African American

Savannah Carlson has one month before she hits the big four-oh. With her best friends, Jamaica and Ronni, she’s making every weekend toward that milestone count—party-wise. Vanna’s plans go awry when her shady, no-good, unreliable, estranged husband, Caleb, dies in a boating accident. The real sucker punch lands when Vanna is arrested for embezzlement at his funeral. Her man certainly is the gift that keeps on giving.

In August 1860, would anyone have conceived that the upcoming November presidential election would result in the unraveling of a nation and a war between its parts, a war that would claim more lives than all the nation's other wars combined? Told through the lens of West Point classmates and graduates, THE PARTING is a factual narrative of the impulsive descent of the United States of America from peace to war from August 1860 through the First Battle of Bull Run, July 1861.

Young Adam, who has been raised in Harlem by his white father, George, and Black mother, Thelma, goes back to his parents' home state of Alabama to participate in the voting rights campaign, only to be brutalized in the Bloody Sunday melee. He is still recovering from this when he is struck a heavy emotional blow, learning for the first time—and in the cruelest way imaginable—of a family secret that sends him spiraling and plunging further into danger. To save him, and any hope for their relationship, Thelma is drawn back, for the first time in twenty years, to the South.

Born into slavery on a Mississippi plantation, Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield has been raised in the safety of Philadelphia’s Quaker community by a wealthy adoptive mother. Sheltered and educated, Eliza’s happy childhood always included music lessons to nurture her unique gift: a glorious three octave singing voice that leaves listeners in awe. But on the eve of her twenty-fourth birthday, young Eliza’s world is thrown into a tailspin when her mother dies.

Dr. Dresden Xavier moved his family back to his hometown of Monroe City after an unfortunate tragedy. Searching for an escape from the reality of grief and depression, Dresden buries himself in a grueling medical research project that could yield life-changing results. What was supposed to be a short-term partnership with the professor of nursing at Monroe University quickly morphs into a case study of love … or maybe just an experiential error.

When a desperate woman escapes a dangerous situation and seeks refuge in Wintermoon, she finds herself irrevocably bonded to a possessive wolf shifter in this fated mates, forced proximity romance.

Tavia is facing a tumultuous phase in her life and finds herself challenging her sense of morality and commitment. Struggling with personal hardships, she finds solace in the company of a man that should be considered off-limits. At the same time, her past seems to continue to lurk yearning to rekindle their romance, which she has no desire to do. Amidst all the chaos, she meets someone who expresses a genuine interest in her, but she isn’t feeling him as much as he is feeling her.

James Brooks, the Chief of Staff to the President, is hoping for some downtime to rekindle his connection with his wife, Ashley, amidst the challenges of raising their young children. However, his plans quickly go awry when he takes over parenting duties for their mischievous two-year-old daughter, Avery. What starts as a simple task soon spirals into a series of humorous and heartwarming moments that define the chaos of family life during the holiday season.

Fiona and Croy O’Brian were the prototypes of ‘I’ma stick by em’. Their relationship started in an unconventional manner, but it only made the love grow fiercer over the years. Introduced to you by Megatron himself, find out why the saying birds of a feather flock together rings true when it comes to Fiona and Croy.

These piercing, surprising poems look to familial history, rituals of faith, and the natural world to explore how the intersecting cultures of Blackness and queerness relate to each other. As the collection evolves, the listener is challenged and empowered to seek expansiveness in spaces that have not previously been excavated, reckon with the complexities of interpersonal relationships, and explore memory as a catalyst for self-determination.

Harriet Beecher Stowe was appalled by slavery, and she took one of the few options open to nineteenth-century women who wanted to affect public opinion: she wrote a novel, a huge, enthralling narrative that claimed the heart, soul, and politics of millions of her contemporaries. Uncle Tom's Cabin paints pictures of three plantations, each worse than the other, where even the best plantation leaves a slave at the mercy of fate or debt. Her questions remain penetrating even today: "Can man ever be trusted with wholly irresponsible power?"

Life should be sweet for him and his wife, Malayah. However, the universe is throwing Lynx's world on its axis and stirring up trouble. Issues that were supposed to be buried resurfaced and could potentially threaten his happy home. Lynx also has to deal with the law trying to creep into his life. He rules his empire with an iron fist, and if he can be connected to any crimes within his organization, Lynx could be put under the jail and never again see the light of day.

With his good looks and his charming ways, Kyiem "Ghoul" Bianchi has the attitude to match. He has no qualms about flossing his rich status and his mob boss behavior. With his parents constantly in his ear about settling down and taking the helm of the business, Ghoul's only goal is to have a good time and play bed tag with as many women as possible. That's until one malicious night at his business changes everything, trouncing his world and thrashing his heart.

James Brooks, the Chief of Staff to the President, is hoping for some downtime to rekindle his connection with his wife, Ashley, amidst the challenges of raising their young children. However, his plans quickly go awry when he takes over parenting duties for their mischievous two-year-old daughter, Avery. What starts as a simple task soon spirals into a series of humorous and heartwarming moments that define the chaos of family life during the holiday season.

Alistair Duston is for the streets of Leakston, Mississippi. That means nothing when he and his family owned them, literally. As heir to the Duston Dynasty, he never had to worry about anything but his horses, cattle, and dogs. How things can change in the bling of a signed contract. When he is forced into an impossible position, will he remain faithful to the streets or commit to one that might be able to give him the world?

Legendary King lives up to his name: a true legend and a king in the streets. His life was perfect with his dream woman by his side. That was until tragedy struck, causing him to lose it all and end up behind bars. His only plan when he gets out is to get back to the life that he worked so hard to build, but it doesn't take him long to realize nothing will ever be the same. He's haunted by the night that changed his life, and simple tasks, like breathing, prove to be difficult. He does all he can to shake the nightmare, but nothing helps. That is until he comes across the rough beauty.

Protection. Monroe Iris has lived her entire life seeking it. She longs to have a safe space to fall in love—to be vulnerable. She's surrounded by things and people that were put in place to fill her with security but has none. Her entire life has been molded around being the perfect wife for an imperfect man. She's stuck following a family tradition that doesn't mean her well, without anyone in her corner to save her.

In such a chaotic world, there was one thing that Kincaid desired—peace & quiet—and there was one person who could provide it. Sulphur Kincaid.

In Sunrise, Javier De Barre, a young Haitian-American and top graduate, faces the harsh realities of the IT industry during the late ‘90s. After losing his best friend and love to a tragedy in Elizabeth, NJ, he embarks on a desperate journey south in search of a fresh start. He confronts his grief, unfriendly towns, and financial instability along the way. Finding a job in a small town in South Carolina, he clings to hope and believes he’s finally back on the path to his dreams.

After seeing the man she’s been dating post an engagement announcement, Jahnae Greer is devastated. With the advice from her friends, she goes out and has a drunken one-night stand with a handsome stranger. Months later when she finds out her ex-boyfriend isn’t the father of her child, she has no idea how to get in touch with the man from her one-night stand. She vows to raise her daughter alone until two years later when she sees him on a news report that he’s been arrested.

African American literature is the body of literature produced in the United States by writers of African descent. It begins with the works of such late 18th-century writers as Phillis Wheatley. Before the high point of enslaved people narratives, African-American literature was dominated by autobiographical spiritual narratives. The genre known as slave narratives in the 19th century were accounts by people who had generally escaped from slavery, about their journeys to freedom and ways they claimed their lives.

Growing up in Philly, Tate knew there were few paths for him to take. He could follow after his brother and friends, getting sucked into the streets, or he could work hard and find another escape route. Tate eventually finds his way, choosing to work tirelessly at chasing and achieving his dreams. Yet, even with a humble mindset and a go-hard grind ethic, he finds himself in a situation where things begin to disintegrate before his eyes. He's not built to be a quitter, so Tate is prepared to do any and everything before he gives up the one thing he loves.

Playing Nia Reynolds is a sure way to play yourself, and Bryson Reynolds learns that the hard when he’s caught cheating on his wife of five years. Heartbroken, Nia burns everything Bryson has to the ground. Not literally, but by the time she is finished, Bryson is left to sift through the debris that is now his life.

Returning home after a long sojourn abroad, Blu contemplates whether the time has finally come for her to put down some roots. Bryan, meanwhile, has been firmly rooted in one place and in one life for what now seems like far too long.

Nia Winston, stands in a line at the Essence Festival in New Orleans, hoping to get Justin Ray, the hottest R&B singer, to donate to her non-profit. When they meet sparks fly, or maybe it was just Nia's imagination. Until Nia has a surprise meeting with Justin, a month later while she's in Atlanta and Justin asks her to spend one week with him no strings attached. Wanting to escape her own problems back at home, she agrees and has the most passionate time of her life.