FOR EVERY BLACK BOY is a book Ive been writing my entire life since the moments I took my very first breath in this world. For as long as Ive lived, Ive existed as a Black boy. This book recounts racialized experiences and other human discoveries through poetry and prose. Exploring topics like death, love, manhood, and sexuality, this text captures a complex and multilayered story.

While this book was written with every Black boy at the center, I offer an invitation to anyone to step inside the world it creates. Through the writing process, there were several times when the poetry felt like it was being written through me instead of by me. Ive never been a deeply spiritual person but I try to listen when my ancestors have something to say; I endeavor to honor them. This book is a gift; and, that is why the cover reads…

“from JAKE.”