Tar Heel Born is a collection of seven narrative poems that reflect on one man's conflicted relationship with his home state of North Carolina. It flows between critique and praise, interweaving the brute ugliness of racism and anti-gay attitudes with the love of a beautiful land and the graciousness of a people. Ultimately, Tar Heel Born is a love letter to home, a vividly universal example of using childhood challenges as a springboard to greater self-discovery and acceptance. (Also includes the bonus poem, Obamanon: Living the Obama Phenomenon.)

Eyes of Water & Stone chronicles the relationship between two black men, a Cuban and a Californian, across a blockade. How will they navigate the cultural and economic gaps that separate them? Where are the borderlines between desire and sensibility, help and exploration?

Eyes of Water & Stone is a compelling read for anyone interested in the ongoing dramatic relationship between the United States and Cuba; it is a draw for readers who believe that love need not be confined by national boundaries. It challenges us to consider how love is expressed and...