A new romance anthology will feature short stories set at historically Black colleges, including Xavier University of Louisiana, the nation’s Catholic HBCU.
“You've Got a Place Here, Too,” set for release on Tuesday, Aug. 12, from Penguin Random House’s Delacorte Press, has among its eleven authors a number of HBCU alums, including XULA’s own New York Times best-seller Farrah Rochon. The book is the brainchild of Howard University graduate Ebony LaDelle, who served as editor.
A novelist in her own right, LaDelle says the new book came from an idea originally intended for a single story, which quickly blossomed into a collaborative effort that materialized last year. The cover for the new book was revealed this spring, from illustrator Alya Holmes and designer Derek Walls.
“This book has been years in the making, which mainly consisted of me trying to figure out what kind of HBCU love story I wanted to write that felt inclusive to the community as a whole,” LaDelle wrote on her Vibrations Heavy blog.
“Once I realized I could write a Howard story AND feature other HBCUs, the possibilities became endless.”
New cover art by Alyah Holmes for "You’ve Got a Place Here, Too: a heartwarming collection of Black love stories set at HBCUs" ❤️🔥📚 for Penguin Random House.
— Directory of Illustration (@DirIllustration) April 18, 2025
Alyah is represented by IllustrationX. Explore more of her portfolio on the Directory of Illustration:… pic.twitter.com/0lKm1PjfdI
The anthology will include a diverse array of writers with roots in the United States as well as the Caribbean. The latter is home to a lesser-known HBCU, the University of the Virgin Islands, which appears in the book.
Rochon, a Catholic who graduated from XULA in 1998, is best known for her Disney-themed novel “Almost There: A Twisted Tale” and “Deliver Me” from The Holmes Brothers series. Another contributor, the Catholic-raised Elizabeth Acevedo, is an Afro-Dominican American known for her poetry and the NYT bestseller “The Poet X.”
Other writers for “You’ve Got a Place Here, Too” are Carla Bruce, Aaron K. Foley, Kai Harris, Jackson State University alum Kiese Laymon, Christine A. Platt, Kennedy Ryan, Florida A&M University alum Dawnie Walton, Nicola Yoon, and Jasmine Bell, who graduated this year from North Carolina A&T University in May and was selected for the book from a nationwide student search.
Rochon’s contribution, “Second Line, First Dance,” will center on a Mardi Gras experience in Louisiana, while Acevedo offers a poetic Tuskegee Airman tribute with “A Flying Lesson.” The 352-page book will also include LGBTQ+ storylines, such as an ode to the founding of Howard University’s Coalition of Activist Students Celebrating the Acceptance of Diversity and Equality (CASCADE).
📣 Tour Announcement 📣 Help us celebrate the launch of YOU've GOT A PLACE HERE, TOO, when classes are back in session, in a few cities across the country! Check each bookstore's website for more information, or visit ebonyladelle.com/events for city stops and registration links.
— (@ebonyladelle.bsky.social) 2025-07-22T14:27:23.342Z
An upcoming book tour will bring the anthology authors to cities across the country in September, with stops in Atlanta, New Orleans, the D.C. area, Detroit, Houston, and New York.
Rochon will appear with LaDelle and Harris at Baldwin & Co. bookstore in New Orleans on Tuesday, Sept. 9, and with Laymon at Kindred Stories in Houston on Monday, Sept. 15.
Pre-orders for “You’ve Got a Place Here, Too” are available online for hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats.
Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder and editor of Black Catholic Messenger.
