LEGO Book Honors 27 Black Cultural Icons
No Starch Press will release Awesome Black Creativity, a LEGO-brick celebration of Black cultural icons, on January 12.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in African-American
No Starch Press will release Awesome Black Creativity: A Celebration of Black Cultural Icons in LEGO Bricks on January 12. Written by Richard Dryden and illustrated with artwork by Dave Kaleta, the book honors 27 Black cultural icons and is distributed by Penguin Random House.
Why it matters
The book carries a project that began on Instagram in 2022 and grew into an acclaimed traveling exhibition, showing how a social media creative work can move into physical form. Its release extends that work to a broader readership in the United States.
The project won the Best Artwork award at its 2022 Chicago exhibition debut and has since become an acclaimed traveling exhibition. Book tour dates and additional exhibition locations are set for 2027, though specific venues have not been announced.
The players
No Starch Press
An independent publisher of technical and creative books that is releasing the Awesome Black Creativity volume.
Penguin Random House
A major global publishing company that distributes the book.
Richard Dryden
The author of the book who collaborated with illustrator Dave Kaleta to depict Black cultural icons in LEGO bricks.
Noah Callahan-Bever
The chief creative officer of Complex who has seen the book and praised the project.
The details
The book is organized alphabetically and includes artworks honoring Colin Kaepernick, Halle Berry, Issa Rae, Janelle Monáe, Questlove, Ryan Coogler, Virgil Abloh, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, and Yasiin Bey. Complex CCO Noah Callahan-Bever has seen the book and praised the project.
Timeline
2022: Awesome Black Creativity began on Instagram and won Best Artwork at its Chicago exhibition debut.
January 12, 2027: No Starch Press releases the book.
2027: Book tour dates and additional exhibition locations are scheduled.
Culture Shift
The book follows the path of an Instagram-born LEGO project that moved from a 2022 social media post into a Chicago exhibition and now a published volume. Its trajectory reflects a wider pattern of online creative work being given physical form in galleries and bookstores.
Readers interested in the Awesome Black Creativity project can pre-order the book ahead of its January 12, 2027 release. The publication offers a tangible way to engage with the work of the featured cultural figures in print form.
The takeaway
The Awesome Black Creativity project shows how a creative concept born on social media can grow into an exhibition and a book. Readers can follow the project's 2027 tour announcements to see it in person.
What happens next
Book tour dates and additional exhibition locations are scheduled for 2027, with details to be announced.
Further reading
Explore more stories in our African-American coverage.
