Few white folks would recognize the poem above or connect it to the lyrics from a song sung famously by black blues singer Billie Holiday. In fact, it was her theme song, and she was often barred from singing it except in her more exclusive appearances in New York Café Society. I myself was not aware of it until I read The Cross and the Lynching Tree by James Cone…

We’re happy to share the news that our Brothers at the Male Journey in the UK have recently published a new volume of collected poems from men in their regions - More Men Cracked Open.