We’ve been hinting that BI friend, Craig Stewart had written a hot, little memoir and a few of us here at Black Is couldn’t wait to get our hands on it after reading an excerpt Craig sent us to whet our appetites. As it turns out the book in its entirety did not disappoint, and though steamy at points, it is moreso gut-wrenchingly honest.
Words Never Spoken is Craig’s journey into adulthood as he grapples with accepting the fact that he is a gay man. It takes us through his life starting in his hometown of Baltimore, MD, to his college experience at Hampton University and finally to Atlanta, where he begins his career as a writer of stage plays and music.
What I love most about this book is that (similarly to James Baldwin), Craig asks us as a community to confront homosexuality head on. So often our ignorance and or homophobia is cause for loved ones to stay closeted, on the down low, and estranged from family members. His honest exploration of his own experience as well as others around him who dealt with various level of acceptance and banishment gives a clear understanding of how gay Black men view themselves in light of how society treats them.
I implore anyone who is having a hard time dealing with a homosexual family member to get a copy of this book, read it and share it with others, so that as a community we do a better job of taking care of our own, in spite of our differences. Listen in as Craig and I discuss his process for writing this book and why he believes this story is so important to humanity at large.
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