Narratively

Ray W Hayden

Ray W. Hayden is a veteran of the NYPD and NYC Department of Corrections, where he amassed numerous medals for bravery, and the FDNY, where he served as a first responder on September 11. After retiring in 2002 with World Trade Center injuries, he earned a B.S. in Criminal Justice from SUNY Empire State College and began writing. He is the author of “Queen of the S.R.O.” and “The Nightcap.”

Stories By Ray W Hayden

Queen of the S.R.O.

In gritty 1980s New York, one West Village flophouse became a last-chance refuge for addicts, criminals, LGBTQ runaways, and anyone with nowhere left to go. And my mom was their queen.