Search results for ""Author Morris"

This title includes in-depth critical discussions of Maya Angelou's novel. Maya Angelou's ""I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"" took the world by storm when it was published in 1969. As it shot to the top of best-seller lists, it made Angelou one of the most recognized black women in America. Despite controversy over its frank depiction of sexual abuse, the autobiography is still widely read in high schools and colleges across the country. Three decades after it was published, readers continue to admire Angelou's artistry, wit, and indomitable spirit. Edited by Mildred R. Mickle, Assistant Professor of English at Penn State Greater Allegheny, this volume brings together a variety of critical offerings on Angelou's famous autobiography. Mickle's introduction pays tribute to Angelou's achievement and examines the inspiration she drew from Phillis Wheatley's civil rights advocacy as well as the similarities between ""Caged Bird"" and Harriet Jacobs' ""Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl"" and Paul Lawrence Dunbar's poetry. ""The Paris Review""'s Christopher Cox reminds readers of how revolutionary Angelou's autobiography was when it was published and recounts the comments Angelou made on her work in an interview with George Plimpton. Four original essays by Amy Sickels, Pamela Loos, Neil Heims, and Robert C. Evans provide valuable context for reader's new to Angelou's work. Sickels discusses the historical events that surround Angelou's life: the civil rights, black power, and black arts movements as well as the emergence of black women's literature with the first publications of Toni Morrison, Nikki Giovanni, Alice Walker, and Lucille Clifton. Loos provides a survey of the major pieces of criticism on ""Caged Bird"", paying special attention to the book's early reception and how it fits in the autobiographical genre and slave narratives, as well as issues of race, gender, aesthetics, and identity. Neil Heims discusses the struggle for a black identity through readings of both ""Caged Bird"" and James Baldwin's ""If Beale Street Could Talk"". Finally, Robert C. Evans examines the role that both formal and informal education play in the young Maya's maturation. The collection also includes ten previously published essays that examine ""Caged Bird"" through a variety of lenses. Critics examine the character of young Maya, noting how her rootlessness contributes to her perseverance and adaptability, as well as how Angelou's narrative technique allows her to recount the details of incredible life without being controlled by them. The book's treatment of sexual abuse is also investigated in the larger context of other black women's narratives of sexual abuse. Other critics attend to ""Caged Bird""'s place in the genre of ethnic autobiography and the particular challenges it presents to teachers seeking to expose students multicultural literature; the childhood roots of Angelou's political activism; the influence of blues music on the narrative's structure; and, the young Maya's relationships with the black community, literature, and the women in her life.

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'Powerful and profound.' - Matthew Syed'Anyone interested in motivation should read this book and think deeply.’ - Margaret Heffernan ***Selected as one of the Financial Times's Best Business Books of 2020******THE PEOPLE' BOOK PRIZE 2022/23 SHORTLISTED TITLE***In this fascinating examination of our widespread obsession with winning, Cath Bishop draws on her personal experience of high-performance environments to trace the idea of winning through history, language and thought to explore how it has come to be a defining concept in fields from sport to business, from politics to education. Faced with the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century, Cath offers a new, broader approach – The Long Win. Cath competed as a rower at three Olympic Games, becoming the first British woman to win the World Championships and an Olympic medal in the coxless pairs event. As a senior diplomat, Cath worked on policy and negotiations, specializing in stabilization policy for conflict-affected parts of the world. In business, Cath has acted as a coach and consultant, advising on team and leadership development and organizational culture, and teaches on the Executive Education Faculty at the Judge Business School, Cambridge University.In this book she brings that extraordinary mix of experience to examine what winning has come to mean to society and to us as individuals and offers a fresh perspective on how we might redefine success – personal and professional - for the longer-term.‘Looking at life from a different point of view is a rare skill. Built on in-depth research and broad experience as well as original thought, this book will change your outlook on everything.’ - Clare Balding OBE‘This book is so relevant, timely and exciting for any person or organization wanting to investigate what success means to them. It couldn’t be a more relevant book right now and Cath’s exceptional ability in so many areas of life make it a gripping read with a lot of key takeaways whatever your area of interest. I wish every leader could immediately read this book as the world would be a better place if they did!’ - Goldie Sayers, Olympic Medallist in the Javelin, Coach‘I love this book. It is a must-read for educators, business executives, policy makers, politicians and indeed anyone who wants to understand why we need a new narrative around winning and success. We need a lot more Long-Win Thinking in our homes, businesses and institutions and Cath’s book is the place to go to find out why – and how we get there.’ - Dame Helena Morrissey

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‘Full of Hoffman’s bewitching and lucid prose and vivid characters, The Book of Magic is ultimately about the very human magic of family and love and actions that echo through generations… it casts a spell’ —Matt HaigTHE STUNNING, UNFORGETTABLE CONCLUSION TO THE BELOVED PRACTICAL MAGIC SERIES For centuries, the Owens family has been cursed in matters of love. When beloved aunt Jet Owens hears the sound of the deathwatch beetle, she knows that it is a signal. She has finally discovered the secret to breaking the curse, but time is running out. She has only seven days to live. Unaware of the family’s witchcraft lineage and all it entails, one of the young sisters of the new Owens generation has fallen in love. As the curse strikes once again, her love’s fate hangs in the balance, spurring three generations of Owens to venture back to where it all began and use their gifts to break the spell that has marked all their lives. But doing so threatens to destroy everything the family has fought so hard to protect. How much will they give up for the greatest gift of all?'This page-turning Atlantic-crossing caper is, above all, a paean to family love... These fast fairytales for grown-ups are full of enchanting comfort – more escapist than curse' —Sunday Times'A satisfying tale springs from a slow beginning, packing in escapist fable, real-world savvy and incidents galore' —Mail on Sunday'Delightfully witchy... Alluring on its own, it's also a satisfying end to a timeless saga' —New York Times Book ReviewPRAISE for ALICE HOFFMAN ‘Beautiful, harrowing, a major contribution to twenty-first century literature’Toni Morrison ‘I am still reeling from The Dovekeepers – from the history Alice Hoffman illuminates, from the language she uses to bring these women to life. This novel is a testament to the human spirit and to love rising from the ashes of war. But most of all, this novel is one that will never be forgotten by a reader.’Jodi Picoult ‘In her remarkable new novel, Alice Hoffman holds a mirror to our ancient past as she explores the contemporary themes of sexual desire, women’s solidarity in the face of strife, and the magic that’s quietly present in our day-to-day living. Put The Dovekeepers at the pinnacle of Hoffman’s extraordinary body of work. I was blown away.’Wally Lamb ‘Alice Hoffman takes seemingly ordinary lives and lets us see and feel extraordinary things.’Amy Tan ‘Miss Hoffman heals wounds with the gentle touch of an angel’Joseph Heller 'Oh, what a book this is! Hoffman’s exploration of the world of good and evil, and the constant contest between them, is unflinching; and the humanity she brings to us – it is a glorious experience.'Elizabeth Strout

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‘Full of Hoffman’s bewitching and lucid prose and vivid characters, The Book of Magic is ultimately about the very human magic of family and love and actions that echo through generations… it casts a spell’ —Matt HaigTHE STUNNING, UNFORGETTABLE CONCLUSION TO THE BELOVED PRACTICAL MAGIC SERIES For centuries, the Owens family has been cursed in matters of love. When beloved aunt Jet Owens hears the sound of the deathwatch beetle, she knows that it is a signal. She has finally discovered the secret to breaking the curse, but time is running out. She has only seven days to live. Unaware of the family’s witchcraft lineage and all it entails, one of the young sisters of the new Owens generation has fallen in love. As the curse strikes once again, her love’s fate hangs in the balance, spurring three generations of Owens to venture back to where it all began and use their gifts to break the spell that has marked all their lives. But doing so threatens to destroy everything the family has fought so hard to protect. How much will they give up for the greatest gift of all?'This page-turning Atlantic-crossing caper is, above all, a paean to family love... These fast fairytales for grown-ups are full of enchanting comfort – more escapist than curse' —Sunday Times'A satisfying tale springs from a slow beginning, packing in escapist fable, real-world savvy and incidents galore' —Mail on Sunday'Delightfully witchy... Alluring on its own, it's also a satisfying end to a timeless saga' —New York Times Book ReviewPRAISE for ALICE HOFFMAN ‘Beautiful, harrowing, a major contribution to twenty-first century literature’Toni Morrison ‘I am still reeling from The Dovekeepers – from the history Alice Hoffman illuminates, from the language she uses to bring these women to life. This novel is a testament to the human spirit and to love rising from the ashes of war. But most of all, this novel is one that will never be forgotten by a reader.’Jodi Picoult ‘In her remarkable new novel, Alice Hoffman holds a mirror to our ancient past as she explores the contemporary themes of sexual desire, women’s solidarity in the face of strife, and the magic that’s quietly present in our day-to-day living. Put The Dovekeepers at the pinnacle of Hoffman’s extraordinary body of work. I was blown away.’Wally Lamb ‘Alice Hoffman takes seemingly ordinary lives and lets us see and feel extraordinary things.’Amy Tan ‘Miss Hoffman heals wounds with the gentle touch of an angel’Joseph Heller 'Oh, what a book this is! Hoffman’s exploration of the world of good and evil, and the constant contest between them, is unflinching; and the humanity she brings to us – it is a glorious experience.'Elizabeth Strout

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A landmark work of bio-romanticism, Mephistos and Other Poems is the first completely new collection in five years from legendary Beat and SF Renaissance poet Michael McClure, reflecting his interests in mammal consciousness and ecological survival. The title sequence stems from McClure's ongoing "grafting" experiment, growing new poems from fragments of previously ones. "Some Fringes" is a series of haiku-like nature poems, while the seventeen-part "Rose Breaths" derives from the poet's practice of meditation. The freestanding poems grouped under the title "Being" pay homage to many of McClure's collaborators and fellow travelers like Bruce Conner, Terry Riley, and Dave Haselwood. The book climaxes with "Song Heavy," recounting McClure's recent encounter with a beached whale in Rockport, Massachusetts, and recalling his classic "For the Death of 100 Whales," which he read at the Six Gallery in 1955--the inaugural moment of American eco-poetics. Michael McClure is an award-winning American poet, playwright, songwriter, and novelist. After moving from Kansas to San Francisco as a young man, he was one of the five poets who participated in the Six Gallery reading that featured the public debut of Allen Ginsberg's landmark poem "Howl." A key figure of the Beat Generation, McClure is immortalized as Pat McLear in Jack Kerouac's novels The Dharma Bums and Big Sur. He also participated in the sixties counterculture alongside musicians like Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison. McClure remains active as a poet, essayist, and playwright and lives with his second wife, Amy, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Michael and I have been twisting the Dharma for twenty years now. He reads his poetry like a mad lion or a hummingbird or a soft evening tidal pool or a wild California thunderstorm...His words are of a new realm of love and joy and terror. What a pleasure to play with such a perceptive artist. It's always been my great joy to make music to his words."--Ray Manzarek [C]ertainly a genius in thought and writing it out ...McClure is one of the few contemporaries to have understood Kerouac as a literary poet--and learned some joyous classic invention therefrom ...Thus we have a McClure poet, a McClure natural philosopher, and a McClure prosateur and novelist. Hardly anyone in America with equal range and sharpness, liveness. What more?"--Allen Ginsberg Praise for Mephistos: In Mephistos we are again thrown into Michael McClure's lavish lair of forceful magic. Its actions are literal ones, handfuls of jewels disintegrate as a firewall rises to a solid prism. There is no poet more adept at calling forth the elements, only to fashion them later as eternal amulets for his readers. 'NEW MOON ((BLACK!)) /STAR CLOUDS/ HALOES/ Flashlight reflects/ into two small eyes.' You will find your body changed through the labyrinth these poems initiate."--Cedar Sigo "Close attention will be rewarded in kind. Keep Mephisto near at hand, read only a poem or two at a time, let the imagery possess you. It's okay, you can trust it. It's McClure: he'll never steer you wrong."--Robert Hunter, lyricist, poet, songwriter "He is such a sweet paradox! Like most of Shelley and the late poems of D.H. Lawrence, McClure turns the phenomenal world inside out, seeking Mind within mind."--Diane di Prima, poet "If you've enjoyed McClure's writings in the past, this volume ought to recapture your poetic heart and rekindle your imagination." --Jonah Raskin, New York Journal of Books "Mephistos is perhaps an open love letter to all of McClure's many fans who have followed him ever since he arrived in San Francisco from Kansas City more than half a century ago."--San Francisco Chronicle

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The award-winning architectural practice Hawkins\Brown, founded in 1988, is well-known for its thoughtful, innovative and sustainable new buildings and refurbishments of all types. The practice prides itself on bringing a fresh and collaborative approach, creating places that are well-made, well-used and well-loved. This new book examines 14 of its projects in detail, interspersed with essays on various themes by members of the practice. The book begins with an examination by the eminent architecture journalist Hugh Pearman of the founding, history and approach of Hawkins\Brown, based on personal interviews with the practice’s two founding principals, Roger Hawkins and Russell Brown. A full discussion of the projects follows, each comprehensively illustrated with photographs, plans and renderings. The Bartlett School of Architecture in London had been outgrown by the School; it has been stripped back and reconfigured to create a building that staff and students alike are delighted to use. The Corby Cube is a well-equipped, multi-purpose civic and cultural centre that is beloved of this East Midlands town’s inhabitants. Here East, the repurposing of the Olympic press and broadcast centres in east London into space for creative and digital industries, is an excellent example of collaboration between client, architect and stakeholders. At Hilden Grange Preparatory School in Kent, Hawkins\Brown slotted exemplary new teaching spaces into natural woodland in a sustainable and sympathetic way. The University of East Anglia’s Bob Champion Building is part of the Norwich Medical School’s vision to become a world leader in clinical research and teaching, and was completed in less than a year. Park Hill housing estate in Sheffield has been updated with a charismatic new facade treatment and revitalized flats, taking it from eyesore to icon. Another housing estate, Peabody Burridge Gardens in southwest London, has been rebuilt completely, and is now more pleasant and better integrated. Tottenham Court Road station in central London – part of the enormous Crossrail project – has been sympathetically but radically redesigned to provide for the extra people who will use it, and includes artworks by Daniel Buren, Richard Wright and Douglas Gordon. At Hackney Town Hall in east London, the refurbishment of an important art deco building required all numerous skills, from reuse and repair to conversion and conservation. A combined refurbishment and new building on Great Suffolk Street just south of the river in central London, meanwhile, has created an expanded commercial building that sits comfortably in its semi-industrial setting. For the City of London Freemen’s School in Surrey, Hawkins\Brown created a new swimming pool that is simultaneously functional, beautiful and sympathetic to its rural location. With the University of Oxford Beecroft Building – where environment is also deeply important – the practice produced a new Physics research facility that both satisfies the city’s stringent historical and conservation controls and is a genuinely groundbreaking scientific building. East Village Plot No. 6 is a `build-to-rent’ development in Stratford, east London, where architecture has been used to create community. Finally, the Thames Tideway Tunnel is a crucial yet little-known infrastructure project that will extend and modernize London’s sewerage system to cope with future demand. The visible architecture here involves various surface points along the river, including at Chelsea Embankment and at Blackfriars. The essays demonstrate Hawkins\Brown’s pride in the input of its staff. Seth Rutt explains the architect’s desire for creative autonomy and wish to follow the process of creating a new building all the way from designing it to supervising the construction. Darryl Chen explains the importance of taking time away from day-to-day work to focus on broader themes, and introduces the practice’s own think tank. Nicola Rutt discusses the importance of refurbishment in the output of the practice, emphasizing its importance to the urban fabric and to the people who inhabit our towns and cities. Morag Morrison writes about the integration of art with architecture, and Katie Tonkinson examines mixed-use architecture in the context of the architect’s approach rather than the client’s brief. Harbinder Birdi explains the importance of urban planning and considering the human context for all projects, and, finally, Oliver Milton and Jack Stewart celebrate the opportunities afforded by new technology.

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Introduced by newsreader, presenter, and Barnardo's president Natasha Kaplinsky, Letters From Lockdown features 100+ letters from celebrity names, COVID heroes, and a diverse range of members of the public, all answering the question - 'What was lockdown like for you?'Contributors include: Paul McCartney · Joe Wicks · Malala Yousafzai · Ed Sheeran · Helen Mirren · Cressida Cowell · Mary Berry · Richard Branson · Peppa Pig · Andy Murray · Helena Bonham Carter · Lenny Henry · Bruno Tonioli · Romesh Ranganathan · The family of Captain Tom · Bear Grylls · Charly Cox · Dr Alex George · Jacqueline Wilson · Matt Lucas · Monica Galetti · Kelly Holmes · Bill Gates· Sir Mo Farah and many more.The publisher will donate all profits, which will be a minimum of £1.50 for each copy of the book sold, to Barnardo's (registered charity in England and Wales no. 216250), who do important work to protect and support the UK's most vulnerable children, more in need now than ever.The letter writers include doctors and nurses, care home staff and vaccinators, train drivers and hairdressers, teachers and environmentalists - people who have been on the frontline in tackling the pandemic, or in trying to get the world back on its feet. Other letters document the unforgettable lighter moments of the past year: interviews crashed by children, TikTok triumphs and disasters, and Goats joining Zoom meetings. Each offers their unique perspective on the year everything changed.Other contributors include: Al Gore; Alexandra Shulman, Davina McCall, Toby Regbo, Trevor McDonald, Jo Malone, Keir Starmer, Boris Johnson, Mark Ronson, Maro Itoje, Nicola Adams, Raymond Blanc, Richard Curtis and Emma Freud, Chris Van Dusen, Sita Brahmachari, Sophie Gonzales, Hayden Kays, Tim Peake, Sean Fitzpatrick, and Joan Collins.The idea for the book came from Natasha Kaplinsky's children, Arlo and Kika. They wrote an open letter, wanting to understand other people's experiences of lockdown. Their question, 'What was lockdown like for you?' is the prompt; the collection of letters in response form the book. As we keep our fingers crossed that this summer will bring a safe end to restrictions, this mixture of funny, sad, heart-warming, surprising, heroic and honest experiences will mark the start of a period of reflection.Adrian Packer, Al Gore, Alex George, Alexandra Shulman, Ali Mercer, Alice M Greenwald, Ali Joy, Andy Murray, Antony Cauvin, Anushua Gupta, Bear Grylls, Benjie and Georgia Ingram-Moore, Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates, Bob Wilson, Boris Johnson, Bruno Tonioli, Buckingham Palace, Charly Cox, Chimwemwe Chiweza, Chris and Vicki Agar, Chris Van Dusen, Clare Wenham, Colette Moreira-Henocq, Cressida Cowell, Davey Glover, Davina McCall, Dawn Bilbrough, Dot McCarthy, Ed Balls, Ed Sheeran, Elliot Jacobs, Emma Freud and Richard Curtis, Fergus Llewellyn, George Alagiah, Gill Edwards, Hayden Kays, Helen Mirren, Helena Bonham Carter, Hollie Long, HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Jacqueline Wilson, Jacquie Jenkins, James Graham, Javed Khan, Jenny Messenger, Jo Malone, Joan Collins, Joe Wicks, John Vincent, Josie Naughton, Kathryn England, Karen Pollock, Karl Jones, Keir Starmer, Kelly Holmes, Laura Elliott, Lenny Henry, Lindsay Hoyle, Maff Potts, Maia Elliott, Malala Yousafzai, Margaret Keenan, Marie Benton, Mark Ronson, Maro Itoje, The Marsh Family, Mary Berry, Matt Lucas, Meggie Foster, Michele Walter, Mo Farah, Monica Galetti, Mr Men's Mr Happy, Neera Butt, Nicola Adams, Nina Raingold, Patricia Daley, Paul Atherton, Paul McCartney, Paul Morrison, Paula Talman, Peppa Pig, Philippa Craddock, Raymond Blanc, Rene Germain, Richard Branson, Roja Dove, Romesh Ranganathan, Rosie Jones, Rosie Mitchell, Sandi Procter, Scott Evans, Sean Fitzpatrick, Sharna Jackson, Sita Brahmachari, Sophie Gonzales, Tamara Rojo, Tanni Grey-Thompson, Tessa Mattholie Butunoi, Tim Peake, Tim Steiner, Toby Regbo, Trevor McDonald, Will Shu, Woody, Zoe Burke

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