The Boys in Black

The Boys in Black is the saga of heavy metal vandals coming of age in the era of Columbine and 9-11. Big dreams in small towns lead to road trips and inner trips, a lust for life, and the discovery of morbid truth. Over the changes of twenty-five years, a group of friends are torn by the times and their own fierce individualism.Westley Heine is the author of Busking Blues: Recollections of a Street Musician and Squatter (Roadside Press 2022), a short story collection 12 Chicago Cabbies (Newington Blue Press 2021), a poetry collection Street Corner Spirits (Roadside Press 2023), and a collection of short stories and poems Cloud Watching in the Inferno (Roadside Press 2025).Heine was a 2025 poetry judge for the Society of Midland Authors, is Pushcart Prize nominated, twice the featured performer at the original poetry slam at The Green Mill in Chicago, featured at Underground Lit Fest in Toledo, Beyond Baroque in L.A., Gonzo Fest in New York, Specs in San Francisco, and was the poet chosen to represent Illinois at the Route 66 Poetry & Arts Festival 2025.