Showing results by narrator "Jewel" in All Categories

This is the story of Dr. Geneva Smitherman, aka "Dr. G," the pioneering linguist often referred to as the "Queen of Black Language." In a series of narrative essays, Dr. G writes eloquently and powerfully about the role of language in social transformation and the academic, intellectual, linguistic, and societal debates that shaped her groundbreaking work as a Black Studies O.G. and a Womanist scholar-activist of African American Language.

Serafina has a secret dream. She wants to go to school and become a doctor with her best friend, Julie Marie. But in their rural village outside Port-au-Prince, Haiti, many obstacles stand in Serafina's way - little money, never-ending chores, and Manman's worries. More powerful even than all of these are the heavy rains and the shaking earth that test Serafina's resolve in ways she never dreamed. At once heartbreaking and hopeful, this exquisitely crafted story will leave a lasting impression on your heart.

“As far as I know, you can only die once…” But when Aetna Simmons disappears from her lonely Bermuda cottage, she leaves behind not one but ten suicide notes. Ten different suicide notes. And no other trace to speak of, not even a corpse, as if she’d never existed. Drafts of a Suicide Note is the darkly enigmatic love letter of Kenji Okada-Caines, a petty criminal who once exposited on English literary classics and now, marooned on his native isle, nurtures an obsession with Aetna’s writing.

When Tessa Noble takes the stage at a charity auction after a sexy makeover, her best friend Ryan Bateman must place the winning bid. It's definitely not because he's jealous. Their weekend getaway is a ploy for positive press… or so the rancher tells himself. But soon things take an unexpected turn from platonic to passionate, catapulting the couple from friends to lovers….

Hundreds of miles from home, at Oktoberfest in Germany, Arianna runs into the hot exchange student she never thought she would see again. Back in high school, Lars was her brother’s friend, and therefore, forbidden territory. But now, neither of them are teenagers anymore. Is it possible that Lars has harbored the same unrequited love Arianna has carried all this time?

After screwing up my life in the lower 48, I take a chance on an old friend’s offer and head to Alaska for a fresh start. A day in, I’m pitching a tent in the middle of nowhere. I’ve been through plenty - being alone in the wilderness isn’t the scariest thing I’ve faced. But um...these wolves who’ve hunted me down? They’re kind of freaking me out. They say I’m their remedy - their mate. That I can’t leave. I thought what we shared was nothing but a romp in the woods. Turns out I’m coming face to face with my destiny.

The Huntresses of Artemis must obey two rules: never disobey the goddess, and never fall in love. After being rescued from a harrowing life as an Oracle of Delphi, Kahina is glad to be a part of the Hunt; living among a group of female warriors gives her a chance to reclaim her strength. But when a routine mission goes awry, Kahina breaks the first rule in order to save the legendary huntress Atalanta.

At thirty-six, undefeated rodeo champion AJ Garza is supposed to be retiring, not chasing after an all-new closed-circuit rodeo tour with a million-dollar prize. But with the Houston rodeo program that saved him as a wayward teen on the brink of bankruptcy, he'll enter. And he'll win. Enter Lilian Sorrow Island. Raised by her grandparents on the family ranch in Muskogee, OK, Lil is more a cowboy than city boy AJ will ever be. It shows. She's not about to let him steal the prize that'll save her ranch, even if he is breathtakingly magnificent, in pretty much every way going.

When Renee McClendon was a teenager, she made a list of all the qualities her perfect man would have, but no matter how many handsome guys have ticked the boxes, she has yet to find the man for her. She wants a regular guy who's not afraid to get his hands dirty, and she's given herself a deadline. If she doesn't find Mr. Right by New Year's, she's done searching.

From Vancouver-based writer Chelene Knight, Dear Current Occupant is a creative non-fiction memoir about home and belonging set in the 80s and 90s of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Using a variety of forms, Knight reflects on her childhood through a series of letters addressed to all of the current occupants now living in the twenty different houses she moved in and out of with her mother and brother.

Lacette Graham's twin sister, Kellie, has been competing with her since they shared a crib. And in 33 years, nothing has changed-except success, money, and men have come into play. But when the girls' parents separate, and their grandmother dies, Kellie's selfish manipulating reaches new heights. With her mother in the throes of a mid-life crisis, her father and greatest ally out of the house, and her sister out to steal her inheritance, Lacette is truly on her own. Then she meets talented, attractive Douglas Rawlins. There's just one problem: He avoids her like poison.

Even strong, fearless, and badass Black teen girls and Black women need empowering words of affirmation. Now more than ever, we must give our minds and bodies the TLC they deserve because Black women empowerment begins with the youth empowerment of Black teen girls. Author of Badass Black Girl M.J Fievre brings you inspirational words of wisdom through famous Black women who have changed the world, including Audre Lorde, Lupita Nyong'o and Angela Davis.

In Upper Hand, celebrated founder and CEO of The Plug, Sherrell Dorsey, delivers a personal and eye-opening exploration of how to ensure that marginalized communities aren't left behind as technology continues its inexorable march forward. In the book, listeners will learn to think about how we can strategically shape the coming decade to include Black and Brown communities. Upper Hand offers guidelines, insights, and frameworks for navigating the new world of work that is dominated by Silicon Valley-rooted technologies, inaccessible networks, and constant automation.

Coralyn Jewel shares her story of how she went from Olympic hopeful to thriving in the adult entertainment industry. The story starts from the interview and is finished off with words from Coralyn to her listeners. Her experiences inform, humanize, and even entertain. Author Ryan Michaels beautifully conveys the humanity and eye-opening entertainment of his conversations with an adult performer and swinger lifestyle coach.

When Fredericka Wing arrives in South Sutton, Massachusetts, a tiny New England town, it seems an ideal place for a working summer vacation. She plans on managing Miss Hartwell's bookstore while working on her own writing. She never dreamed she would find a body in a hammock in her own backyard. Someone brutally murdered Catherine Clay, an heir to the Sutton fortune. And more violence follows. Together with Peter Mohun, a professor at a local college, Fredericka sets out to discover the murderer's identity.

Ever since Scarlet Rocket showed up in the flesh, she's turned my structured world upside down. My neatly ordered life, my hand-painted Aliens versus Vampires figurines, my expertly curated comics collection - none of these things provide any shelter from her sexy, sassy onslaught. It's a disaster of my own making. She didn't exist until I created her. Now, I can't get her out of my mind, and all I want to do is get her into my bed. Never mind that she's a thief, a liar, a con woman. Every step she takes leaves chaos in her wake. And damn if I don't want more of it.

It’s the last night of Electric Daisy Carnival. Tyler's two best girlfriends met guys they were interested in the previous nights of the carnival and arranged for everyone to hang out together, which means Tyler will be stuck with the third member of their group, Scarlett. At first, he’s attracted to her sweet nature and girl-next-door good looks. But when she touches him, his mind is filled with thoughts and memories that aren’t his own, unsettling him. He’d rather not know more about her and how she’s making these things happen, but Scarlett seems to want the opposite.

Mya goes to Electric Daisy Carnival with her friends hoping not only to have the time of her life but also to take her mind of off her problems. A gnawing hunger has plagued her for months. But even though she eats, she’s growing dangerously thin, and the doctors can’t figure out what’s wrong with her. While at the carnival, she runs into Somer who tells her he’s an incubus and that she’s paranormal as well. Mya doesn’t believe him, of course. But then when he kisses her, she feels an enticing heat curl deep within her and something else that makes her change her mind.

Jennifer McClendon is in need of a vacation. What better place to get away from everything than a sun-drenched tropical island? And there's no better way to get over her ex and have some fun than to spend a little time with a handsome software engineer who's also on holiday. What could it hurt? They won't see each other again anyway.

budding butch in the Brylcreem era, Lorraine "Lon" Harris fantasizes about a South Pacific island full of women, where everyone will be free and accepting, and she'll never have to wear an eyelet blouse again. Spurned by her high school English teacher, Lon turns to a new friend, the brash, purple-haired Violet, who draws Lon into the lesbian underworld of suburban Los Angeles, to the sordid 28 Percent Club, a private bar where those with "contaminated passions" cling to each other.