An incomparable magical cello, made from a Venetian instrument maker's beloved tree, is played during the Grand Carnival only after a famous young musician lets down his public facade and faces the instrument with honesty and heartfelt desire.
Foreword by Academy Award-winner Mahershala Ali “A comprehensive masterpiece. . . . Throughout the course of my life, I have struggled to be heard. With Denise’s insightful tutelage and easy-to-apply techniques, I have not only manage to find my voice, but to powerfully express myself so others listen! If you want to feel inspired and completely empowered give yourself the gift of this beautiful read!”—Halle Berry, Academy Award-winning actor An internationally renowned and highly sought-after Hollywood voice coach shares proven practices to help anyone utilize the often-untapped power of their own authentic voice. From a toddler's first words to professional public speaking, from a marriage proposal to asking for a raise, our voice is our most crucial instrument of expression. The world judges us by our voice. And yet there has been no authoritative guide to mastering its full capacity and expressing our true selves in every aspect of life, from relationships and family to work. Until now. As one of the nation’s most sought-after vocal coaches, Denise Woods has worked with everyone from Mahershala Ali, Will Smith, and Idris Elba to Kirsten Dunst and Jessica Chastain. In The Power of Voice, for the first time ever, Woods shares the secrets, tips, lessons, and stories that have helped Hollywood’s biggest stars become confident, effective communicators. Readers will learn how to: Articulate clearly Gain confidence in any situation Release tension and stress Address speech issues such as upspeak, vocal fry, and nasality Become powerful public speakers Find their truest form of expression With her unmatched ability to teach vocal mastery in real-world terms, Woods offers a much-needed, proven, practical, and invaluable set of tools that will forever change how we communicate and, ultimately, how we see ourselves and affect others.
In this remarkable blend of memoir and criticism, James Wood, noted contributor to the New Yorker, has written a master class on the connections between fiction and life. He argues that, of all the arts, fiction has a unique ability to describe the shape of our lives and to rescue the texture of those lives from death and historical oblivion. The act of reading is understood here as the most sacred and personal of activities, and there are brilliant discussions of individual works - among others, Chekhov's story "The Kiss," W.G. Sebald's The Emigrants, and Penelope Fitzgerald's The Blue Flower. Wood reveals his own intimate relationship with the written word: we see the development of a provincial boy growing up in a charged Christian environment, the secret joy of his childhood reading, the links he makes between reading and blasphemy, or between literature and music. The final section discusses fiction in the context of exile and homelessness. The Nearest Thing to LifeÊis not simply a brief, tightly argued book by a man commonly regarded as our finest living critic - it is also an exhilarating personal account that reflects on, and embodies, the fruitful conspiracy between reader and writer (and critic), and asks us to reconsider everything that is at stake when we read and write fiction.
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Robert Beatty comes a spooky, thrilling new series set in the magical world of Serafina. Move without a sound. Steal without a trace. Willa, a young nightspirit of the Great Smoky Mountains, is her clan's best thief. She creeps into the homes of day-folk in the cover of darkness and takes what they won't miss. It's dangerous work—the day-folk kill whatever they do not understand. But when Willa's curiosity leaves her hurt and stranded in a day-folk man's home, everything she thought she knew about her people—and their greatest enemy—is forever changed.
The search for a missing boy and his dog illuminiates the inner lives of a multitude of individuals with charged needs and desires; a confession of faith, and a love song to the world.
A dark relationship evolves between a high schooler and her English teacher in this breathtakingly powerful memoir about a young woman who must learn to rewrite her own story. “Have you ever read Lolita?” So begins seventeen-year-old Alisson’s metamorphosis from student to lover and then victim. A lonely and vulnerable high school senior, Alisson finds solace only in her writing—and in a young, charismatic English teacher, Mr. North. Mr. North gives Alisson a copy of Lolita to read, telling her it is a beautiful story about love. The book soon becomes the backdrop to a connection that blooms from a simple crush into a forbidden romance. But as Mr. North’s hold on her tightens, Alisson is forced to evaluate how much of their narrative is actually a disturbing fiction. In the wake of what becomes a deeply abusive relationship, Alisson is faced again and again with the story of her past, from rereading Lolita in college to working with teenage girls to becoming a professor of creative writing. It is only with that distance and perspective that she understands the ultimate power language has had on her—and how to harness that power to tell her own true story. Being Lolita is a stunning coming-of-age memoir that shines a bright light on our shifting perceptions of consent, vulnerability, and power. This is the story of what happens when a young woman realizes her entire narrative must be rewritten—and then takes back the pen to rewrite it.
A special 10th anniversary edition of this wonderful winter tale! Booksellers, librarians, parents and educators have treasured this award-winning, bestselling book since its first publication ten years ago. This wonderfully heartwarming winter story about forest animals' curiosity and confusion over a snowman that has magically appeared in their woods, has become a festive favourite year after year. When Stranger in the Woods appeared ten years ago it became a #1 New York Times bestseller and won several awards, including the Benjamin Franklin Award and the International Reading Association Award, and has since been published in seven languages. This beautiful 10th anniversary edition contains the original story in its entirety, and boasts a new lenticular cover - creating a lovely, visual delight!
Since 1968, Bernie Krause has traveled the world recording the sounds of remote landscapes, endangered habitats, and rare animal species. Through his organization, Wild Sanctuary, he has collected the soundscapes of more than 2,000 different habitat types, marine and terrestrial. With powerful illustrations and compelling stories, Krause provides a manifesto for the appreciation and protection of natural soundscapes. In his previous book, The Great Animal Orchestra, Krause drew readers’ attention to what Jane Goodall described as “the harmonies of nature . . . [that are being] one by one by one, snuffed out by human actions.” He now explains that the secrets hidden in the natural world’s shrinking sonic environment must be preserved, not only for our scientific understanding, but for our cultural heritage and humanity’s physical and spiritual welfare. Krause’s narrative—supplemented by exclusive access to field recordings from the wild—draws on a compelling range of personal anecdotes, histories, and examples to document his early exploration of this field and to lay the groundwork for future generations.
In 2001, The Voice of the Heart began a steady journey into the lives of those looking for more. Since its initial release, The Voice of the Heart has been handed one friend to another and has helped thousands of people begin to speak the truth of their story and to live more fully from the heart. Answer the call to full living.
Our deepest emotions bend the expressive capacities of the human language to the breaking point. In this book, child survivor of the Shoah, artist/composer Judith Evan Goldstein transforms tragedies and horrors, into multi-colored, richly textured images on wood and canvas. Her paintings palpably indict the perpetrators of the crimes against the Jewish people, providing a voice for the victims. Goldstein balances painful memories with testimony to the cherished new lives built by survivors. Joy, not evil, has the last word. Dr. Elena Procario-Foley, Ph.D., Driscoll Professor of Jewish-Catholic Studies, Iona College Chair of the Council of Centers on Jewish-Christian Relations New Rochelle, New York Judith's art is a reflection of her painful journey and personal experiences during the Holocaust, daring and colorful as if done through the eyes of a child. She and her metaphorical art appear in the film, "As Seen Through These Eyes" of which the title comes directly from Judith's profound assertion, "What I've seen through these eyes, I made a promise to tell the world so that it will never happen again." In this book, Judith unlocks the collective unconscious and reconstructs the unthinkable horrors of her past as a memorial. As a composer/lyricist and artist, Judith says, "I paint the images of my childhood and play the images I see." Hilary Helstein, Director/Producer of "As Seen Through These Eyes" Judith Evan Goldstein's art and music have made a significant contribution on the pantheon of Holocaust art at the Florida Holocaust Museum and in the world. Her art, using bright colors, wonderful imagery and the underlying sadness of a childhood interrupted brings us closer to understanding the human condition. Her music, haunting or lively, rooted in traditions yet ever new, expresses the very heart of memory. Judith's work, most of all, makes the incomprehensible, accessible. The visual, the auditory, the non-verbal expression of this fine and talented artist being understanding of the Holocaust to audiences regardless of language, disability or experience. In her work is truth. Museum Director and Curator Stephen M. Goldman Florida Holocaust Museum St. Petersburg, Florida Judith uses her painting and music as a way to communicate her childhood memories of the past in the Vilna Ghetto and concentration camps. Her technique, collage/mixed media and painting, invites the viewer into her tormented past, while her more symbolic work speaks to the spirit of the Jews under the most adverse condition. Judith also raises the question of whether art about the Shoah can be colorful, even beautiful. Dr. Stephen Feinstein, Director Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies University of Minnesota Judith Evan Goldstein is one of the most multi-talented people that I know. She is an accomplished artist, composer, musician, singer, writer, poet and lecturer. Besides her creative abilities, Judith has overcome her trials and tribulations by turning them into triumphs. She is someone I truly admire. Chana Benjamin President and Director of New Century Artists, Inc., Chelsea, New York