{"product_id":"kiss-the-scars-on-the-back-of-my-neck-stories-9781612942032","title":"Kiss the Scars on the Back of My Neck: Stories","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIndependent Publishers Awards (IPPY) Silver Medalist in LGBT+ Fiction\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe eclectic stories in this collection are bound by the threads of desire in its many forms, above all, the desire for love and a place of safety in a world where being Black and gay can thwart the fulfillment of that longing. The characters are complex, driven, difficult, and even, at times, unsympathetic, but always compelling. In other words: fully rounded human beings living complicated lives. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA proud Black woman who escaped her rural, impoverished town returns after the collapse of her marriage and faces the scorn of those she left behind. A middle-aged gay man finds his loneliness temporarily relieved by the arrival of a stray cat. An unhappily married woman becomes enmeshed in her bisexual husband's attempt to create a \u003cem\u003eménage à trois\u003c\/em\u003e with a much younger man. A 16-year-old boy discovers the power of his sexuality when he embarks upon a dangerous seduction. Two Black men, one mature and rich, the other young and struggling, are drawn into a contentious affair by their shared love of opera. The legendary blues singer Glady Bentley crashes up against the barriers of race and gender when she gets caught up in a police raid. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cem\u003eKiss the Scars on the Back of My Neck\u003c\/em\u003e is a masterful collection of stories by a gifted writer who has fully hit his stride.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJoe Okonkwo is an award-winning novelist, short story writer, and editor. His debut novel \u003ci\u003eJazz Moon\u003c\/i\u003e won the Publishing Triangle's prestigious 2016 Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction and was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Best Gay Fiction. A cum laude graduate of the University of Houston with a B.A. in theater, Joe made his living for a number of years as an actor, stage manager, director, playwright, and youth theater instructor. He also holds an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from City College of New York.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Bywater Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50377522708754,"sku":"9781612942032","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_4a35a285-01de-49e8-9553-0944f28bfddf.jpg?v=1728625836","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/kiss-the-scars-on-the-back-of-my-neck-stories-9781612942032","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}