Today we’d like to introduce you to AL D.
Hi AL, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’ve been an avid reader for as long as I can remember. Growing up in New Orleans—specifically in the 9th Ward—I was always surrounded by rich culture, history, and Black love. Some of my earliest reading memories include devouring love stories by Beverly Jenkins, Brenda Jackson, and Francis Ray. At the same time, I was deeply drawn to Urban Fiction—stories by authors like Terri Woods and Nikki Turner—because they reflected the environment I grew up in and the experiences I saw around me.
As I got older, I stepped away from Fiction for a while and leaned more into Non-Fiction. But something about Black Love and Urban Fiction kept calling me back. In May of 2023, I discovered Black BookTok, and it felt like coming home. I found creators and Black indie authors who looked like me, wrote for me, and told stories that gave me the representation I hadn’t even realized I was missing.
That’s when I launched my platform, Ladikreyol, across TikTok, Instagram, and Threads. Now, I use my space to uplift Black indie authors and stories that rekindled my love for reading. It’s been a full-circle moment—getting to amplify voices that once found me when I needed them most.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. I’ve actually shared bits of this journey on my TikTok before. Back in 2016, my husband and I fell on hard times financially, and we had to sell a lot of our belongings just to stay afloat. One of the most painful things I had to let go of were my books. I had been collecting them since 2003—beautiful stories written by Black authors that taught me about love, resilience, and joy. Some of those books had even survived Hurricane Katrina, a time when I had already lost so much.
Letting them go felt like losing pieces of myself, and honestly, after that, I couldn’t bring myself to read again for a very long time. The loss was too personal, too emotional. It took years—and eventually finding community in Black BookTok—to heal that part of me and rediscover my love for reading.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m most known for my book reaction videos—what I call Bookish Thoughts—where I take my followers on a journey through the books I’m reading in real time. It’s more than just a review; it’s a full-on experience. I react, reflect, and share how the story is making me feel, which helps connect readers to the emotional core of the book.
Every month, I also do a fun and immersive SOS video—Scent, Outfit, and Story—where I highlight the fragrance I’m wearing, my current vibe or look, and the book I’m currently reading. It’s my way of showing how storytelling can influence our mood, energy, and even our style.
One of my newest projects—and something I’m incredibly proud of—is a collaboration series with @GourmetMommie called She Reads, She Feeds. In this series, I highlight a book I love, and she creates a custom recipe inspired by the story and its characters. It’s been such a creative and heartfelt way to bring books to life through food and culture.
What sets me apart is that I don’t just talk about books—I create a multi-sensory experience that connects readers emotionally, visually, and even through taste and scent. I also center Black indie authors and stories that reflect the world I know and love. It’s personal, it’s passionate, and it’s purpose-driven.
What does success mean to you?
For me, success is about impact and alignment. It’s not just about numbers or going viral—though those moments are fun—it’s about knowing that my content is reaching the right people at the right time. If one person discovers a new favorite Black indie author because of me, or falls back in love with reading the way I did, that’s success.
It also means staying true to who I am. Ladikreyol is rooted in culture, storytelling, and representation. So success looks like creating content that reflects my authentic self, uplifts my community, and allows me to pour love into the books and authors who’ve poured so much into their stories.
At the end of the day, success is being able to look at my platform and say, “This is meaningful. This matters.”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ladikreyol.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ladikreyol
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@ladikreyol
Image Credits
Me
