Book picks similar to
What Madness Brought Me Here: New And Selected Poems, 1968 1988 by Colleen J. McElroy
poetry
poet
poetry-prose
shelved
She Gotta Be The Dopest To Ride With The Coldest
Kyoshi - 2016
Instead of going away to college or turning up every weekend, she spent her days behind the counter at McDonalds. With a mother fighting Lupus and bills that had to be paid, Azuri put her life on hold to be whatever her mother needed her to be. A night working the late shift changed her life. It was the day she met Kashmir “Gotti” Banks. Gotti is an arrogant, smart mouthed boss from Harlem and used to getting everything he wanted, that is until he met Azuri. Love ‘em and leave ‘em had been his way of life for the past twenty five years. Chasing women was never his style and being caught, had never been Azuri’s style. The chemistry between the two was far more than either of them could ever imagine. Not sure if Gotti is good for her, Azuri built a wall up that he was determined to tear down. A day at the Rucker started a whirlwind romance between the two, but will they have a happily ever after? Lies, drama, murder, sex and deceit threaten to destroy the union the two have built. Will their love stand the test of time? Or will too many lines being crossed, tear the two apart? Find out in this juicy tale, unlike anything you’ve ever read...
Bad Boys Love Good Girls: The Return of the Outlaw
Porscha Sterling - 2019
Janelle's dreams are all set to come true when she gets the chance to become the District Attorney of New York City. The only thing making her have second thoughts is the fact that she’s married to the city’s ultimate bad boy, Luke ‘Outlaw’ Murray. With no one around who understands her ambitious goals, she finds a friend in a woman who truly only wants to bring her down. The saying ‘keep your friends close and your enemies closer’ always rings true but once Janelle finally realizes that her enemy is right in front of her, will it be too late? Luke ‘Outlaw’ Murray is the bad boy who no one ever imagined could be tamed. Now that he’s a family man, his reckless lifestyle has changed, but the savage in him is very much alive. With Janelle focused on her own dreams, he turns his attention back to running the streets... only to meet someone he would have never expected: Chloe Harvarty, the sister of Chris Harvarty, a man whose life he ended in order to protect the woman he loved. His guilt plagues him when he sees the way that his actions have utterly devastated her life and, against his better nature, he’s caught up—feeling obligated to help a woman he begins to feel responsible for. When a simple friendship begins to cross the line over into a lane that he knows he shouldn’t explore, will Outlaw stand strong or will he turn back into his old self and fall back into his womanizing ways?
The Way It Is
Nicole Jackson - 2014
Raquel and Tae were both born into the hood. Their mothers were both babies having babies, so from the beginning the odds were stacked against them. At an early age Raquel knew that she wanted more for herself, but somehow her circumstances always stood in the way. Tae grew up in an unconventional home, with little to no guidance. With these set of circumstances the two friends attempt to find their way in life. Raquel thinks that she has found solace in Kevin. He’s the one for her, but after a dreadful night their lives are forever changed. Without her backbone, can she really handle this cold cruel world? Tae loses so many close to her, and is afraid to let anyone in, until she meets Eric. Eric is the exact opposite of anything Tae’s ever experienced. So, now that she’s found a real man, can she become woman enough for him? Raquel and Tae may appear to be average hood chicks, but they have an extraordinary story to tell. The good, bad, and ugly is a part of life and just simply The Way It Is.
Ghetto Girl Games
torica tymes - 2013
She didn't give a fuck about men and she only cared about their money. She swore that the way that she lived was the only way, and often attempted to convince her close friend Samantha to give up on having a traditional love, and join in on her Ghetto Girl Games that she plays. Shockingly engaging, and filled with jaw dropping scenes that will leave you speechless. The lustful infatuation for money, and the unbelievable thirst for the shiny life will keep you shaking your head at these women. And in case you were wondering...if you sell your food stamps so that you can go to the club; then you are also playing Ghetto Girl Games. But that's just the game for beginners, so check out these pros and how they navigate through life in the projects.
Khiaere & Phy: A Charleston Love Story
Mel Dau - 2018
He has the success portion mastered through hard work, education, street smarts and straight hustle. After hitting a massive roadblock with his girlfriend, Gina, he is forced to get off the highway to travel a different route. Will that route lead him to a love that's as sweet as Pie? Phy (Pronounced Pie) Washington who is of no relation to Khiaere has made the decision to move back home to be close to her mom. This is a move she didn't want to make, but it was necessary. A late-night run in with an old college friend may be just the motivation she needs to make the decision to actually enjoy her new life in Mount Pleasant, SC. Will this reconnection be the answer to her lonely heart, or the cause of a murder charge? Trell Smith is a man about his business. If it doesn't make dollars then it won’t make sense. Period. With no room for females because they can’t be trusted, there is an ice box where his heart used to be. Will someone be able to melt that ice and get the most vital organ pumping to the tunes of love? What does he do when love catches him off guard? Will he fight love like a G or surrender like a man? Tae Laing is the hottest interior designer on this side of the Mason Dixon Line. She steps out on faith and decides to move to Charleston, SC to start her on design firm and be close to her best friend. She’s not looking for love or commitment. With a traumatic past, love is all she ever wanted, but is she worthy? What do you do when love comes rudely knocking at your door and you didn’t send for it? Will an unacquainted love bring happiness in the lives of people who are unsure of what love is? Will the block that hinder win the battle, or will love flow victoriously? Will outside elements threaten what they may build, or will all threats be eliminated? Find out in this Charleston Love Story.
For the love of ATL
Desiree M. Granger - 2014
All combining to make one full series. When you take the Urban life of Atlanta, and combine it with the drama filled life of students on HBCU (Historically black colleges, and Universities," anything can happen. Black Greek probates, parties, love, heartbreak, cheating, and men on the down low. All goes down in this 4 part series. No other words to describe this book. Better than Reality TV.
The Last American Valentine: Illustrated Poems to Seduce and Destroy
Derrick BrownCristin O'Keefe Aptowicz - 2008
The Last American Valentine is a unique anthology of non-sappy love poetry and flash fiction. Poet Laureates, rock musicians, actors, famed prose writers and a few talented American barfly's have been handpicked, hunted down and crammed together with an artist the world has never met.
An Anthology of Madness
Max Andrew Dubinsky - 2013
Featuring brand new stories and some old favorites, many of these tell-all, gritty tales were originally published on the blog Make It MAD between 2010 and 2012, and have been rereleased in their originality for this special print and digital anthology.
I Wrote This for You: Just the Words
Iain S. Thomas - 2018
While focusing on the words from the project, new photography launches each section which speaks to the reader's journey through the world: Love Found, Being In Love, Love Lost, Hope, Despair, Living and Dying.
Hood Love
Leondra LeRae - 2012
The chance meeting of Capo turns things from upside down to good all around. Take a ride with Jonnae as she realizes your first love isn't always real love & that hood love can be a good love.
A Hummock in the Malookas
Matthew Rohrer - 1991
In the singular landscape of Matthew Rohrer's first book of poems, the weather, the food, even the household appliances come to life. "A few pages into this book," says the Minneapolis City Pages, "and you'll start glancing sideways at the terrain, which . . . looks suddenly vital." These quirky poems entertain and delicately point to truth. Rohrer illuminates a land of skewed realities where the impossible seems familiar, the sacher torte is afraid to be eaten, and it's always dusk in the forest.
I'll Go (Joaquin & Nayeli Book 2)
B. Love - 2017
Joaquin and Nayeli grew so close that one without the other began to feel like a disability. Not in the sense of being incomplete separately, but in the sense of being so for each other in oneness that distance feels like a severing of their combined hearts and souls. At first, love was a distraction. One that they both fought to keep away. Now, it’s the only thing they’re fighting to have remain. There’s just one problem – their lack of being completely honest with each other becomes the sever that may separate them completely and permanently. Will that be the case? Or will love find a way to reconnect their tattered souls and tie them to each other for eternity?
The Living Fire
Edward Hirsch - 2010
Repeatedly confronting the darkness, his own sense of godlessness (“Forgive me, faith, for never having any”), he also struggles with the unlikely presence of the divine, the power of art to redeem human transience, and the complexity of relationships. Throughout the collection, his own life trajectory enriches the poems; he is the “skinny, long-beaked boy / who perched in the branches of the old branch library,” as well as the passionate middle-aged man who tells his lover, “I wish I could paint you— / . . . / I need a brush for your hard angles / and ferocious blues and reds. / . . . / I wish I could paint you / from the waist down.”Grieving for the losses occasioned by our mortality, Hirsch’s ultimate impulse as a poet is to praise—to wreathe himself, as he writes, in “the living fire” that burns with a ferocious intensity.
She Gave Her All to the Hood’s Finest 3
Shvonne Latrice - 2019
What she doesn't know is that the messenger is harboring another shocking secret that they aren't quite willing to let her in on just yet. Feeling confused and overwhelmed, she turns to the only person who has had her back since her first love was murdered, even though unsure if he'd be willing to involve himself due to the circumstances. In addition to such a heavy weight, suspicious leeches resurface, ready to suck Camarih and her beau dry unless she complies with their wishes. Little does Camarih know, their seemingly harmless attempt at extorting her is much deeper than she may think. With a flourishing career that's only growing, Tony doesn't have as much time to zone in on what could soon be a very detrimental and possibly deadly train wreck that is his personal life. The saying more money more problems has definitely began to ring true for the handsome thug, who although has a bigger bank account, is still that same street boy at heart. By saying that, a couple extra zeros on his paycheck hasn't stopped the gangsta from laying out a few when it comes to his respect. Will the deeply in love yet completely opposite couple be able to stick together and trust one another, or will outside forces finally weave their way into a union that has seemed unlikely from the get-go? As Make A Killing becomes more and more successful, it's only right that that success be accompanied by jealousy, unrequited loves, and envy. With new people entering the building, tension arises, relationships are broken, and betrayal becomes a part of day-to-day life.