As cliché as this might sound, it takes a village to raise a writer, so up front I must thank my parents for putting books into my hands and giving me the confidence to pursue my dreams. Likewise, my brother, Torrey, has provided not only support for this project, but great suggestions to make it into the best manuscript it can be.
Thanks to my writing families from both Callaloo and Hurston-Wright, the wonderful people at the Mississippi Arts Commission, and the following writers who have been very instrumental in my development: Steven Barnes, Aleda Shirley, Tayari Jones, Thomas Glave, Nelly Rosario, Tyehimba Jess, Shonda Buchanan, Michelle Gipson, Victor LaValle, Daniel Black, Colin Channer, Lamar Wilson, Christi Cartwright, DaMaris Hill, Eric Tanyavutti, Aaron Vano, Nancy Garcia, and the awesome Invincible Nine crew. Additional thanks to my colleagues at Lane College and Hampton University and my many students who have often taught me just as much as I have taught them.
To my creative partners Jay Craft, Phill Branch, Nsayel Mputubwele, Van G. Garrett, and Byron Lee: Thank you! And to the Whittington family: thank you for reading all of the drafts of my books, even the ones that may never see the light of day. Also, thank you, Sabin Duncan, for your endless support of my writing.
A special thank you to Brandon Massey and Zane for taking a chance on me early in my career, and for my dear friend Marie Dutton Brown, who taught me more about publishing than anyone else.
Because I write to music, I have to thank the vast list of soul musicians whose music has often inspired my work, including, but not confined to, the following: Stevie Wonder; Earth, Wind & Fire; Marvin Gaye; Lalah Hathway; Phonte, Nicolay, and the artists of Foreign Exchange Music; Jesse Boykins, III; Georgia Anne Muldrow; Slakah the Beatchild; Maxwell; Raheem Devaughn; Minnie Riperton; and the list goes on and on.
Thanks also to the Walker, Whitmore, Holbrook, and McGee families. Not only am I fortunate to have a great family, both extended and nuclear, I am blessed with a great set of in-laws who have never made me feel like an outlaw. Thanks, Mama Ruth, Edward, and all of the Maxie and Sanders family.
I’d also like to thank my brothers of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity and my sisters of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, as well as my AUC (Morehouse, Spelman, Clark Atlanta, Morris Brown) family.
And to all of my friends and family who have supported and encouraged me throughout the years, all the way from West Point, Mississippi, to Harlem, New York—a list much too long to mention here name-by-name—thank you.
And last, but by no means least, I’d like to thank my much better half, my beautiful wife, Lauren, for standing by me while I worked on various books throughout the years. She has always been my biggest cheerleader, and I could not have done this book without her undying love and support.