African American Fiction Drama

Doing Time: For the prison writers whose work is included in this anthology, it means more than "serving a sentence"; it means staying alive and sane, preserving dignity, reinventing oneself, and somehow retaining one's humanity. For the last quarter century the prestigious writers' organization PEN has sponsored a contest for writers behind bars to help prisoners face these challenges. The contest honors the best short stories, plays, essays, and poems among hundreds submitted annually by men and women nationwide.

NYC, 2013. During late night trips on the A train, we get snapshots of Tyrone's life - his close relationship with his mother, his attempts to flirt with a coworker, Niesha, his job as a bouncer, and his dreams of going back to school. As new traumas accumulate, Tyrone's world becomes as claustrophobic as the subway car, with as few opportunities to exit or change course.

Tressie faithfully prays every night that God will send her a thug. It isn't long before her prayers are answered, and she meets a handsome ex-convict named Payce Boyd. He is a fine roughneck, everything Tressie imagined and more - that is until Tressie experiences firsthand the reality of being a thug's girl. Seeking solace and comfort in the sanctuary, Tressie soon learns valuable lessons and shocking truths about herself and others.

Finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction Named a Most Anticipated Book by New York, Time, the Boston Globe, Bustle, and Town & Country A life-affirming novel of family, mending, and how we learn to love, from the award-winning Bryan Washington. In Tokyo, the son works as an English tutor...

Small-town lawyer Bocephus Haynes comes home late one night to find District Attorney General Helen Lewis waiting for him. Her ex-husband has just been killed. She’s about to be arrested for his murder. And she wants Bo to represent her. There’s a lot working against them. Just before his death, Helen’s ex-husband threatened to reveal a dark secret from her past. Bo has been in a tailspin since his wife’s death.

In this “achingly beautiful debut” (The Boston Globe), a young Black gay man, estranged from his father, must confront his painful past—and his deepest desires around gender, love, and sex. “A beautiful, clear-eyed portrait of love in the face of religious and familial betrayal...

Teen pop star Brittany Crutcher is found dead in small-town Tennessee. For attorney Bocephus Haynes, it’s just another night in Pulaski. Bo swore off criminal work after his last case, but the beloved singer’s murder demands answers. The prime suspect is local high school football hero and the victim’s boyfriend, Odell Champagne. However, this fallen athlete is one of Bo’s son’s best friends. Bo knows this young man and does not believe him capable of the crime. When Odell is charged with murder, Bo reluctantly takes the case, sparking outrage throughout the town.

A gripping novel about two trailblazing women on opposite sides of the law—a prosecutor and a madam—who team up to bring down notorious Mob boss Lucky Luciano in 1930s New York, from the New York Times bestselling authors of the million-copy bestseller The Personal Librarian. Eunice Carter...

From the author of Queen Sugar, a piercing examination of friendship and loyalty as two best friends find themselves at odds over their beliefs on race, identity and allyship, especially when it comes to their teenage children Babs and Nora became friends thanks to their kids. Now, the desire to...

Mara Brock Akil, the award-winning creator of Girlfriends, Being Mary Jane, Love Is, and Forever, pens an emotionally enthralling debut novel about enduring love, world-shattering secrets, and self-awakening. What happens when one knock at your door sends your entire world into chaos? When a...

New enemies are created, but the hatred for old ones may lead to new alliances. The insatiable need for revenge brings new partnerships. They all are hunting for Ace Lucky but perhaps not all of them want him dead. The aftermath of Ace Lucky’s violent attack has everyone shook and feigning for revenge—especially the wives. Mona, Taffy, Dalla and Lera Badd quickly learn that if they are going to survive, they need each other. Pushing their differences aside, they form an alliance and prepare to take back what’s theirs at all costs.

The first book in Jahquel J.’s dramatic and juicy urban romance series To All the Thugs I Loved that Didn’t Love Me Back, this story weaves a tale of love, redemption, and ambition perfect for fans of Empire. Bless has always held his younger brothers down, even when one catches a drug...

A trio of novels by the renowned author, dramatised for BBC Radio Guyanese writer E. R. Braithwaite is probably best known for his semi-autobiograpical, internationally bestselling novel To Sir with Love, which was adapted as an award-winning film starring Sidney Poitier. Collected here are...

Former "player" Terrell thinks he's got it going on. Then the past comes calling, and suddenly his best prospects are endangered.

Friendship. Love. Family. Bestselling author E. Lynn Harris is back with another new tale that embraces his signature themes. Zola Denise Norwood is a young hot editor in chief of Bling Bling, (the magazine “for people who want everything!) who’s at the top of her game, ruling the roost in...

“Tolani Akinola is a gifted, powerful new voice in American fiction.”—Rachel Khong, New York Times bestselling author of Real Americans "A warm, smart, hilarious, delicious, riveting" (Curtis Sittenfeld) debut about the uncomfortable, unbreakable ties of family as four adult siblings come...

In this stunning conclusion to the bestselling Reverend Curtis Black series, Curtis's secret past returns in an unwelcome--but ultimately healing--visit. Rev. Curtis Black is no stranger to scandal. Throughout the decades, he has done much in the public eye, both good and evil. But what most...

It's been four years since twenty-eight-year old Alicia Black, daughter of Reverend Curtis Black, divorced her second husband, the most womanizing and corrupt man she has ever known. Since then, Alicia has been dating her first husband, Phillip Sullivan, a wonderfully kind and true man of God...

Emotionally avoidant James Wolf has spent his life running—from his past, his pain, and most importantly, from himself. Now nearing 40 and feeling the weight of profound loneliness, James escapes his life in Chicago for the vibrant yet isolating Florida Keys. There, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery that challenges the walls he's spent a lifetime constructing. When an unexpected reunion with Lily, a long-lost friend, disrupts his carefully controlled world, James must decide whether to continue living in isolation or take a chance on connection and healing.

Tressie faithfully prayed every night that God would send her a thug. It wasn't long before her prayers were answered and she met a handsome ex-convict named Payce Boyd. Payce is a fine roughneck and everything Tressie ever imagined and more. That is until Tressie experiences firsthand the reality of being a thug's girl. Seeking solace and comfort in the sanctuary, Tressie soon learns valuable lessons and shocking truths about herself and others.