American Short

Living in the same neighborhood sometimes brings people together. Even when there was a time that you thought you had absolutely nothing in common with someone. Damiko was home, fresh off doing a 12-year stretch in the penitentiary. Things had changed drastically. Everybody from the old days were gone. The hood was now run by a bunch of faces that he did not recognize. He did run into two recognizable faces from the days of old though. Mack and Armani. They were not actually friends back in the day, but being the last of a dying breed bought the three together. The three were feeling the ...

In the title story of Souvankham Thammavongsa's debut collection, a young girl brings a book home from school and asks her father to help her pronounce a tricky word, a simple exchange with unforgettable consequences. Thammavongsa is a master at homing in on moments like this—moments of exposure, dislocation, and messy feeling that push us right up against the limits of language.

Kendra Bentford has always been the type to believe in the happily ever after love story, even after experiencing heartbreak after heartbreak. Her mother always told her 'Those who practice patients, love's the hardest.' And, she didn't know how true that statement was until she ran into Ronnie her first crush and the first man that she had ever loved. She never told him because he was dating someone at the time. Then the unthinkable happened he broke up with his girlfriend and confessed his love to Kendra; she in return expressed her same love for him. Once it was all over she realized ...

All is well with longshoreman Uncle Eddie, kindhearted Aunt Beatrice and live-in niece Catherine until the secret guests from Italy arrive and Uncle Eddie turns from generous and welcoming to jealous, difficult and self-serving resulting in disastrous encounters and dark consequences, as a Greek modern tragedy. The story is set in working-class 1950s Brooklyn, in the Red Hook neighborhood with “a view from the bridge.” The book is the prose version of Arthur Miller’s 1955 play and it is perfect for a pleasant and intensive reading. It comes with an introduction, with notes and ...

A stunning new talent in literary fiction, Nafissa Thompson-Spires grapples with black identity and the contemporary middle class in these compelling, boundary-pushing vignettes. Each captivating story plunges headfirst into the lives of new, utterly original characters. Some are darkly humorous while others are devastatingly poignant. Thompson-Spires fearlessly shines a light on the simmering tensions and precariousness of black citizenship.

In his first, glorious collection of stories, Rupert Everett takes us on exhilarating journeys with a cast of extraordinary characters. From Oscar Wilde’s last night in Paris to the ferociously unforgiving world of a Los Angeles talent agency and beyond, these stories are evocative, moving, and tender. Brilliantly witty, elegiac, and drawing from the wealth of film and TV ideas Everett has worked on over the course of his illustrious career, The American No will delight and surprise his many fans.

A wicked, funny, sexy read Hunter Valentine is the best barber in town. He has a sexy secret skill, that along with his wayward friend Lionel is keeping him out of debt. Hunter is single, and focuses on making enough money to get out of this risky business of cutting ladies privates early. As luck would have it, the love of his life, a conservative politician's daughter, is back in town trying to reconcile. Hunter has to navigate between Meghan's advances and his new sexy clientele. He may not get the chance to give up one for the other, as his new service is on the verge of revolutionizing...

A Heartfelt Short Story SeriesLiving in the hood of Birmingham is not some childhood fantasy. It’s a harsh reality for teenager Draya, and her younger sis Porsha. They’ve witnessed things kids shouldn’t see, and heard things kids shouldn’t hear! Raised by a trick h**, and an alcoholic; Draya vows to be nothing like her mama Trixie. Determined to be a better person, Draya’s main focus is school, and her younger sister Porsha. Secretly, Draya has developed a hatred for all men. Mainly, because of her mama’s despicable lifestyle. All she’s ever seen is a horny man between her ...

This anthology edited by the American writer, philosopher, and patron of the arts Alain Locke brings together some of the most influential pieces of African American works from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Featuring the voices of Zora Neale Thurston, W. E. B. Du Bois, and Langston Hughes, Locke included commentary on the emergence of the New Negro Movement, also known as the Harlem Renaissance. The New Negro is considered to be the definitive text on the movement.

“What's most compelling about a scientific story is the way it challenges us to think about the concepts we take for granted,” writes guest editor Carl Zimmer in his introduction. The essays in this year’s Best American Science and Nature Writing probe at the ordinary and urge us to think more deeply about our place in the world around us.

"Black Is Blue" by Victor L. Martin delves into the life of a corporate woman who falls in love with a thug and finds out just how easy it is to stray from the straight and narrow.

Eighteen and hungry, Wiz's only addiction to drugs is the money it makes. But Crystal changes all of that and shows him just how powerful a woman can be, in "The P is Free" by LaShonda Sidberry-Teague.

With only two hundred dollars, Unique packed her suitcase and headed to New York City for a brand-new start. It's there that Unique meets big-time boxing promoter Kennard, and it is love at first sight.... After nine months of living in the lap of luxury with Kennard, skeletons from Unique's past show up, and it will cost her a cool million dollars to keep not only her relationship but her life.... Unique isn't about to lose it all. With the help of her best friend, she devises a major heist; to pull it off all she has to do is stay alive....

Explore the depth of passion and uninhibited desires in 'Black Erotica 2', a collection meticulously edited by the renowned Jade St. James. Delve into a series of powerful and provocative short stories penned and narrated exclusively by black talent that bring to life a spectrum of erotically charged experiences. From the daring explorations of BDSM to tender first times, and from exhilarating group escapades to enchanting paranormal encounters, each story offers a unique glimpse into intimate moments, painted vividly to stir the senses and challenge the imagination.

A celebration of beloved American author Wendell Berry, the five stories in Fidelity return listeners to Berry's fictional town of Port William, Kentucky, and the familiar characters who form a tight-knit community within.

Smart Erotica for Smart Readers. "SO so hot and spicy!!" ~ Erica Pillera Save 50% off individual purchase! Note: Dara Nichols is an erotica series; not a romance series. Please download responsibly. From New York Times and #1 Erotica bestseller, Marata Eros. Dara is a cougar on the prowl. When erotic circumstances present themselves, she takes advantage in every way possible. Best friend Zoe gets wind of the fun, and the pair experience sexual fantasies of epic proportions. Included titles are as follows: DARA NICHOLS (3.7): #1- A Hard Lesson: Dara Nichols gets "schooled" by a few students....

A Spicy AMBW Interracial Romance Liya: When you're in a love drought, what would you do? Take up a new hobby? Travel somewhere you always wanted to? For me, it was hiring a male escort to accompany me for a night out in the city and all I can say, is that he was worth every penny. Kai: The first rule of being a male companion is to never let your feelings get involved with a client. It was an easy rule for me to follow, but that was until I got a request from a woman named Liya. Love Drought is a steamy interracial instalove romance that will make the perfect quickie in between longer works...

In ancient mythology, the Titan Prometheus was punished by the gods for bringing man the gift of fire - an event that set humankind on its course of knowledge. As punishment, Prometheus was bound to a rock. But in The Gift of Fire, those chains cease to be, and the great champion of man walks from that immortal prison into present-day South Central Los Angeles. Disheveled and lost, he is thrown in jail, where he meets lifelong criminal Nosome Blane....

On Ash Wednesday in 1908, Swiss German immigrant Fritz Hirter arrives at his children’s school, where he is the lone custodian. But soon after lessons start, a fast-moving fire breaks out—its cause is unknown, but its effects are horrifying. Although Fritz is soon cleared of any responsibility for the catastrophe, the community continues to suspect him, supremely testing Fritz and his family.

Zane’s erotic writing has captivated a legion of fans. Her previous short story collection not only became a best seller but also delivered fully on its promise—exploding the myth that men are more sexual in nature than women and that African American women are particularly inhibited. This second volume of Sex Chronicles is Zane’s hottest collection yet. Smart, witty, and extremely sexy, these stories are tailored to women—but perfect for lovers to share.

From her first days at Virginia’s Hampton University, impressionable, creative Nia falls smitten with Chris Eidos Alleyne, an athlete and a scholar. “Love is sweet nothings and beautiful promises”, Nia writes in her journal. What her girlfriends know, and her mother doesn’t, is that Chris’s expression of love is deeply physical. Wielding powerful charisma, Chris soon has Nia abandoning innocence for experience.