"The
Soul Of A Man" by Joe Thomas
A
man must look at the word love as much more than a facile
one dimensional noun. He must be aware that it is the immortal
part of himself. That long after his muscular substance
has become dust, that magnificent unseen force, his soul,
will for infinity stay its proper place in the universe.
"Letters
To And From Caged Kings On Lockdown" by Jihad
The
Soul of a Man is a timely project that is more than needed
to inspire, empower, and motivate men young and old. This
book is a testimonial, showing the love that is not often
shown to brothers from brothers."
"No
Regrets" by William Fredrick Cooper
For
years I struggled with Black society's conventional thinking:
That the only people that feel the pain of poor judgment
and emotional injury is the African-American Woman. To me,
that's the biggest disservice to our struggles with love
and compatibility. This is not an excuse for some of my
actions however. The hardest part about making mistakes
concerning issues of the heart are when poor choices affect
innocent lives. So in that aspect, 'No Regrets' serves as
a triumph to my soul, with the hopes that unconditional
love to a deserving woman follows.
"What
Lies In The Souls Of Men?" by Alvin C. Romer
The
Black man is unique and truly has a story to tell. There's
too much that has happened during the course of history
that we've caressed, carried and created in the depths of
our souls that need to be heard. As an individual with much
in mine, I wanted to convey how and why we have been much-maligned.
It is important that I tell vestiges of my experience for
pet peeves to be addressed. I wanted to share my feelings,
put them out in the open for wounds, real or imagined to
be healed for the betterment of what is not seen on the
surface, but for readers to go deep to get a better understanding.
Shadow me as I tell you what's on MY mind.
"Bottomed
Out" by Marc Lacy
The
Soul of a Man unveils many elements that tie into our daily
lives revealing the simple things, for which we should be
thankful. Timely, compelling, and riveting are only a few
of the many adjectives that could be used in describing
this marvelous literary work.
"Verbal
Vacancy" by Clarence "Baba Simba" Mollock
Whenever
I am asked about my "accent" I relate the story
of my speech impediment. Most find it difficult to believe.
They are unaware of how I am still struggling to "speak
well". When I realized that I had a chance to publish
my story it was only then that I decided after all these
years to write it down. I hope to inspire others to be persistent
in their endeavors. More importantly never forget from whence
you came.
"Manning
Up With God" by Brian Ganges
This
story is important to me because it is real and relevant.
I lived it and overcame the adversity. People told me about
God's ability and willingness to deliver. But I know and
have proven God to be a deliverer, and He has proven to
me, once again, that He loves me regardless of my circumstance.
He showed Himself strong on my behalf. I was the one that
actually struggled, and cried when no one saw me at a low
point. I was the one that felt forsaken and defeated, but
He lifted me up. One thing that I have learned is that it
is one thing to know about God (from a book or someone else's
experiences), but it's a lot better to actually know Him
personally (in your heart).
"I
Used To Love Her" by Jarold Imes
I
Used to Love Her deals with Calvin's adjusting from his
past as a murderer to his struggles as a man of God who
is going through a painful divorce. In some ways, his story
is a parallel to my struggles with getting my work out to
the masses. In spite of all that we may go through, it is
important to keep God first and to never let go of your
dreams.
"The
Choice" by K.L. Belvin
My
reason for writing the story "The Choice" was
to honor my father. The premise of the story was originally
erotic but I wanted to change it to an article that honors
the Lord and what I see in the relationship of my father
and step mother. In naming the characters after my father
and his wife, it allowed me to truly climb into it and become
my father as I typed. I have seen the type of love in the
story in my Father and Step mother. This was truly a pleasure
to pen."
"Like
Father, Like Son" by Joey Pinkney
I
had been toying around with the idea that became "Like
Father, Like Son"
for about a year. When Elissa Gabrielle approached me about
contributing to The Soul of a Man anthology, I knew it was
time make this story idea a reality. "Like Father,
Like Son" is similar to personal experiences, but the
characters took a life of their own. Reading the drama between
Terrence, Mary and Andre was just as intriguing as writing
this short story."
"Reaching
Forward" by Thomas Ashburn Jr.
Too
many men find it difficult to confront the unfortunate issues
of the past. Many keep past hurts bottled up inside making
it almost impossible to move forward in life. I wrote "Reaching
Forward" to show all men that with the help of God
they can conquer the pain of the past, embrace the present,
and look ahead to a brighter future. The Soul of a Man is
sure to inspire and challenge men around the world.
"A
Hoop And A Holler" by Tyrell DeVon Floyd
The
pastor of a church acts as the quarterback to God's playbook
for man.
The pastor is also the immediate physician for those searching
for a spiritual pain killer. BUT WHO'S THE DOCTOR'S DOCTOR
WHEN THE DOCTOR GETS SICK? Who is it that advocates for
the advocator when there's need for advocation? Is it possible
to be corrected by those who need correction?
"Long
Term " by Maurice M. Gray Jr.
"I
am an avid reader, and as such, I've seen far too many books
out there portraying black men only as players, thugs or
just plain old useless. My goal as a writer is to give a
more realistic portrayal, and as such, I couldn't pass up
the chance to be part of an anthology full of stories by
and about men. I've had the idea for "Long Term"
rattling around in my head for quite some time, and it's
time to let it out."
"The
Birthday Gift" by Eddrick Dejuan
The
Birthday Gift is a purely fictional story that was written
because of the need to show that there are black men out
there who accept the responsibility of parenting and choose
to play an active role in their children lives. Even though
I do not have any children, I felt as though the story needed
to be told from the perspective of someone who is fatherless.
I was not fortunate enough to have my father in my life,
and I do believe that I have turned out OK, but the trend
of leaving women to be single mothers must stop. This story
puts the shoe on the other foot and shows the woman leaving
the man as a single parent. In the Birthday Gift, its Allen
who has to deal with the struggles of being a new single
parent with a spouse who walked out. He has to feel the
pain of being left all alone and he has to show how strong
his faith in God is. I hope this story sheds some light
on what it takes to be a single parent and also show how
honorable it is to take responsibility for ones family,
actions and commitments."
|