"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."