These are the collected short stories and poetry of Valerie Z. Lewis (1977-2013). Valerie was a novelist, short story writer, and professor, with over 30 publishing credits to her name. At the time of her death, she was a doctoral candidate at SUNY Binghamton. Valerie taught Creative Writing at Mercy College, in Dobbs Ferry, NY. The school has been kind enough to set up a scholarship award in her name. All proceeds from this collection go to The Valerie Lewis Award for Excellence in Creative Writing.