In 1975, Tempestt Saville and her family are chosen by lottery to "move on up" to Lakeland: one square mile of sparkling apartment towers and emerald lawns where the Black elite live sheltered from the ghetto by a ten-foot-tall, ivy-covered wrought-iron fence.  Eleven-year-old Temmy doesn't enjoy the privilege, however, and thinks Lakeland is the "kingdom of the drab."  Instead, she is drawn to the vivid world outside the fence: to 35th Street, where the saved and the sinners are both so "done up" you can't tell one from the other.  Tempestt's curiosity soon leads her down a dangerous path, however, and after witnessing the death of a friend, she sets into motion a chain of events that will send 35th Street up in flames.

    Her poem, Pre-Destiny was featured in the April 2008 issue of Essence Magazine and she was a Featured Poet in A Place Of Our Own (APOOO) national tribute in April 2008 and RAWSISTAZ Author Showcase, April 2007. She is a contributing poet in Step Up to the Mic: A Poetry Explosion, by Poetic Press (Xpress Yourself Publishing). A winner of the No Candles Infinity Contest, hosted by Osbey Books, Kai is credited for writing emotionally raw and thought provoking works. Her short story featured in If It Ain't One Thing..., by Diva Books, Inc., received praise for its originality and realism. Similarly, her tribute to mothers, entitled Soften My Soul, featured in APOOO's Mother's Day Tribute, has resulted in an outpouring of praise and personal testimonies. Additionally, Kai's poem My Baby Girl, was featured in the Fall 2008 issue of The Write Vibe, and her poem The Other Women is featured at Tribute to Black Women. Kai also serves as a Guest Reviewer for RAWSISTAWZ Reviewers. An alumni of Hampton University, SUNY Brockport and Georgetown University Law Center, she is a licensed attorney and proud parent.

    It is a grand, three-story sexual mecca where the uninhibited freaks come out four nights a week to get their ultimate groove on without fear of reprisal or judgment, yet judgment from the outside world threatens all that the club's owner, Milan Kennedy, has worked so hard to achieve. Pynk brings us a fast-paced, sexy ride through a world of having sex in public, bribery, judgments, and suspense that sheds light on family, churchgoers, relationships, revenge, and the amazing sex-filled world of those who swing.

    Newly divorced, 40yearold Desa Rae finds herself alone now that her son has gone away to college. She's taken to her bed, watching life pass her by-until Roc, a 24yearold with a jawdropping body comes along. Desa Rae can't keep her eyes open or legs closed to a man who excites her like no other man has. But can she really be serious about a man who is almost the same age as her son? Avery Belmont is a diva in her own right. Smart, sassy, and successful, she has always had it going on; so much so that not only did the fullfigured beauty catch the eye of Duke, the sexiest dude on the block, but she encouraged him to leave the dope game and become legit. Now, seven years later, Avery is working hard and trying to move ahead, but it seems that Duke isn't feeling the same way. Working with Kurt, her attractive coworker, isn't helping her situation. Is the love between Avery and Duke strong enough to keep them together, or will the strength of that love make them realize it's time to let go?

    She just hates Issa. And for good reason: Issa finds out that her mother not only has been dating Cat's dad, but is going to marry him. That means they're moving into Cat's huge house. And not only is Issa's stepsister-to-be a total beyotch, she has no respect for Issa's Indian and African-American heritage. But Issa gets some tough advice: if she wants Cat Morena to welcome her traditions, Issa had better learn how to salsa in a sari.

    Descended from a long line of an elite Baltimore family awash with "high-colored" skin just right for "passing", family lore told Lila that not one of them would have thought to deny their true selves and rich history in such a way. It is this sense of pride that bonds the Giles family together -- a bond strongly enforced by Lila's controlling stepmother Eulelie. But the delicate balance of this branch of the family Eulelie has so carefully engineered is threatened when Lila's brother decides to marry a woman from an oh-so-very-wrong family.A proud though severe matriarch, Eulelie Giles has ruled her four grown stepchildren with a heavy self-righteousness that could break the spirit of the most sound opponent, let alone the nearly thirty-year-old Lila. Relentlessly loyal to her privileged world, Eulelie has ingrained upon Lila and her three other stepchildren the importance of distinguishing between acceptable and unacceptable blacks. Despite her strident belief in an unyielding class line, Eulelie has kept a secret about her own past that manages to affect, in more ways than a few, anyone who enters her life. As the wedding day draws closer, Lila begins to look at her reality versus Eulelie's, and what Lila finds leads to a confrontation between stepmother and stepdaughter that could finally shatter Eulelie's reign over Lila and the family, but ultimately, one that will lead Eulelie back to the truth.Filled with multi-dimensional characters and rich with atmosphere, Passing is a story of tangled family relationships; the secrets, misunderstanding, and deceptions that hold them together.

    No small accomplishment in a world as challenging as this one.”— from the prefaceI was born to grow,alongside my garden of plants,poemslikethis oneSo writes Alice Walker in this new book of poems, poems composed over the course of one year in response to joy and sorrow both personal and global: the death of loved ones, war, the deliciousness of love, environmental devastation, the sorrow of rejection, greed, poverty, and the sweetness of home. The poems embrace our connections while celebrating the joy of individuality, the power we each share to express our truest, deepest selves. Beloved for her ability to speak her own truth in ways that speak for and about countless others, she demonstrates that we are stronger than our circumstances. As she confronts personal and collective challenges, her words dance, sing, and heal.

    Who’s your daddy? The Parkers’ best friends, James and Serena, are in the final stages of a bitter divorce. Just when James thinks his nightmare is over, he learns his daughter has a different daddy… For the love of money… Single mom Lachez Baker is a ghetto-fabulous mother of three who seems to have it all, thanks to money from her children’s fathers. But soon, her life of designer clothes, endless parties, and steady cash collides with the man who’s been the target of her carefully crafted paternity fraud. From author Pat Tucker comes a drama-filled tale of lies, schemes and consequences as these men discover the importance of knowing the paternity laws in your state.

    . . When Pastor George Landris, the dreadlock-wearing minister of the new mega-church, Followers of Jesus Faith Worship Center, urges his congregation to approach the altar and cast off their strongholds--also known as their weaknesses--it's the start of intense soul-searching for many.From a married couple's twin addictions to gambling and gluttony, to a female member's adulterous affair, a computer expert's obsession with cyber-porn and a therapist's workaholism, the Pastor's church family is about to open the proverbial floodgates. And that's just the beginning. There's also the woman whose battle with mental illness hides a buried trauma, and the religious devotee who's so busy fearing the devil she's forgotten what faith is really about. The plot only thickens when the Pastor's wife lightens his load by helping him counsel--and finds herself at the center of a decades-long deception.Insightful, witty, and always poignant, Vanessa Davis Griggs delivers another compelling novel, taking readers behind the scenes of mega-churches, and showing the amazing power that redemption and faith can have on people's lives.

    Still having male organs, Candy is housed with strong, masculine, handsome male inmates who haven't been around or touched a woman in years. Candy soon finds herself being caught in several love affairs with men with families, girlfriends and wives at home--waiting for them to be released. But Candy doesn't kiss and tell; she understands the code of silence: what happens in prison stays in prison... . CONVICT'S CANDY deals with sexual identity, prostitution and homosexuality within the prison system, the interactions and relationships between the inmates and officers, infidelity and most importantly, explains how the HIV virus spreads rampantly within the prison. It also reveals how the dangerous and deadly disease is transmitted within society, when infected inmates are released to go home.

    In this novel, Sister assumes the voice of the narrator, speaking from the spirit realm, telling her brother TL things he could have never known about their family. She constructs the story as a series of spiritual revelations, exposing to readers both who she was in the years of TL’s absence and how every event in his life was an orchestration for his return. TL in the meantime is back in Swamp Creek, to stay this time, but he’s still haunted by his sister’s death. His decision to become the Schoolmaster is the only thing he’s sure about, and his impact upon the students becomes palpable. But he still doesn’t know what happened to Sister. As he searches for ultimate truth, he discovers the secrets and beauty of Swamp Creek. Twelve Gates to the City is a novel about spiritual revelation, and communal healing, ushered in by one who finally realizes that his gifts were bestowed upon him, not for his own glory, but for the transformation of his people.

    Here is a rich and insightful story of a life lived on the edge by a woman formerly preoccupied with pleasing everyone but herself.From the Hardcover edition.

    Suffering at the hands of abuse from her father and her older, controlling, boyfriend Khalil, Heaven yearns and dreams of the day of her escape. Her prayers are answered when she is introduced to Khalil's boss, Street King turned businessman, Gavin Lucas, known in every hood in Jersey, as the infamous G. G becomes Heaven's knight in shining armor, sweeping her off of her feet into a whirlwind of passion, exotic getaways, and designer labels. But can Heaven keep up, or will the lifestyle of the rich and shameless swallow her whole? Heavens Hell explores the world of brutal life and fantasy, and leaves us all desperate to find out... do fairytales come true?

    Cuffed by Candlelight is four erotic tales of women bound to uphold the law and obey the rules. But when desire and the rules clash, love and passion ignite with some handcuffs and a little candlelight.

    First-time author Todd Johnson—who was a co-producer with Oprah Winfrey of Broadway’s The Color Purple—makes an indelible literary mark with a debut novel that bestselling author Adriana Trigiani (Very Valentine) calls, “heartfelt and stunning.” People magazine chose The Sweet By and By as one of its “Great Reads for Your Book Club,” saying, “Steel Magnolias fans will love this one.”