I’m the first to sign up,” Lewis-Everett said. “We will be there. If no one else showed up, you still had those Lewis siblings supporting you.”

Growing up, Lewis-Vaughn said their mother taught them to “always hold hands” when they were walking down the street.

“That simple message was so powerful,” Lewis-Vaughn said. “It just means, ‘always stick together, always be there for one another,’ and to be all together as authors, it’s like, ‘Mama, we’re still holding hands.’”

Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.