Jason’s ‘Hu$tle’ and ‘Heartache’

Just after serving a three-year sentence for illegal possession of firearms, Hu$tle’s back on the streets of Washington, D.C. He’s got his swag back and has to let the whole ‘hood know he’s home—this time, for good. And things are different this time around. Hu$tle’s no longer involved with a gunrunning operation. This time, he’s […]

The Journey for the Unseen Beauty

Editor’s note: The essay below is in response to the What Book Changed Your Life Contest by Marita Golden. Winners receive an autographed copy of Marita Golden’s newest book THE WORD: Black Writers Talk About the Transformative Power of Reading and Writing. Submission deadline: February 5, 2011. Click here for more contest info. When Shake […]

Truth Thomas’s “Bottle of Life”

It’s “…the language of collard greens and black-eyed peas seasoned with fatback and Big Mama’s sweet tea” was how one writer put it in a blurb. Another writer called its contents “…intoxicatingly sweet, sharp, with a dash of bitter, good for the soul’s health.” A third one noted the poet finds “heaven in his Mama’s […]