Poetry. African American Studies. Winner of the 2012 Marsh Hawk Press Poetry Prize. Winner of the 2013 Etchings Press Whirling Prize. Dear Hero is a crime scene investigation disguised as a love letter. The Hero’s Journey is lined with caution tape. Our prayers have been subpoenaed. The bloodstained altars are being processed for DNA. Immortals lie on the autopsy table, and our narrator is checking the gods’ entrails for clues, for any signs of hope.