Religious Poetry

Laura Hurwitz, author of Disappear Home, says, "In her brilliant collection Because the Sky Is a Thousand Soft Hurts, Elizabeth Kirschner fearlessly blends poetry, prose, memoir, and master storytelling into an amalgam that lands like a gut-punch to the soul".

Mayson has a secret. A secret that some know, and others choose not to. A secret that, once exposed, changes the everyday norm for him, his family and his best friend Reanna. During his young adulthood in the early 1980s in the small town of Benton, his secret brings him to a crossroad that merges a choice between his sexuality and his religious community. In his adventuresome quest for an answer, he hears the voice of many well-meaning people who believe they have the solution he needs.

Joan, Tisha, and Lila are three single, ambitious party girls embarking on a journey where they attempt to give up sex and draw nearer to God. Giving up their boyfriends and club hopping for empty beds and Bible study is more challenging than they could have imagined. The Single Sister Experiment is a fast-paced, drama-filled ride that you don’t want to miss!

Sheridan S. Davis, author of Saved Sex, Pretty for a Dark-Skin Girl, and I’m Nobody’s Ruth is all too familiar with Chicago’s church scene. The city, mostly known for its heavily portrayed violence in media, is also the birthplace of Gospel music and has a rich history in God. As a church girl herself, Sheridan decided to pen a fictional tale about the friendship between five church girls. Join Shyanne, Selena, Kyra, Miriam, and Lisa as they plow through the ups and downs of friendship.

This Time Around follows Jordan and Ralph as they become involved in a struggle with Reverend Wellerson, a TV evangelist, over the fate of gay youth centers. Wellerson is willing to stop at nothing to crush gay rights, and who better to halt his evil plans than the most famous rock star in the entire world?

It ain't easy being saved, sanctified, and single. Try being a once divorced, now widowed single mother of two on top of that. Thank God, the Lord built Paige Vanderdale to be able to bear all of those titles without becoming weary to the point of giving up. From the outside looking in, that life looks good on her. On the inside, though, Paige is coveting what so many others around her seem to have, which is true love.

Diamond Pearl Hope is a biracial news reporter. She experiences a hard childhood. Diamond is only 10 years old when her black mother dies. She goes to live with relatives who discriminate against her because she is mixed-race. Diamond is rescued from abusive family members through adoption. While growing up, she is kept in the dark about her white father. After graduating from college she meets and marries an older abusive man. Diamond gets arrested for assaulting her husband, and comes face-to-face with the man she thought she'd never meet.

Um poderoso homem sofre perdas irreparáveis e torna-se um colecionador de lágrimas. Despedaçado, decide penetrar os porões de sua mente em busca da sociedade dos seus sonhos. "'Não é possível', pensei. Em vez de se prostrar diante de Deus, ele o chamou para um debate, e ninguém previa o que seria discutido. Depois desse episódio, ele deixou de ser um vendedor de sonhos e passou a ser um ousado semeador de ideias. E nós, após presenciarmos seu "debate", nunca mais seríamos os mesmos.

Jack Bennett has a wife, two kids, the perfect job - and the perfect affair. When he is caught and it all comes crashing down, Jack is left with no one to turn to. No friends. No family, except his recovering drug addict of a sister. On a Sunday morning drive, he sees a homeless man locked out of a church service, banging on the door. He stops and offers the guy a cup of coffee. He asks the man his name, and the guy says Yeshua. As in, Jesus.

Meet Venus, the puppy with a big heart and loud bark, who takes life on the chin. In this book, Venus tells in her own voice of the adventures, battles and joys of her puppyhood, and shares the wisdom that she receives from her angel. Venus is psychic, sensitive and ruthlessly honest. Her diary is rich with vivid characters, whose stories she shares. Her best friend is her owner, Mum. Venus and Mum are devoted to each other, and together they learn a great deal about life, spiritual truths and the invisible worlds.

Unspoken Words will captivate your emotions throughout the journey of buried memories, events of pain, and multiple tests of faith. In the end, can a legacy survive the silence? As a pastor, nothing gives you greater pride than seeing your son follow in your footsteps by learning to teach, believe, and abide by the Word. Pastor Derek Lewis is not any different in wanting his legacy to continue through his only son, Zayvon. But what happens when the only heir to the legacy that you built is born deaf? Do you question God?

Bossy bank executive Senalda breaks down men from business to bed no holds barred. Hip hop PR guru Jarena praises the Lord and pursues married men with equal persistence. Famous and infamous radio personality Mimi fights with her fans and for the love of her on-and-off-again boyfriend. But when an ABC News Nightline report, "Single, Black, Female - and Plenty of Company" asks why can't a successful Black woman find a man, the friends are suddenly hyper-aware of their inclusion in the sad statistic: 42 percent of Black women who have never been married.

And We Came Outside and Saw the Stars Again takes its title from the last line of Dante's Inferno, when the poet and his guide emerge from hell to once again behold the beauty of the heavens. In that spirit, the stories, essays, and poems in this collection - from beloved authors including Jhumpa Lahiri, Mario Vargas Llosa, Eavan Boland, Daniel Alarcón, Jon Lee Anderson, Claire Messud, Ariel Dorfman, and many more - detail the harrowing experiences of life in the pandemic, while pointing toward a less isolated future.

Kenda Tyson has lived a pretty wonderful life. Her parents are lawyers who own their own firm, and they provide their 17-year-old daughter with only the finest. Kenda has come to expect that the men in her life will continue to offer her that same level of luxury, and when she meets the good-looking, smooth-talking Jerome Smith, she’s sure she’s hit the jackpot. Her perspective quickly changes, however, when she finds herself caught up in a whirlwind of love, lies, and abuse.

Scott Calloway has a lot going through his head. Family members, psychologists, and doctors see little value in him after he suffers a traumatic head injury. With the help of his aunt, a wise pastor, and a woman desperate for love, he learns how to thrive despite his condition.

Dominique is now walking in her new identity as a domestic violence survivor. She survived. But at what cost? In this second book in the series, we see Dominique navigate her new life of freedom. But freedom isn't free. And choices have consequences. We see Dominique fight for her children, her freedom, and her sanity. She is still a fighter, but this time she's fighting God's way.

This book tells how a family moved on after the tragic event. We are not alone in our pain and sadness; God comforts us in many splendid and miraculous ways. Communities can come together and rally. Miracles do happen. Hope can prevail.

The Thin Woman is a combination of poems, song lyrics, and journal entries illustrating one woman's constant and courageous struggle with her lifelong eating disorder. The poems and song lyrics, written by her sister, attempt to capture the Thin Woman's reality and the devastating pain it's caused both herself and her family. Throughout the book, listeners are taken on a complicated journey as they listen to the Thin Woman's letters to Bob (the name she's given to her eating disorder).

From one coast to the other, to the far side of the globe, three diverse characters follow paths that will mysteriously connect: Tina Lopez, endowed with a special gift from God; Ethan Kelly, a young Irish-American priest-in-training; and K.C. Littleton, who will prove that old adage, "Be careful what you wish for." All will discover a new appreciation for faith, forgiveness, and family.

Civil marriage ceremonies are increasingly popular, but it can be difficult to choose readings which are appropriate in a non-religious setting. A few well-known poems tend to appear regularly at civil ceremonies, but if you are looking for something different, this book could be the answer. Non-Religious Wedding Readings contains a selection of 77 poems and prose passages on love and marriage from various writers dating from the 17th to the 20th century.