In Taboo he examines the role of blacks in Western history, and how these roles are portrayed in art and literature. In taut, meticulously crafted three-line stanzas, Rubens paints his wife looking longingly at a black servant; Aphra Behn writes Oroonoko "as if she'd rehearsed it/for years in her spleen"; and in Monticello, Thomas Jefferson is "still/at his neo-classical desk/musing, but we know his mind/is brushing aside abstractions/so his hands can touch flesh." Taboo is the powerful first book in a new trilogy by a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet whose work never ceases to challenge and delight his readers.

    Through photographs, poetry, prose, and a short story, Orion Carloto invites readers to remember the forgotten and reach into the past, find comfort in the present, and make sense of the intangible future. Film photography isn’t just eye candy; it’s timeless and romantic—the ideal complement to Carloto’s writing. In Film for Her, much like a visual diary, word and image are intertwined in a book perfect for both gift and self-purchase.

    In a series of secular prayers, Cynthia Cruz alludes to a girlhood colored by abuse and a brother’s death. A beautifully understated sense of menace and damage pervades this vivid, nonlinear tale.

    He delves into his youth to analyze its repercussions.

    These poems have been selected on the basis of the poignancy of their message and their relevance to contemporary life.This is timeless wisdom translated for modern readers. It is a guide for meditation and a light switch that you can turn on to make your daily connection with spirit. Use these words as tools to better your life each day, to draw continued guidance, inspiration and spiritual wealth.

    With a gift for delicate, violent imagery, Ashe invites us to lose ourselves in her world. Wrong Side of a Fistfight feels like getting lost in the woods, with someone holding your hand promising to guide you home. This is the second book of poems by Ashe Vernon, spoken word poet and author of the blog Late Night Corner Store.

    Old Europe still lives in Bosselaar's rich language: Entre chien et loup, as it's known in Flanders--the time at dusk when a wolf can be mistaken for a dog.Lyrical poetry that sings of farmers, families and nunneries in Belgium and Flanders.

    A man and a woman sit at the same dinner table, an ocean of worry separating them. An iceberg sets out to dance. A sword swallower ponders his dating prospects. "The vessel is simple, a rowboat among yachts," the poet observes in "Ukulele." "No one hides a Tommy gun in its case. / No bluesman runs over his uke in a whiskey rage."Beasley's voice is pithy and playful, with a ferocious intelligence that invites comparison to both Sylvia Plath and Dorothy Parker. In one of six signature sestinas, she warns, "You must not use a house to build a home, / and never look for poetry in poems." The collection’s centerpiece is a haunting sequence that engages The Traveler's Vade Mecum, an 1853 compendium of phrases for use by mail, telegraph, or the enigmatic “Instantaneous Letter Writer."Assembled over ten years and thousands of miles, these poems illuminate how intimacy is lost and gained during our travels. Decisive, funny, and as compassionate as she is merciless, Beasley is a reckoning force on the page.

    Wright’s most intimate thoughts and images appear before us in dramatic and spectral short narratives: mesmerizing poems whose colloquial sound and rhythms announce a new path for this luminous and masterful poet. In these journeys, we hear the constant murmured “yes” of creation—“it will be packing its small suitcase soon; it will leave the keys dangling from the lock and set out at last,” Wright tells us. He introduces us to the powerful presences in his world (the haiku master Basho, Nietzsche, St. Teresa of Avila, and especially his father, James Wright) as he explores the continually unfolding loss of childhood and the mixed blessings that follow it. Taken together, the pieces deliver the diary of a poet—“a fairly good egg in hot water,” as he describes himself—who seeks to narrate his way through the dark wood of his title, following the crumbs of language. “Take everything,” Wright suggests, “you can have it all back, but leave for a little the words, of all you gave the most mysteriously lasting.” With a strong presence of the dramatic in every line, Kindertotenwald pulls us deep into this journey, where we too are lost and then found again with him.

    Exploring his past with humor and astounding insight, Connor reminded his fans of why they first fell in love with him on YouTube—and revealed to newcomers how he relates to his millions of dedicated followers.Now, two years later, Connor is ready to bring to light a side of himself he’s rarely shown on or off camera. In this diary-like look at his life since A Work In Progress, Connor talks about his battles with clinical depression, social anxiety, self-love, and acceptance; his desire to maintain an authentic self in a world that values shares and likes over true connections; his struggles with love and loss; and his renewed efforts to be in the moment—with others and himself.Told through short essays, letters to his past and future selves, poetry, and original photography, Note to Self is a raw, in-the-moment look at the fascinating interior life of a young creator turning inward in order to move forward.

    Ashleigh is madly in love with the potential she once saw in her boyfriend, Dre. It's no secret that everyone doesn't live up to their potential and he proves that true. Amanda was shown love in its purest form only for life to shuffle the deck and deal her a losing hand. They say time heals all things but the lost of her first love still haunts her years later. When life proves to be too much the duo decides to skip town for a change of scenery. Twin brothers, Harlem and Houston have quickly made a name for themselves in the streets of New York. Running the streets leave little time for love so running into Amanda and Ashleigh was something neither men expected but was surely welcomed. An unplanned 7 day vacation and a chance encounter changes the way these women think when it comes to men. Is less than a week enough for Houston and Harlem to sweep these feisty women off of their feet? Will Amanda finally try love for a second go round? Will Ashleigh finally accept the love that she deserves?

    Add a mother who's back on the run from the Federal Government for a murder of a undercover agent that has been her right hand for years, along with the family main henchman Papa Bear who's now her mysterious lover. Amil Walker has set it in stone that she's definitely the head of the throne and will do whatever it takes to keep her family and their multi-million dollar empire secure. Amil has cut all ties with the Colombian Cartel and with a stroke of good luck she bounces back even stronger with a bigger and better plug with the Arabians in Dubai. And with the Feds still hot on the Walker family trail, who knows what will happen next. Will Amil sacrifice herself to save her family or will she pull the ultimate betrayal? Something that she's been known to do in the past.

    The love is stronger and the bonds they have for one another are tighter, yet drama still follows them. Kenya is back to get her revenge on Briana and she'll do whatever it takes to make Adonis want her. Loyalty is tested and lines are crossed– will the couples fight till the end or will their bonds be broken forever? A Kingpins Dream 2: Forever ain't enough

     Naeem Black is the controlled, reserved, dangerously alluring and handsome businessman who makes it his personal mission to see Emory out of her state of depression. He lives his life without much chaos and with strict order. Until she unknowingly and almost innocently takes ahold of his heart and doesn’t let go. Damsel in Distress Knight in Shining Armor The tale of love we all are so familiar with.... But love isn't easy. Over-coming insecurities isn't easy. Allowing someone to love you, especially the broken parts of you is scary. And loving someone who is broken can prove to be difficult. With the odds not in their favor, what will prevail? Fight or Flight? Mercy Boutchat is the wild child with a even wilder heart. With no plans of settling down any time soon, she embarks on what is supposed to a situationship filled with insatiable lust and spontaneous combustions of pleasure...That is, until unexpected feelings get involved and she finds herself agreeing to the one thing she swore to never get involved in; Commitment. And with the one person who is mentally, her equal and physically attractive as she is... Leilani Elaine Mercer is finally living her fairytale. Her man is out of the streets. Her babies are on their way and she is finally going to get her event planning company going. In the midst of her happiness, the bearer of bad news dons her doorstep. Secrets are revealed. Loyalties are questioned and everything her and Malakhi worked so hard to build can come crashing down with one wrong explanation... Ain't Gonna Let You II is the highly anticipated sequel to The Prelude. Between these pages you find out there is growth, in love and trust where you least expect it.

    Keece and Paris are in marital bliss with a little one on the way. Keece is finally content with his life. That is until it is revealed that he may have already fathered a child. Keece is livid, and the only person with the answers to his questions is Riley, who finds another possible way to stay in his life, but will it cost Keece his marriage?Shymar is released from jail with one thing on his mind, and that is revenge. Hearing his girlfriend, Alyssa, fight for her life leaves Shymar feeling crushed and angry. Shymar is itching to know the whereabouts of Alyssa, and only one person that can give it to him is Keece.Will Keece dodge yet another bullet from Riley and be able to keep Paris in his life? Will Shymar catch up to Keece and avenge Alyssa’s death? Follow this riveting drama to see who will be the last one standing.