Title search results
Showing 1 - 20 of 10813 items
American Smoke: Journeys to the End of the Light
By Iain Sinclair. 2013
The visionary writer Iain Sinclair turns his sights to the Beat Generation in America in his most epic journey yet"How…
best to describe Iain Sinclair?" asks Robert Macfarlane in The Guardian. "A literary mud-larker and tip-picker? A Travelodge tramp (his phrase)? A middle-class dropout with a gift for bullshit (also his phrase)? A toxicologist of the twenty-first-century landscape? A historian of countercultures and occulted pasts? An intemperate WALL-E, compulsively collecting and compacting the city's textual waste? A psycho-geographer (from which term Sinclair has been rowing away ever since he helped launch it into the mainstream)? He's all of these, and more." Now, for the first time, the enigma that is Iain Sinclair lands on American shores for his long-awaited engagement with the memory-filled landscapes of the American Beats and their fellow travelers. A book filled with bad journeys and fated decisions, American Smoke is an epic walk in the footsteps of Malcolm Lowry, Charles Olson, Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs, Gary Snyder, and others, heated by obsession (the Old West, volcanoes, Mexico) and enlivened by false memories, broken reports, and strange adventures. With American Smoke, Sinclair confirms his place as the most innovative of our chroniclers of the contemporary.Xenophon's Cyrus the Great: The Arts of Leadership and War
By Xenophon. 2006
Cyrus, a great Persian leader, was so widely and memorably respected that a hundred years later, Xenophon of Athens wrote…
this admiring book about the greatest leader of his era. Larry Hedrick's Introduction describes Cyrus and his times.Among his many achievements, this great leader of wisdom and virtue founded and extended the Persian Empire; conquered Babylon; freed 40,000 Jews from captivity; wrote mankind's first human rights charter; and ruled over those he had conquered with respect and benevolence.According to historian Will Durant, Cyrus the Great's military enemies knew that he was lenient, and they did not fight him with that desperate courage which men show when their only choice is "to kill or die." As a result the Iranians regarded him as "The Father," the Babylonians as "The Liberator," the Greeks as the "Law-Giver," and the Jews as the "Anointed of the Lord."By freshening the voice, style and diction of Cyrus, Larry Hedrick has created a more contemporary Cyrus. A new generation of readers, including business executives and managers, military officers, and government officials, can now learn about and benefit from Cyrus the Great's extraordinary achievements, which exceeded all other leaders' throughout antiquity.Unpretentious, sophisticated, and always appetizing advice from a celebrated authorityFor more than thirty years, R. W. Apple Jr. roamed the…
United States as an eyewitness to history. Here, in Apple's America, his robust enthusiasm for the food and culture of New England, the South and West, the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, and his native Middle West carried him to forty great cities, where he proves to be our ideal guide--amused and amusing, knowledgeable, indefatigable, and endlessly curious.From Boston to Honolulu, from Montreal to Las Vegas, Cincinnati to Seattle, Johnny Apple explores the landmarks, architecture, business, culture, and, of course, the food and beverages of his favorite urban communities. Capturing the tone and style of American city life to perfection, he shows us the hidden treasures, the best buildings, the famous landmarks, the historical aura, and the present-day realities that make each city so memorable. And in each he recommends several places to stay, numerous places to eat, and sites or activities you shouldn't miss. No traveler in the United States will want to do without his recommendations.Silences So Deep: Music, Solitude, Alaska
By John Luther Adams. 2020
"[An] illuminating memoir." —Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim, The New York TimesThe story of a composer's life in the Alaskan wilderness and…
a meditation on making art in a landscape acutely threatened by climate changeIn the summer of 1975, the composer John Luther Adams, then a twenty-two-year-old graduate of CalArts, boarded a flight to Alaska. So began a journey into the mountains, forests, and tundra of the far north—and across distinctive mental and aural terrain—that would last for the next forty years. Silences So Deep is Adams’s account of these formative decades—and of what it’s like to live alone in the frozen woods, composing music by day and spending one’s evenings with a raucous crew of poets, philosophers, and fishermen. From adolescent loves—Edgard Varèse and Frank Zappa—to mature preoccupations with the natural world that inform such works as The Wind in High Places, Adams details the influences that have allowed him to emerge as one of the most celebrated and recognizable composers of our time. Silences So Deep is also a memoir of solitude enriched by friendships with the likes of the conductor Gordon Wright and the poet John Haines, both of whom had a singular impact on Adams’s life. Whether describing the travails of environmental activism in the midst of an oil boom or midwinter conversations in a communal sauna, Adams writes with a voice both playful and meditative, one that evokes the particular beauty of the Alaskan landscape and the people who call it home.Ultimately, this book is also the story of Adams’s difficult decision to leave a rapidly warming Alaska and to strike out for new topographies and sources of inspiration. In its attentiveness to the challenges of life in the wilderness, to the demands of making art in an age of climate crisis, and to the pleasures of intellectual fellowship, Silences So Deep is a singularly rich account of a creative life.Ecstatic Trails: The 52 Best Day Hikes and Nature Walks In and Around Los Angeles
By Rob Campbell. 2002
Los Angeles is a hiker's perfect playground: from enchanted canyons to bountiful beaches, the range of terrain provides an almost…
endless variety of trails, vistas, and even weather conditions. Organized by level of difficulty, beginning with the most forgiving trails and building up to the toughest, Ecstatic Trails emphasizes the experience of the hike, guiding you to romantic hikes, trails that are right for children, thrill hikes, day trips you can build around a picnic, or intense paths perfect for solitary exploration.Everything a novice hiker or experienced trailblazer needs is here, including:--detailed maps--driving directions--restrictions, including whether dogs are permitted--the amount of time each hike is likely to take--featured elements and trail descriptionsFrom wildflower walks to dramatic waterfall treks, from sunset outings to trails that provide cool breezes in the midst of summer, Ecstatic Trails is packed with a year's worth of happy hiking.Good Grief: Heal Your Soul, Honor Your Loved Ones, and Learn to Live Again
By Theresa Caputo. 2017
New York Times bestselling author Theresa Caputo, star of Long Island Medium and Raising Spirits provides a guide to overcoming…
grief, filled with inspiring lessons from Spirit and astonishing stories from the clients who have been empowered and healed by her spiritual readings.After more than a decade of being a practicing medium, Theresa Caputo shares the powerful lessons she has learned about grief, healing, and finding happiness in the wake of tragedy. In almost every reading she gives, Spirit insists that people begin to embrace their lives again. But not everyone knows where to start, and putting back together the pieces of a life marked by loss is never easy. Sometimes, you need spiritual guidance—and that&’s where Theresa comes in. With her energetic, positive, and encouraging tone, Theresa uses the lessons from Spirit to guide you through grief toward a place of solace and healing. Each lesson is grounded in her clients&’ experiences of losing loved ones, their encounters with Spirit during readings, and the ways in which they&’ve been able to heal and grow. Each chapter is filled with activities to help you find your &“new normal&”—including journaling, individual and group exercises, meditations, and moments of reflection—based on the truths that Theresa has gathered from Spirit. Good Grief—&“an excellent resource for those who wish to be in communication with deceased loved ones&” (Library Journal)—will help you to feel stronger and more optimistic about what the future has in store for you.Foundations for a Humanitarian Economy: Re-thinking Boethius’ Consolation of Philosophy (ISSN)
By William D. Bishop. 2022
The modern global economy and discipline of economics place mathematical calculation above human concern. However, a re-reading of Boethius’ The…
Consolation of Philosophy can positively highlight the contrast in values and spirit of the early medieval European world with our own scientific age.This book discusses the historical and cultural contexts that influenced Boethius’ writing and explores how Consolation offers a radically different understanding of economic concepts: wealth from inner happiness and virtues, poverty from hoarding outer possessions, self-sufficiency in the greater whole, enlightenment through misfortune, and development as fruition from the Good. These economic considerations resonate with a range of heterodox economic perspectives, such as Ecological and Buddhist Economics. The fundamental revaluations gained through Boethius pose a critique of mainstream neoclassical and neoliberal economics: to consumerism, avarice, growth and technology fetishism, and market rationality. These economic foundations resonate into a time when global crises raise the question of fundamental human priorities, offering alternatives to an ever-expanding industrial market economy designed for profit, and helping to avoid irrevocable socio-ecological disasters. The issues raised and questioned in this book will be of significant interest to readers with concern for pluralist approaches to economics, philosophy, classics, ancient history and theology.Enchanted Islands tells the true story of Laura Coffey's epic journey around the mystical archipelagos of the Mediterranean. Blending memoir,…
travel and nature writing with tales from The Odyssey, and infused with sharply comic wit, this is a celebration of the redemptive powers of cold-water swimming and luminous star-lit skies.Expedition to Disaster: The Athenian Mission to Sicily 415 BC
By Philip Matyszak. 2012
This thrillingly vivid history recounts a pivotal battle of the Peloponnesian War, bringing the drama and personalities of the Sicilian…
Expedition to life. The Athenian expedition to conquer Sicily was one of the most significant military events of the classical period. At the time, Athens was locked in a decades-long struggle with Sparta for mastery of the Greek world. The expedition to Sicily was intended to win Athens the extra money and resources needed to crush the Spartans. With the aid of new archaeological discoveries, Expedition to Disaster reconstructs the mission, and the ensuing siege, in greater detail than ever before. The cast of characters includes Alcibiades, the flamboyant, charismatic young aristocrat; Nicias, the ageing, reluctant commander of the ill-fated expedition, and Gylippus, the grim Spartan general sent to command the defense of Syracuse. It was he who turned the tables on the Athenian invaders. They were surrounded, besieged, and forced to ask for mercy from a man who had none. Philip Matyszak's combination of thorough research and gripping narrative presents an episode of ancient history packed with colorful characters and dramatic tension.A Detroit Anthology (Belt City Anthologies)
By Anna Clark. 2014
A unique perspective of the Motor City, this anthology combines stories told by both longtime residents and newcomers from activists…
to teachers to artists to students. While Detroit has always been rich in stories, too often those stories are told back to the city by outsiders looking in, believing they can explain Detroit back to itself. As editor, Anna Clark writes in the introduction, "These are the stories we tell each other over late nights at the pub and long afternoons on the porch. We share them in coffee shops, at church social hours, in living rooms, and while waiting for the bus. These are stories full of nodding asides and knowing laughs. These are stories addressed to the rhetorical "you"―with the ratcheted up language that comes with it―and these are stories that took real legwork to investigate . . . You will not find 'positive' stories about Detroit in this collection, or 'negative' ones. But you will find true stories." Featuring essays, photographs, art, and poetry by Grace Lee Boggs, John Carlisle, Desiree Cooper, Dream Hampton, Steve Hughes, Jamaal May, Tracie McMillan, Marsha Music, Shaka Senghor, Thomas J. Sugrue, and many others.Right Here, Right Now: The Buffalo Anthology (Belt City Anthologies)
By Jody K. Biehl. 2016
Buffalo is a magical place to be and this anthology walks the reader through the decades. The newness of the…
city is electrifying and sits atop a glorious history of power, disappointment, artistic flair, racial injustice and spicy chicken wings—and Buffalo has the Niagara Falls in its backyard. Told through the eyes of more than 65 artists, writers, and residents, the essays will give readers a feel of the city, its good and bad sides, and why many people love calling Buffalo their home. The contributors include: Lauren Belfer, Wolf Blitzer, Marv Levy, John Lombardo, Mary Ramsey, Robby Takac, and many more.The Cleveland Anthology (Belt City Anthologies)
By Richey Piiparinen, Anne Trubek. 2012
An inside-out snapshot of Cleveland written by those who actually live and work there. An intimate reminder "that strength of…
character abounds in the Cleveland community."-- Freshwater Cleveland The past few yIn the Watershed: A Journey Down the Maumee River
By Ryan Schnurr. 2017
For several years, Ryan Schnurr watched media coverage of Lake Erie algae blooms with a growing sense of unease. An…
Indiana native, he wanted to learn more about role of the Maumee River in the lake's environmental woes: the Maumee is Lake Erie's largest tributary and the center of the largest watershed in the region, spanning more than 6,600 square miles of land. So in the summer of 2016, Schnurr walked and canoed the length of the river from its headwaters in Fort Wayne, Indiana to its mouth in Toledo, Ohio. In The Watershed: A Journey Down the Maumee River is the story of that voyage. As he walks the banks, Schnurr tells us the history of the river, from its formation by glaciers, function in Native American and American history, uses by industry, and role in current economic and environmental issues. Part cultural history, part nature writing, and part narrative, In the Watershed is a lyrical work of non-fiction in the vein of John McPhee and Ian Frazier with a timely and important warning at the core. "What is happening in Lake Erie," Schnurr tells us, "is a disaster by nearly any measure―ecologically, economically, socially, culturally."The St. Louis Anthology (Belt City Anthologies)
By Ryan Schuessler. 2019
St. Louis is a fragmented place. It‚Äôs physically dissected by rivers, highways, walls, and fences, but it‚Äôs also a place…
where one’s race, class, religion, and zip code may as well be cards in a rigged poker game, where the winners’ prize is the ability to ignore the fact that the losers have drastically shorter life expectancies. But it can also be a city of warmth, love, and beauty―especially in its contrasts. Edited by Ryan Schuessler (Sweeter Voices Still: An LGBTQ Anthology from Middle America), the collection features nearly 70 essays penned by St. Louis writers, journalists, clerics, poets, and activists including Aisha Sultan, Galen Gritts, Vivian Gibson, Maja Sadikovic, Nartana Premachandra, Sophia Benoit, Robert Langellier, Samuel Autman, Umar Lee, and more.A Lovely Place, A Fighting Place, A Charmer: The Baltimore Anthology (Belt City Anthologies)
By Gary M. Almeter, Rafael Alvarez. 2022
A part of Belt's City Anthology Series, a unique take on Charm City through the eyes of those who live…
there every day. To many outsiders, Baltimore--sometimes derisively called "Mobtown" or "Bodymore"--is a city famous for its poverty and violence, twin ills that have been compounded by decades of racial segregation and the loss of manufacturing jobs. But that portrait has only given us a skewed view of a truly unique and diverse American city, the place that produced Babe Ruth, Elijah Cummings, Nancy Pelosi, Edgar Allan Poe, John Waters, and Thurgood Marshall, and a city that's completely its own. In the over thirty-five essays, poems, and short stories collected here, the authors take an unfiltered look at the ins and outs of Baltimore's past and present. You'll hear about the first time an umbrella appeared in the Inner Harbor, nineteenth-century grave robbers, and the city's history with redlining and blockbusting. But you'll also get a deeper sense of what life is like in Baltimore today, including stories about urban gardening in Bolton Hill, the slow demise of local journalism, what life was like in the city during COVID, and the legacy of Freddie Gray. As Ron Kipling Williams writes in his essay about the city's magnetic appeal, "Baltimore has always been a city worth fighting for," and running through all these essays is the story of Baltimore's resilience. From Pigtown to Pimlico, this anthology captures the sights, sounds, and feel of this city that so many people have come to discover is truly a lovely place, a fighting place, a charmer. Edited by Gary M. Almeter and Rafael Alvarez, this anthology offers an unfiltered look at Baltimore that will appeal to anyone looking for a portrait of an American city that's far more nuanced than the stories that are generally told about it.Under Purple Skies: The Minneapolis Anthology (Belt City Anthologies)
By Frank Bures. 2019
In recent years, Minneapolis has become one of America‚Äôs literary powerhouses. With over fifty poems and essays, Under Purple Skies:…
The Minneapolis Anthology collects some of the most exciting work being done in, or about, Minneapolis and the Twin Cities area, with narrative threads that stretch back not just to Scandinavia, but across the world. Edited by Frank Bures (The Geography of Madness), the writers included here have won, or been shortlisted for, the Newbery Award, the Man Booker Prize, the Pulitzer, the Caldecott Award, the National Book Award, the Minnesota Book Award, and many others.Cleveland Neighborhood Guidebook (Belt Neighborhood Guidebooks)
By Belt Publishing. 2016
This book is for those who want to understand what radiates away from Terminal Tower, and who understand that as…
lovely as the city often is, it can sometimes be brutal, too. You will read about places no longer here, such as the Little Italy Historical Museum and League Park, as well as increasingly popular areas, such as North Collinwood and Asiatown. You will learn about Cleveland Heights s natural history, Mount Pleasant back in the day, and Opportunity Corridors missed. The writers tell you stories about starting a business in Ohio City, marketing Larchmere, first time home buying in Detroit Shoreway, self-loathing in South Euclid, troubling developments in Tremont, closed schools in Lee-Miles, and a vineyard in Hough. Bound together, they conjure a Cleveland as complex as are its residents.The Detroit Neighborhood Guidebook (Belt Neighborhood Guidebooks)
By Aaron Foley. 2017
Detroiters need to get to know their neighbors better. Wait ‚Äï maybe that should be, Detroiters should get to know…
their neighborhoods better. It seems like everybody thinks they know the neighborhoods here, but because there are so many, the definitions become too broad, the characteristics become muddled, the stories become lost. Edited by Aaron Foley, The Detroit Neighborhood Guidebook contains essays by Zoe Villegas, Drew Philip, Hakeem Weatherspoon, Marsha Music, Ian Thibodeau, and dozens of others.The Dayton Anthology (Belt City Anthologies)
By Shannon Shelton Miller. 2020
The Dayton Anthology, the fifteenth in Belt's City Anthologies series, is a portrait of a city recovering from the twin…
2019 crises of devastating tornadoes and the mass shooting that took the lives of nine residents. Through essays and poems, contributors reflect on these traumas, and the longer-term ills of disinvestment and decay that have plagued the city for years, but also on the resilience of the people who call Dayton home. This is the city that brought the world the Wright brothers' invention of flight, along with the cash register, the hydraulic pump, and other technological innovations, but also the soaring poetry of Paul Laurence Dunbar, and the comedy of Dave Chappelle. With contributions from Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley and former Ohio Governor Bob Taft.Who We Lost: A Portable Covid Memorial
By Martha Greenwald. 2023
Who We Lost is the first book that directly acknowledges the free-floating grief of the COVID-bereaved, affirms that it must…
be addressed, and offers a purposeful activity that respects mourners as well as the mourned.  In 2020,