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Vuckovic's Horror Miscellany: Stories * Facts * Tales & Trivia
by Jovanka VuckovicFrom 'Frankenstein' and 'Dracula' to 'Night of the Living Dead' and 'The Omen', this grisly grimoire conjures up ghouls, demons and all manner of things that go bump in the night. Crammed with endless facts, trivia, and stories about every aspect of horror-from 1950s EC Comics and TV series 'The Twilight Zone'; to the music of Black Sabbath and Japanese horror films-this little gem of spookiness is guaranteed to keep readers up all night. Intriguing insights into the lives and work of classic horror writers like H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe, Clive Barker, and Stephen King are complemented by fascinating behind-the-scenes peeks into the productions of 'Psycho', 'The Thing', and 'Halloween'.Vuckovic's many authoritative lists include: The Top 13 Vampire Films; Scariest Horror Video Games; and The Best Horror Movie Taglines: " The good news is your date is here! The bad news is ... he's dead!" revealing humor in the horror.'Vuckovic's Horror Miscellany' is the ideal present for 'The Walking Dead' and 'World War Z' fan in your life. Just don't read it alone!
A Vulgar Art: A New Approach to Stand-Up Comedy (Folklore Studies in a Multicultural World Series)
by Ian BrodieIn A Vulgar Art, Ian Brodie uses a folkloristic approach to stand-up comedy, engaging the discipline's central method of studying interpersonal, artistic communication and performance. Because stand-up comedy is a rather broad category, people who study it often begin by relating it to something they recognize—“literature” or “theatre”; “editorial” or “morality”—and analyze it accordingly. A Vulgar Art begins with a more fundamental observation: someone is standing in front of a group of people, talking to them directly, and trying to make them laugh. So, this book takes the moment of performance as its focus, that stand-up comedy is a collaborative act between the comedian and the audience. Although the form of talk on the stage resembles talk among friends and intimates in social settings, stand-up comedy remains a profession. As such, it requires performance outside of the comedian's own community to gain larger and larger audiences. How do comedians recreate that atmosphere of intimacy in a roomful of strangers? This book regards everything from microphones to clothing and LPs to Twitter as strategies for bridging the spatial, temporal, and sociocultural distances between the performer and the audience.
Vulgar Beauty: Acting Chinese in the Global Sensorium
by Mila ZuoIn Vulgar Beauty Mila Zuo offers a new theorization of cinematic feminine beauty by showing how mediated encounters with Chinese film and popular culture stars produce feelings of Chineseness. To illustrate this, Zuo uses the vulgar as an analytic to trace how racial, gendered, and cultural identity is imagined and produced through affect. She frames the vulgar as a characteristic that is experienced through the Chinese concept of weidao, or flavor, in which bitter, salty, pungent, sweet, and sour performances of beauty produce non-Western forms of sexualized and racialized femininity. Analyzing contemporary film and media ranging from actress Gong Li’s post-Mao movies of the late 1980s and 1990s to Joan Chen’s performance in Twin Peaks to Ali Wong’s stand-up comedy specials, Zuo shows how vulgar beauty disrupts Western and colonial notions of beauty. Vulgar beauty, then, becomes the taste of difference. By demonstrating how Chinese feminine beauty becomes a cinematic invention invested in forms of affective racialization, Zuo makes a critical reconsideration of aesthetic theory.
Vulnerability in Scandinavian Art and Culture
by Mats Hyvönen Adriana Margareta Dancus Maria KarlssonIn this open access book, seventeen scholars discuss how contemporary Scandinavian art and media have become important arenas to articulate and stage various forms of vulnerability in the Scandinavian welfare states. How do discourses of privilege and vulnerability coexist and interact in Scandinavia? How do the Scandinavian countries respond to vulnerability given increased migration? How is vulnerability distributed in terms of margin and centre, normality and deviance? And how can vulnerability be used to move audiences towards each other and accomplish change? We address these questions in an interdisciplinary study that brings examples from celebrated and provocative fiction and documentary films, TV-series, reality TV, art installations, design, literature, graphic art, radio podcasts and campaigns on social media.
W. C. Fields from Sound Film and Radio Comedy to Stardom: Becoming a Cultural Icon (Palgrave Studies in Theatre and Performance History)
by Arthur Frank WertheimW. C. Fields is known as a virtuoso comedian and legendary iconoclast who gave the gift of laughter to multitudes. As the first author to use the newly-opened Fields Papers at the Academy library, Arthur Frank Wertheim illuminates the comedian’s arduous ascent to stardom during Hollywood's golden age. The book reveals details of Fields’s turbulent private life, from his wife's refusal to divorce, to his estranged son, and to his fleeting relationships with women. Here is a portrait of an aggrieved artist whose emotional anguish found refuge in his poignant comedy about life’s frustrations and the human condition. This third volume in Wertheim's trilogy documents Fields's rise to iconic status during the counterculture 1960s, creating a legacy of his comedy for generations to come.
W.C. Fields from the Ziegfeld Follies and Broadway Stage to the Screen
by Arthur Frank WertheimThis book reveals how Fields became a character comedian while performing in Broadway's most illustrious revue, the Ziegfeld Follies. As the first biography to use the recently opened Fields Papers at the Motion Picture Academy, the book explores how Fields years as a Follies entertainer portraying a beleaguered husband and a captivating conman became a landmark turning point in his career, leading to his fame as a masterful film comedian. The book also untangles a web of mysteries about Fields's turbulent private life, from the heartrending stories about the tragic relationship with his calculating wife who refused to divorce him, to his estranged son controlled by his mother, to the seven-year extra-marital affair with a chorus girl that led to the birth of an unwanted child. This electrifying saga illuminates a complex dual personality, whirling from tenderness to brusqueness, who endured so much anguish in order to bring the gift of laughter to millions. Although vilified by Ziegfeld and assailed by demons, Fields survived the cutthroat rigors of Broadway show biz to become a legendary American iconoclast and cultural icon.
Wabi-sabi: La belleza de las imperfecciones
by María ValeroEste libro se creó para ser compartido, intervenido, colmado de vida. Coge un lápiz, sé imperfecto y descubre tu mejor versión. «Me lo merezco. Porque soy, porque estoy, porque existo, porque viví, porque aguanto y porque camino. Por los que me quieren y por los que no, por mis sueños y por mis miedos, merezco.» Wabi-sabi es un libro para ti: para que lo prestes, para que escribas en él, para que reflexiones y aprecies tu pequeña evolución. Es una invitación a explorar la belleza de las imperfecciones, a disfrutar de los momentos fugaces y a acoger con calma los altibajos. Un trocito de vida compartido en forma de poema para que puedas contemplar tus propias experiencias como si fueran parte del ciclo de una flor. En armonía con la naturaleza, nos desarrollamos, crecemos y evolucionamos.
Waffles + Mochi: Learn to Cook Tomato Candy Pasta, Gratitouille, and Other Tasty Recipes: A Kids Cookbook
by Yewande KomolafeExplore the globe with Waffles + Mochi and learn about the stories behind the food we eat in this accessible, child-friendly cookbook, based on the Netflix children&’s show from Higher Ground, President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama&’s production company in partnership with Netflix. Join Waffles and Mochi for recipes and cooking adventures that take you around the world—from Delicioso Stew inspired by Peru to a Pani Puri Party in California to making Hands-on Onigiri in Japan. These best friends discover how chefs mix fresh ingredients to create delicious dishes that make our taste buds happy. Each chapter begins with a simple recipe to master—like creating magical salts to dust over your dishes, boiling eggs four ways, and baking a potato that&’s anything but ordinary. Then the recipes build from there. Before you know it, you&’ll be whipping up Tenacious Tomato Salad, Chicken Sancocho, Kimchi Grilled Cheese, and Cloud Meringues. Are you ready? 3 - 2 - Yum, BLAST OFF!
The Wages Of History: Emotional Labor On Public History's Front Lines (Public History In Historical Perspective Ser.)
by Amy M. TysonAnyone who has encountered costumed workers at a living history museum may well have wondered what their jobs are like, churning butter or firing muskets while dressed in period clothing. In The Wages of History, Amy Tyson enters the world of the public history interpreters at Minnesota's Historic Fort Snelling to investigate how they understand their roles and experience their daily work. Drawing on archival research, personal interviews, and participant observation, she reframes the current discourse on history museums by analyzing interpreters as laborers within the larger service and knowledge economies. <p><p> Although many who are drawn to such work initially see it as a privilege—an opportunity to connect with the public in meaningful ways through the medium of history—the realities of the job almost inevitably alter that view. Not only do interpreters make considerable sacrifices, both emotional and financial, in order to pursue their work, but their sense of special status can lead them to avoid confronting troubling conditions on the job, at times fueling tensions in the workplace. <p> This case study also offers insights—many drawn from the author's seven years of working as an interpreter at Fort Snelling—into the way gendered roles and behaviors from the past play out among the workers, the importance of creative autonomy to historical interpreters, and the ways those on public history's front lines both resist and embrace the site's more difficult and painful histories relating to slavery and American Indian genocide.
Waging Heavy Peace: A Hippie Dream
by Neil YoungLegendary singer, songwriter, and guitarist Neil Young offers a kaleidoscopic view of his personal life and musical creativity. He tells of his childhood in Ontario; his first brush with mortality when he contracted polio at the age of five; struggling to pay rent during his early days; traveling the Canadian prairies; performing in a remote town; leaving Canada in 1966 to pursue his musical dreams at Los Angeles; the brief life of Buffalo Springfield after his arrival in California.
Wagner: Beyond Good and Evil
by John DeathridgeJohn Deathridge presents a different and critical view of Richard Wagner based on recent research that does not shy away from some unpalatable truths about this most controversial of composers in the canon of Western music.
Waiting for the Punch: Words to Live by from the WTF Podcast
by Marc Maron Brenda McDonald"Public figures as you rarely if ever hear them: strikingly personal, surprisingly open, and profoundly emotional."— Entertainment Weekly"I’m British, so I’m medically dead inside, but even I can’t help but open up whenever I talk to Marc. He uses his honestly like a scalpel, cutting himself open in front of anyone he’s talking to, and in doing so, invites you to do the same."—John OliverFrom the beloved and wildly popular podcast WTF with Marc Maron comes a book of intimate, hilarious and life changing conversations with some of the funniest, and most important people in the world like you’ve never heard them before. Waiting for the Punch features the stories and thoughts of such luminaries as Amy Schumer, Mel Brooks, Will Ferrell, Amy Poehler, Sir Ian McKellen, Lorne Michels, Judd Apatow, Lena Dunham, Jimmy Fallon, RuPaul, Louis CK, David Sedaris, Bruce Springsteen, and President Obama.This book is not simply a collection of these interviews, but instead something more wondrous: a running narrative of the world’s most recognizable names working through the problems, doubts, joys, triumphs, and failures we all experience. With each chapter covering a different topic: parenting, childhood, relationships, sexuality, success, failures and others, Punch becomes a sort of everyman’s guide to life. Barack Obama candidly discusses the challenges of the presidency, and the bittersweet moments of seeing your children grow up. Amy Schumer recounts the pain of her parents’ divorce. Molly Shannon uproariously remembers the time she and her best friend hopped a plane from Ohio to New York City when they were twelve on a dare. Amy Poehler dishes on why just because you become a parent doesn’t mean you have to like anybody else’s kids but your own. Bruce Springsteen expounds on the dual nature of desperation to both motivate and devastate. Full of stories that are at once laugh-out loud funny, heartbreakingly honest, joyous, tragic and powerful, Waiting for the Punch is a book to be read from cover to cover, but it is also one to return to again and again.
Waiting in the Wings: How to Launch Your Performing Career on Broadway and Beyond
by Jenna Glatzer Tiffany HaasThe definitive guide to making a career in theater—to Broadway and beyond Tiffany Haas knows how to make it on Broadway. After 72 rejections in a row she finally landed a role in Broadway’s long-running smash hit Wicked and later became “Glinda the Good.” Now she wants to share her advice for starting and nurturing a career in the theater. Waiting in the Wings is the essential guide for anyone who wants to have a theatrical career, whether they’re complete newbies or already have some professional credits. Based on everything she learned on her journey to New York, including 10 years on Broadway, Tiffany shares the information that you need to succeed in theater. Everyone’s path is a little bit different, but the principles for success are always the same. With advice on auditions, how to become the performer they want to hire, developing relationships with cast mates, finding a reputable agent, the importance of reputation, and the best way to shape and build your career, Tiffany covers every aspect of the business. You’ll learn what it takes to be successful and where to best spend your time and effort as you navigate the “great mystery” of pursuing musical theater. In an industry that is famed for its insider secrets, Tiffany draws back the curtain, giving readers the knowledge and tools they need to follow their dreams. If you’re one of those people Waiting in the Wings for a big Broadway career, Tiffany Haas’s book is the one resource you need to land a big role, stand in front of those footlights and let it go!
Waiting to Derail: Ryan Adams and Whiskeytown, Alt-Country's Brilliant Wreck
by Thomas O'KeefeLong before the Grammy nominations, sold-out performances at Carnegie Hall, and Hollywood friends and lovers, Ryan Adams fronted a Raleigh, North Carolina, outfit called Whiskeytown. Lumped into the burgeoning alt-country movement, the band soon landed a major label deal and recorded an instant classic: Strangers Almanac. That's when tour manager Thomas O'Keefe met the young musician. <p><p> For the next three years, Thomas was at Ryan's side: on the tour bus, in the hotels, backstage at the venues. Whiskeytown built a reputation for being, as the Detroit Free Press put it, "half band, half soap opera," and Thomas discovered that young Ryan was equal parts songwriting prodigy and drunken buffoon. Ninety percent of the time, Thomas could talk Ryan into doing the right thing. Five percent of the time, he could cover up whatever idiotic thing Ryan had done. But the final five percent? Whiskeytown was screwed. <p> Twenty-plus years later, accounts of Ryan's legendary antics are still passed around in music circles. But only three people on the planet witnessed every Whiskeytown show from the release of Strangers Almanac to the band's eventual breakup: Ryan, fiddle player Caitlin Cary, and Thomas O'Keefe. Packed with behind-the-scenes road stories, and, yes, tales of rock star debauchery, Waiting to Derail provides a firsthand glimpse into Ryan Adams at the most meaningful and mythical stage of his career.
Wake Up and Smell the Coffee
by Eric Bogosian100% pure high octane Bogosian.Bogosian's latest and greatest monologue."His wit is as venomous as ever, his material even more devastating and polished than before."--New York Daily News"Bogosian hasn't simply crossed the line of good taste, he has snorted it."--The Daily TexanWake Up is Bogosian's meditation on making it to the top of the ladder, on falling off the ladder and on the exhilarating thrill of the ultimate crash and burn. Once again the author offers a blisteringly funny and dead-on take of the chaos and alienation of post-modern life in the U. S. of the year 2000. As Michael Feingold so ably offered in his Village Voice review--"Bogosian is there, watching out for the downtrodden, ridiculing the arrogant rich, defending battered wives and neo-hippie hitchhikers and never losing sight of his own capacity for being classed among the batters and bullies. But his 95 minutes is as fast and exciting a read as the theatre community offers. In our time, the stage has almost been what classical thinkers saw it as, a medium for criticizing life. How perfect that a solo performer should rediscover its roots, by choosing his own life as the object of his criticism."Eric Bogosian, born in Woburn, Massachusetts, has performed his plays and monologues at venues nationwide. Winner of Obie and Drama Desk Awards, he has made four films of his work, most notably Talk Radio and Suburbia. His novel Mall was recently published by Simon and Schuster.
Waldameer Park (Images of America)
by Jim Futrell Paul NelsonWaldameer Park overlooks Lake Erie in northwestern Pennsylvania. This area has been a popular retreat for people since opening in 1896. As one of the last surviving "trolley parks" in America, Waldameer Park has a story of growth and survival. Originally, the park's main attraction was its beach on the lake; it was a popular destination in Erie for people to go and escape the heat of summer. Over the years, Waldameer Park changed significantly. In the early 20th century, rides like Dip the Dips, Ravine Flyer, and Mill Run grew to be the main attractions at the park. Over the past three decades, Waldameer Park has grown into a modern amusement park, while maintaining its beloved nostalgic atmosphere. Today, visitors cool off in the Water World water park and enjoy thrill rides like the Comet, Steel Dragon, X-scream, and Ravine Flyer II.
Walk This Way (Lorimer Real Love)
by Tony CorreiaSixteen-year-old Joshua does drag on social media but wants to have the full drag performance experience. But he’s attracted to guys who don’t like drag and want nothing to do with gay men they think are feminine and have a flamboyant image. With the help of a drag mother, Joshua has the chance to live his dream, but only by keeping it secret from the guy he is dating. Grounded by what Joshua learns about how drag continues to be controversial in the gay community, this light-hearted story focuses on facing your emotions and finding your authentic self, even if it’s by pretending to be someone else. Distributed in the U.S by Lerner Publishing Group
Walk Through Walls: A Memoir
by Marina Abramovic"I had experienced absolute freedom--I had felt that my body was without boundaries, limitless; that pain didn't matter, that nothing mattered at all--and it intoxicated me."In 2010, more than 750,000 people stood in line at Marina Abramović's MoMA retrospective for the chance to sit across from her and communicate with her nonverbally in an unprecedented durational performance that lasted more than 700 hours. This celebration of nearly fifty years of groundbreaking performance art demonstrated once again that Marina Abramović is truly a force of nature. The child of Communist war-hero parents under Tito's regime in postwar Yugoslavia, she was raised with a relentless work ethic. Even as she was beginning to build an international artistic career, Marina lived at home under her mother's abusive control, strictly obeying a 10 p.m. curfew. But nothing could quell her insatiable curiosity, her desire to connect with people, or her distinctly Balkan sense of humor--all of which informs her art and her life. The beating heart of Walk Through Walls is an operatic love story--a twelve-year collaboration with fellow performance artist Ulay, much of which was spent penniless in a van traveling across Europe--a relationship that began to unravel and came to a dramatic end atop the Great Wall of China. Marina's story, by turns moving, epic, and dryly funny, informs an incomparable artistic career that involves pushing her body past the limits of fear, pain, exhaustion, and danger in an uncompromising quest for emotional and spiritual transformation. A remarkable work of performance in its own right, Walk Through Walls is a vivid and powerful rendering of the unparalleled life of an extraordinary artist.From the Hardcover edition.
Walk Through Walls: A Memoir
by Marina Abramovic"I had experienced absolute freedom--I had felt that my body was without boundaries, limitless; that pain didn't matter, that nothing mattered at all--and it intoxicated me."In 2010, more than 750,000 people stood in line at Marina Abramović's MoMA retrospective for the chance to sit across from her and communicate with her nonverbally in an unprecedented durational performance that lasted more than 700 hours. This celebration of nearly fifty years of groundbreaking performance art demonstrated once again that Marina Abramović is truly a force of nature. The child of Communist war-hero parents under Tito's regime in postwar Yugoslavia, she was raised with a relentless work ethic. Even as she was beginning to build an international artistic career, Marina lived at home under her mother's abusive control, strictly obeying a 10 p.m. curfew. But nothing could quell her insatiable curiosity, her desire to connect with people, or her distinctly Balkan sense of humor--all of which informs her art and her life. The beating heart of Walk Through Walls is an operatic love story--a twelve-year collaboration with fellow performance artist Ulay, much of which was spent penniless in a van traveling across Europe--a relationship that began to unravel and came to a dramatic end atop the Great Wall of China. Marina's story, by turns moving, epic, and dryly funny, informs an incomparable artistic career that involves pushing her body past the limits of fear, pain, exhaustion, and danger in an uncompromising quest for emotional and spiritual transformation. A remarkable work of performance in its own right, Walk Through Walls is a vivid and powerful rendering of the unparalleled life of an extraordinary artist.From the Hardcover edition.
Walk With Your Wolf: Unlock your intuition, confidence & power with walking therapy
by Jonathan HobanNature is our greatest healer. It's time to start walking and reclaim the wildness in all of us.Walking is a way to get you to listen to yourself openly and honestly, without all the noise that our endless inner critic inflicts upon us.When did you last take a walk? Not a stroll to the shops, or to the pub, but a walk that got you energised, stimulated your senses, allowing you to de-stress? If the answer is that you'd love to walk, but don't have the time, there really are more reasons to get outside than you might think.When we walk we find the space to process our feelings and we begin to have the courage to be vulnerable and honest with ourselves. Walking awakens the intuition that helps us face up to our difficulties and walk alongside them, enabling us to find positive solutions to our problems. Our ancestors knew all about movement - they walked across the planet, understanding nature and learning to respect and work in harmony with it. Written by a London-based therapist, Walk with your Wolf is part memoir, part self-help and part reflection on the connection we must re-establish with our natural, intuitive selves if we are to live healthy, fulfilling lives. Offering practical advice and exercises on how to walk and think as a method of confronting difficult emotions, this book will allow you to reconnect with your intuition, confidence and power.(P)2019 Hodder & Stoughton Ltd
Walking a Golden Mile
by William Regal Neil ChanlderThe bare-fisted brawler from Blackpool, England tells his story of fortune and fumbling on the road to the WWE's higher ranks.Since joining the WWE in 2000 as a goodwill ambassador from Great Britain, William Regal has established himself as an up-and-coming Superstar. He took the wrestling world by storm defeating many of the WWE's best wrestlers to win both the European and Intercontinental championships--although he's probably best known for getting back in WWE owner's Vince McMahon's good graces by kissing his naked backside on national television. While fans may still chuckle at Regal's humiliation, his in-ring success is no laughing matter. In this no-holds-barred look at his life, Regal for the first time talks about how he has dragged himself out of a life of poverty and adversity on the street of Blackpool, England and battled his own inner-demons to reach the top of the WWE's roster. He also discusses how he has overcome his recent life-threatening medical condition to return to triumphantly to the WWE.to admit when I know so many kids watch me on TV every week, but it's true. I detested it. My first school was a Catholic school, St Joseph's Convent, even though I'm not a Catholic. Mum leaving when I was so young didn't help matters, but I would never have been able to handle being preached at by those nuns in any case. I never liked being told that I'd go to hell if I didn't do what some nun told me to. Just about the only highlight I remember from school was being taken on a trip to Chester Zoo when I was eight. My best friend was a lad called Andrew who had this curly thick white hair. He began pulling faces at a gorilla who retaliated by throwing a big pile of shite at him, hitting him square in the face. All you could see of Andrew were his eyes, peering through this steaming mask. The nuns were running around, shouting and screaming. It was like a Tom and Jerry cartoon. If that was the only thing I can remember from school, you can imagine how mind-numbing I found the place. Then when I was nine I went to the middle school -- and was soon faced with another confusing situation. My mum had run off with this bloke and my dad ended up marrying his wife. It got pretty complicated. I've a half-brother who's my mum and step-dad's kid, and a step-sister. My dad had custody of me and I'd go to stay with my mum in the school holidays, but I didn't like going. She lived in Bristol, a hundred miles away. When I was there I never saw much of my brother, who was always out with his friends. I didn't really know him, though we do keep in touch today. He's nice enough. But most of the time I didn't want to be there because I wanted to stay at home with my dad, granddad and the close family who lived nearby: my uncles, aunties and cousins -- especially my cousin Graham. He's older than me, but we spent so much time together growing up that he's more like a brother to me than anything else. But my dad was always the one I looked up to. To this day he's the nicest man I've ever met -- and I'm not just saying that because he is my dad. He is the kindest person. I've never heard him swear or even say a bad word about anybody. He's a real hard worker, too. You never saw my dad without a pair of overalls on. He would come home covered in cement and has always worked hard for his living. He doesn't need to work these days but he still does. He still gets up early every morning and never stops all day. If he didn't work he wouldn't know what to do with himself. Lately he has had problems both with his leg and with his arm but nothing stops him. I've seen him shovelling stuff with one hand. If he gave it up now he'd have no financial worries but that is who he is -- a grafter. But what it meant for me when I was growing up was that dad was often out at work. That meant I spent a lot of time with his father, my granddad. Granddad's name was William Matthews, known as Bill, and he was probably the biggest influence in my life. In his younger days he was a bit of a rogue, well known for fighting and drinking. He'd do ...
Walking on Eggshells: Discovering Strength and Courage Amid Chaos
by Lyssa ChapmanAn empowering memoir that can inspire others to break the cycle of abuse and forge happiness out of extreme adversity.The ninth child of bounty hunter Duane Chapman, made famous on the A&E show Dog the Bounty Hunter, Lyssa Chapman has overcome an upbringing that can only be called tragic. In her piercing memoir, she shares the details of her harrowing childhood and her journey to faith, and offers compassionate guidance, advice, and hope to those who might feel overwhelmed in their own circumstances. As a child, Baby Lyssa&’s parents divorced and left her neglected. Things only got worse from there. Walking on Eggshells reveals Lyssa&’s nightmare passage from mental and physical abuse to removal from school and confinement at home, flight from protective services, and teen pregnancy. Despite it all, and against incredible odds, Lyssa found her faith. She also found her way out of the spiral of bad decisions to build a healthy relationship with her parents and forge a rewarding, positive life with God. An astonishing true story of one young woman&’s trek from poverty and abuse to fulfillment and stardom, Walking on Eggshells is heartrending, powerful, and inspiring.
Walking Through Clear Water in a Pool Painted Black, new edition: Collected Stories (Semiotext(e) / Native Agents)
by Cookie MuellerThe first collected edition of legendary writer, actress, and adventurer Cookie Mueller's stories, featuring the entire contents of her 1990 book Walking through Clear Water in a Pool Painted Black, alongside more than two dozen others, some previously unpublished.Legendary as an underground actress, female adventurer, and East Village raconteur, Cookie Mueller's first calling was to the written word: "I started writing when I was six and have never stopped completely," she once confessed. Muellerís 1990 Walking through Clear Water in a Pool Painted Black, the first volume of the Semiotext(e) Native Agents series, was the largest collection of stories she compiled during her life. But it presented only a slice of Mueller's prolific work as a writer. This new, landmark volume collects all of Mueller's stories: from the original contents of Clear Water, to additional stories discovered by Amy Scholder for the posthumous anthology Ask Dr. Mueller, to selections from Mueller's art and advice columns for Details and the East Village Eye, to still "new" stories collected and published here for the first time. Olivia Laing's new introduction situates Mueller's writing within the context of her life—and our times. Thanks to recent documentaries like Mallory Curley's A Cookie Mueller Encyclopedia and Chloé Griffin's oral biography Edgewise, Mueller's life and work have been discovered by a new generation of readers. Walking through Clear Water in a Pool Painted Black: Collected Stories returns essential source material to these readers, the archive of Mueller's writing itself. Mueller's many mise en scènes—the Baltimore of John Waters, post-Stonewall Provincetown, avant-garde Italy, 1980s New York, an America enduring Reagan and AIDS—patches together a singular personal history and a primer for others. As Laing writes in her introduction, Collected Stories amounts to "a how-to manual for a life ricocheting joyously off the rails . . . a live corrective to conformity, conservatism, and cruelty."
Walking with Ghosts: A Memoir
by Gabriel Byrne&“A gripping memoir&” by the Irish actor &“that is anything but typical Hollywood . . . evokes a beautiful sense of nostalgia, melancholy and vulnerability&” (Winnipeg Free Press). As a young boy growing up in the outskirts of Dublin, Gabriel Byrne sought refuge in a world of imagination among the fields and hills near his home, at the edge of a rapidly encroaching city. Born to working class parents and the eldest of six children, he harbored a childhood desire to become a priest. When he was eleven years old, Byrne found himself crossing the Irish Sea to join a seminary in England. Four years later, Byrne had been expelled and he quickly returned to his native city. There he took odd jobs as a messenger boy and factory laborer to get by. In his spare time, he visited the cinema, where he could be alone and yet part of a crowd. It was here that he could begin to imagine a life beyond the grey world of 1960s Ireland. In this memoir he revels in the theater and poetry of Dublin&’s streets, populated by characters as eccentric and remarkable as any in fiction, and recounts his decision to join an amateur theater group—a decision that would change his life forever. Moving between sensual recollection of childhood in a now almost vanished Ireland and reflections on stardom in Hollywood and on Broadway, Byrne also courageously recounts his battle with addiction and the ambivalence of fame. &“[Byrne] writes with much more depth than the typical celebrity memoirist, accessing some of Heaney&’s earthiness and Joyce&’s grasp of how Catholic guilt can shape an artist. . . . a winning dry humor that reads as authentically humble.&” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) &“A masterpiece . . . by turns poetic, moving, and very funny. You will find it on the shelf alongside other great Irish memoirs including those by Frank McCourt, Nuala O&’Faolain and Edna O&’Brien.&” —Colum McCann &“A real writer, a born storyteller.&” —The Washington Post &“A dreamy book . . . He writes passionately about his first love and hilariously about his early fame as an actor.&” —Irish Times