Their dyaspora, much like a butterfly's fluctuating path, is a shifting landscape in which there is much travel between two worlds, between their place of origin and their adopted land.This compilation of essays and poetry brings together Haitian-Americans of different generations and backgrounds, linking the voices for whom English is a first language and others whose dreams will always be in French and Krey�l. Community activists, scholars, visual artists and filmmakers join renowned journalists, poets, novelists and memoirists to produce a poignant portrayal of lives in transition.Edwidge Danticat, in her powerful introduction, pays tribute to Jean Dominique, a sometime participant in the Haitian dyaspora and a recent martyr to Haiti's troubled politics, and the many members of the dyaspora who refused to be silenced. Their stories confidently and passionately illustrate the joys and heartaches, hopes and aspirations of a relatively new group of immigrants belonging to two countries that have each at times maligned and embraced them.

    He relies on his body, the pole, and stage. Oh, and the after hour clients.Iris, his best after hour customer, takes him on a yearly cruise with her friends. He’s there for one purpose and one purpose only…their boy toy.Memphis is no fool. A two week, all paid cruise to soak up the sun and sights is a no brainer. Only thing is he didn’t expect a little ray of sunshine on the ship this year. Raylan Moore has the power to rattle everything he once believed.The doctor is in; he’s willing, able and ready to please. Dr. Love has the cure to your Love Sick blues, only this time maybe he’s the one needing the healing.

    These poems give a look into the heartbreak, anguish, and ultimately, acceptance that comes to those afflicted with Mental Illness. Spanning across three years, they are an anthology of her relationships -- with those who loved her, those who did not, those whom she loved and the way she tried to love herself.

    Three years after the tragic accident that claimed the life of her brother Harry, Cassidy Evans is still struggling. Determined to focus on her career as an artistic consultant in London; when Cassidy lands the commission of a lifetime she has no choice but to dive in head first. There is only one very tall, very beautiful, man-shaped problem. Her attraction to her new client Rory O’Malley is proving impossible to ignore. Cassidy finds herself falling for Rory and for once she allows herself to be carried away by the prospect of true love. Rory seems almost too good to be true. Is he? As CEO of the exclusive O’Malley resorts, Rory O’Malley frequently travels around the world. His good looks and healthy bank balance have always ensured that he has his pick of beautiful women, but through choice has been celibate for over six months. Whenever Rory is at home in Ireland his family provides more than enough drama to keep him entertained. Rory thinks his life is grand just as it is--until he meets Cassidy. Rory has never met anyone as sweet as Cassidy, both inside and out. Cassidy is unaware that Rory harbours a secret about her brother’s accident. A secret that could potentially ruin their blossoming love affair. Soon, he is willing to move mountains to love--and protect--her, but should he be protecting her from himself? Cassidy had vowed never to make the mistake of loving a man again. So, how the hell did she end up in his bed? And how the hell did he end up in her heart? The attraction between them sparkles and sizzles and love winds its grip around them both. But secrets rarely stay hidden and very soon Rory’s secret puts their love in jeopardy. Can Cassidy forgive the worst betrayal she had ever known? This book contains sexual scenes and language that is only appropriate for those over 18.

    As she settles into her cozy beach house, the exotic coastal town proves to be just what she’s looking for.When a younger and impossibly attractive stranger starts pursuing her, Liv decides that adding a little heat to her new adventure isn’t a bad idea as long as there aren’t any expectations. Liv lets herself be swept into one memorable night…and then another.Slipping effortlessly into her new life, Liv spends her days exploring the charming village, starts cooking classes, and enjoying lively conversations with her new group of friends. Her nights are spent giving in, just “one last time,” to her Spanish lover.It's exciting, it's passionate, and most importantly- it’s temporary. At least, that’s whatshe thinks.He has something different in mind.Great friendships, luscious food, and a swoon-worthy, passionate romance, Leaving Me Behind is a story of finding yourself and living life to the fullest.

    When Wesley lost his parents in an accident, mere weeks before the wedding date, he blamed Meredith and left for an open-ended journey to Europe, breaking off their engagement and shattering Meredith. It was Aaron Rapp, a former Ivy League football player and baby-saving doctor who finally helped lift her heart off the floor. Now a couple of years into their courtship, Aaron and Meredith have just gotten engaged, and she feels her life is on a positive trajectory at last. As they celebrate their engagement at a new TriBeCa hotspot, however, Meredith is stunned to find the restaurant owner is none other than Wesley, the man she is still secretly trying to forget. Now that Wesley is back in the States, Meredith is bumping into him everywhere, and he clearly still has the feels for her. Before long, she learns that he has been diagnosed with ALS, and her feelings about their past become all the more confusing. As Meredith spends more time with Wesley and is pulled further under his spell, she learns what kind of man her new fiancé really is—and what kind of woman she wants to be.

     What she didn’t realize was that her ordeal had only just begun. That night, while her newlywed husband languished in a jail cell, she would be driven across the border at gunpoint, sedated, and locked in an empty room for days. She would be flown across the ocean in a drugged haze and awake in a walled compound in a remote corner of northern India. Later, she would swallow pills and bleed out the child she didn’t know she carried inside her. Mayah would remain a prisoner in her family’s home until she agreed to annul her marriage and wed a husband of their choosing. WEDLOCKED: A Story of Forced Marriage uses the true tale of one woman’s experience to introduce readers to a pervasive practice that has only recently begun tiptoeing out of hushed living rooms and into the spotlight of public discourse. Many women who had been rendered silent, threatened by familial and community pressure to accept their fates without protest, have been stepping forward to speak out about the injustice of an institution that is only barely beginning to be understood in scope and severity. Mayah’s story is just one of thousands. But it is hers. And by telling her tale — appalling in its violence, humbling in its magnitude, and ultimately redemptive in its humanity — forced marriage as an abstract concept can be rewritten. Mayah’s story is a pathway to make the intangible tangible; to color the statistics with a voice.

    From the politically charged origins of the word "witch" to the present-day magical resistance, this bold handbook explores the role of witchcraft in our modern world. Author, activist, and practicing witch Sarah Lyons takes readers on a journey through a leftist history of magic -- from the witch hunts of early modern England, through the Salem Witch Trials, and up to our present moment. Pairing mystical acts, including sigil magic and soul flight, with core organizing tactics, like power mapping and protests, Revolutionary Witchcraft offers a blueprint for building a politically grounded magical praxis. From social justice to environmental activism, this radical reimagining of political activism addresses today's most pressing problems with empowering, inclusive rituals and magical actions. Each chapter introduces a key concept, like dreaming big, experiencing magical initiation, and joining the revolution, supported by a galvanizing historical case study on the power of mystical action. Full of actionable ideas for magical organizing, and an appendix packed with customizable spells, Revolutionary Witchcraft is the perfect companion for the magical uprising.

    We go and do, but are we living? I have not been. I know this. After a series of terrible events, I let myself check out. I had a list to finish. Loose ends to tie. But that was it. Those things kept me going. In my survival mode, I moved through it. I excelled at what I needed to do, in order to get me to my final destination. But, one issue blindsided me. A person I never thought I’d see again. What happens when I come face to face with a familiar face from my past? Lime green eyes that held my attention as he held my body, now haunted me. He made it his mission to punish me for things I didn’t understand. In his classroom, I became his target. There’s a funny thing about going numb. You never fully remain in that isolation. No matter how lost your soul feels, there are things that make you feel again. Little things come, that trigger you into falling head-first into the past. Memories never erase permanently. We’re left with the shattered pieces of who we were. Neither of us were the same. The two kids who fell in love, were gone. Too much happened during our time away. I’m Logan Dae. A cancer survivor. A girl who tried to blend in after life spat her out. Too bad Alec Teal wanted me to break even more. Second chances might be written beautifully, but ours festered too much hate. One of us was sure to burn up under the tension. The other would light the match to do it. The only thing keeping me stable was my other professor. How would the tables turn when all the secrets came out? Professor Cole wanted to learn them all. How would he feel about my tormentor after he learned? WARNING: Mature content for readers 18+. This story follows a girl with suicidal thoughts and ideas. There are triggers for bullying, as the title suggests. Chapter 16 has a M/M scene. The chapters in the past view are labeled 5 years ago... If it's not labeled, it's back to the present.

    In his room is someone only he can see and hear. Tied together by an invisible bond, Adam on his ghostly companion try to find a way to co-exist as Adam works to get his life back on track. But life is never that simple and as the pressure builds on Adam to appear 'normal', will his constant shadow turn out to be friend or foe?

    The kids in "Get Down "are trapped between their own good breeding and their burning desire to join the house party of sex, romance, and bad behavior that seems to be happening on some other block, down some other more dangerous street. The adults in "Get Down "are just trying to hold it together. Here is a debut that will make you laugh and cringe in equal measure. Set mostly in middle-class black Philadelphia during the crack and Reagan years, the stories in "Get Down "are antic, poignant, and utterly universal--they'll bring back memories for anyone who has ever stood in the corner of a darkened school gym wondering whether to dance . . . or duck for cover. They announce a sparkling new talent, a recent graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop whose work has been featured in "Vibe," "Essence," and the anthology "Naked: Black Women Bare All About Their Skin, Hair, Hips, Lips, and Other Parts.

    A few pages later, a couple fight for the custody of their daughter until she's cut in two. In Pieces is a beautiful book of visual poetry, in which all common metaphors are explained through images only.

    survivedThe girl who... inspiresThe girl who... has something to hidePeople can't bring themselves to say what happened to her. They just describe her as 'the girl who... you know...'. But nobody really knows, no one sees the real Leah.Leah is the perfect survivor. She was seven years old when she saw her mother and sister killed by a troubled gang member. Her case hit the headlines and her bravery made her a national sweetheart: strong, courageous and forgiving.But Leah is hiding a secret about their deaths. And now, ten years later, all she can think of is revenge.When Leah's dad meets a new partner, stepsister Ellie moves in. Sensing Leah isn't quite the sweet girl she pretends to be, Ellie discovers that Leah has a plan, one she has been putting together ever since that fateful day. Now that the killer - and the only one who knows the truth - is being released from prison, time is running out for Ellie to discover how far Leah will go to silence her anger . . .

     Dani, Bailey, and Kaya think they know what they want from life- success, independence, and a gorgeous man to share their beds-but when they perform an old wish-making ritual together, each of them gets a sinful surprise. In these three interrelated love stories, these women discover that two is company...and three is even better.

    Self-contained and vibrant, it has its own restaurants, schools, theaters, churches, and night clubs. There are shotgun shacks and poverty, along with well-maintained houses like the one Loraylee Hawkins shares with her young son, Hawk, her Uncle Ray, and her grandmother, Bibi. Loraylee’s love for Archibald Griffin, Hawk’s white father and manager of the cafeteria where she works, must be kept secret in the segregated South.Loraylee has heard rumors that the city plans to bulldoze her neighborhood, claiming it’s dilapidated and dangerous. The government promises to provide new housing and relocate businesses. But locals like Pastor Ebenezer Polk, who’s facing the demolition of his church, know the value of Brooklyn does not lie in bricks and mortar. Generations have lived, loved, and died here, supporting and strengthening each other. Yet street by street, longtime residents are being forced out. And Loraylee, searching for a way to keep her family together, will form new alliances—and find an unexpected path that may yet lead her home.