A powerful blend of short fiction and poetry exploring race, memory, love, gender, and the quiet storms that shape a life. When Dogs Bark 2 expands the world of the original collection with new stories, new voices, and new emotional terrain. These pieces move from childhood neighborhood rituals to adult reckonings, from private longings to public identities, from grief and betrayal to the quiet, unexpected ways we heal. Inside, you'll find: "Cheeseburger" – a coming-of-age story rooted in music, longing, and the dangerous edge of desire. "The 520i" – a sleek, tense ride through power and vulnerability. "When Dogs Bark" – the signature story revisited with new companion pieces that deepen its themes of loyalty, rage, and self-survival. New poems and diary-style reflections on family, gender roles, Southern Black identity, and the ways we remake ourselves after pain. Written with the sharp humor, emotional honesty, and lyric style that define Charles W. Harvey's work, this collection speaks to readers who crave literature that is bold, vulnerable, and deeply human. Readers of James Baldwin, Saeed Jones, Ntozake Shange, Danez Smith, and Randall Kenan will find familiar resonance here—fiction and poetry that refuses to look away from the truth of who we are. "Charles Harvey is always interesting, fun, funny, and provocative." — James V. Thomas "Like the poetry in these pages, we breathe, we break, we breathe again." — Tim'm T. West Contains an excerpt from New Work Purple Moonlight For readers of Black literary fiction, queer narratives, emotional realism, and modern short story collections. West, the author of "Red Dirt Revival," "BARE," and "Flirting," aptly describes, "When dogs bark, they surrender to the inevitability of their natures. Charles Harvey understands that humanity, too, is broken." The pages of "When Dogs Bark 2" echo the struggle of putting ourselves back together again, much like the poetry within. In these lines and stanzas, we find our own journey—breaking, breathing, and breaking again. Prepare to be mesmerized. "When Dogs Bark 2" is a testament to the raw, beautiful, and universal human experience, brought to life through the artistry of Charles W. Harvey. Dive in and let the words wash over you. Discover why readers around the world can't get enough of his work.