…Cherry’s stories are brutally realistic refusals to mourn what is most deplorable in life in the United States from African American male perspectives… Still a Man is a powerful book that speaks convincingly of intersectionality, of the inter- and intra-ethnic confluences wherein readers dwell…”

Dr. Jerry A. Ward, Jr.

In 2011, Willow Books had the distinct honor of releasing Still A Man and Other Stories by acclaimed writer James E Cherry. Praised as “one of the significant literary voices rising out of Tennesee in the early 21st century,” by New York Times bestselling author Alice Randall, Cherry wrote a contemporary yet timeless collection of stories about the everyday lives of black people in America.

“Come back, Eldrige! I ain’t wearing no gotdamn mask!”

–from “Ghosts of Salvation,” Still A Man and Other Stories

In this story about the interaction in a nursing home between a young black janitor who hears the confession of an old klansman, “mask” takes on a multi-dimensional meaning for today’s readers.

Nearly a decade has passed since Still A Man first appeared. And now–at this most crucial time in U.S. history–Cherry’s stories are needed again. The amazing truth is that they were always ready for this moment.

Still A Man and Other Stories 2nd Edition by James E. Cherry