Short Story Press Presents The Black Sapphire by Ruth Pettite "The Black Sapphire" was a concept that Ruth toyed with for a few years. She studied dialect to help enhance one of the main characters, "Mattie." In the story, an unsolved crime shows its ugly face when Detective Adam Reynoir starts investigating. Mattie, the home's housekeeper, and her son, Jarell, decide that they are going to continue staying in the home, even after the dismembering murders have been cleaned up. As the story unfolds, Mattie takes Detective Reynoir on a tour of the home, trying to get him to understand in her way that the murders were no accident. Mattie's life revolves around her son, Jarell. When more incidents happen, Reynoir finally understands why Mattie professes her faith so much in front of everyone, no matter what. Living on the edge of greed will indeed, find you empty handed. Short Story Press publishes short stories written by everyday writers.

"The Black Sapphire" was a concept that Ruth toyed with for a few years. She studied dialect to help enhance one of the main characters, "Mattie." Short Story Press publishes short stories written by everyday writers.

Transcript of CWPG lecture given October 28, 1987.

A courageous and determined young teacher opens up a new world of hope and redemption for sixteen-year-old Precious Jones, an abused young African American girl living in Harlem who was raped and left pregnant by her father.

Fifteen years after the publication of Push, one year after the Academy Award-winning film adaptation, Sapphire gives voice to Precious's son, Abdul. In The Kid bestselling author Sapphire tells the electrifying story of Abdul Jones, the son of Push's unforgettable heroine, Precious. A story of body and spirit, rooted in the hungers of flesh and of the soul, The Kid brings us deep into the interior life of Abdul Jones. We meet him at age nine, on the day of his mother's funeral. Left alone to navigate a world in which love and hate sometimes hideously masquerade, forced to confront unspeakable violence, his history, and the dark corners of his own heart, Abdul claws his way toward adulthood and toward an identity he can stand behind. In a generational story that moves with the speed of thought from a Mississippi dirt farm to Harlem in its heyday; from a troubled Catholic orphanage to downtown artist's lofts, The Kid tells of a twenty- first-century young man's fight to find a way toward the future. A testament to the ferocity of the human spirit and the deep nourishing power of love and of art, The Kid chronicles a young man about to take flight. In the intimate, terrifying, and deeply alive story of Abdul's journey, we are witness to an artist's birth by fire.

"Black Writers? African, Bluesy, Classical, Disrespectful, Erudite, Fiery, Groovy, Haunting, Inspiring, Jazzy, Knowing, Liberating, Militant, Nervy, Optimistic, Pugnacious, Quixotic, Rambunctious, Seductive, Truculent, Urgent, Vivacious, Wicked, X-ray sharp, Yearning, Zesty. And so, they matter!" --George Elliott Clarke An anthology of African-Canadian writing, Black Writers Matter offers a cross-section of established writers and newcomers to the literary world who tackle contemporary and pressing issues with beautiful, sometimes raw, prose. As editor Whitney French says in her introduction, Black Writers Matter "injects new meaning into the word diversity [and] harbours a sacredness and an everydayness that offers Black people dignity. " An "invitation to read, share, and tell stories of Black narratives that are close to the bone," this collection feels particular to the Black Canadian experience.

In this fun middle-grade novel from the author of The Kayla Chronicles, Brianna Justice has big dreams of following in her chef hero’s footsteps—and the first step is to become the president of her class. ​ Start counting your votes . . . and your friends. When Brianna Justice's hero, the famous celebrity chef Miss Delicious, speaks at her school and traces her own success back to being president of her fifth grade class, Brianna determines she must do the same. She just knows that becoming president of her class is the first step toward her own cupcake-baking empire! But when new student Jasmine Moon announces she is also running for president, Brianna learns that she may have more competition than she expected. Will Brianna be able to stick to her plan of working with her friends to win the election fairly? Or will she jump at the opportunity to steal votes from Jasmine by revealing an embarrassing secret? This hilarious, heartfelt novel will appeal to any reader with big dreams and the determination to achieve them.