*To Be Loved" is a coming-of-age memoir that navigates the labyrinthine alleys of Northeast Washington, D.C., as a lone soul forges his path through the smoldering crucible of life.

The tapestry of my childhood in the bustling streets of Washington is painted with the hues of longing and desire, where my heart sought the love that was missing from the hearth of home. Like a moth drawn to the flame, I spiraled into the seductive embrace of the streets, finding solace and success in their dark corners, aiming to master every challenge I embraced, including crime.

As a teenager, I metamorphosed into a petty hustler, haunting downtown patrons with phantom heists and stealing treasures from glittering department stores. Alas, fate had other plans, and at the tender age of 19, 1 found myself shackled by a 15-year prison sentence for a crime the victim said I did not commit!

Imprisoned on the precipice of despair and contemplating the abyss of suicide, I discovered salvation within countless books' pages. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, I transformed my life, forged goals, and charted a new course that led me out of the iron bars within 18 months of the

15-year-sentence. With unwavering determination, I used the stigma of an ex-convict as a ticket to the hallowed halls of higher education, where I earned a B.A. degree in communications and recognition as a Who's Who Among Students at American Universities and Colleges.

My journey led me through the corridors of power, where I served the administration of seven Presidential Cabinet Secretaries, and into the realm of words, where I flourished as a freelance writer, photographer, and president of The African American Writers Guild, with appearances on television and radio public affairs shows, as well as being published by local newspapers.and magazines from across the United States. -