I want you to be fully present in your own life, a change agent who is not afraid to dare to be who you are. I wonder though, my dear sweet child, how I can mother you when I have not been able to mother myself? How can I give you the tools to survive this brutal world when I have not been able to craft these tools to save myself? How can I stand up for you when my whole life has been spent trying so hard to stand up for myself? I am not perfect. I am flawed. I am pregnant. And in nine months, I will be your mother. And so begins Karsonya Wise Whitehead's first letter to her oldest son. For the past 14 years, she has written letters, poems, notes, and words of inspiration to her two boys, Kofi Elijah and Amir Elisha. She has documented everything from their first steps to their first encounter with racism; from their questions about race to their questions about falling in love. She has borne witness to their tears of joy and pain, their cries of frustration and discovery, and the difficulties that they have encountered growing up black and male. Since this is her love for them poured out onto the page, she chose to publish them exactly as they were written-without any edits or corrections. Letters to My Black Sons traces her (and her husband's) journey to try and raise happy and healthy black boys in a post-racial America.

UFO Symphonic-Journeys into Sound explores the language of music and its relationship to the mystery of existence. A collection of many voices, UFO Symphonic sings like a choral symphony. UFO Symphonic suggests that music is a form of highly complex communication, a contact modality. Contact with whom? Or what? There are no final answers, the author submits. Is music one way in which the past, present and future are attempting to communicate with and through us? More than a vehicle for time travel, music can transport us to another realm. UFO Symphonic investigates how the symbolic language of music, of sound, interfaces with the collective unconscious. And with the symbolism of dreams, leading us, at times, into the realm of high strangeness. Through a series of personal accounts and experiencer stories, UFO Symphonic takes the reader on a journey into the impossible.

For all Tom Marquardt knew, Capital Gazette just had an unhappy reader. What he didn't know was that the unhappy reader was about to become a mass murderer.

Marquardt, the former editor of Capital Gazette newspapers in Annapolis, MD, was a target of a 38-year-old loner who sought to avenge a 2011 article that reported the reader's conviction of sexually harassing a former high school classmate. For years the man sued the editor, the reporter and the newspaper for defamation, then took to Twitter (now X) to lash out against the editor and reporter. Representing himself in court, his lawsuit rambled and failed to persuade a judge who easily dismissed it. He spent the next three years silently plotting his attack.

On June 28, 2018, he blasted his way through the locked doors of Capital Gazette offices and killed five employees. He called 911 to confess, then hid under a desk while waiting to surrender to approaching police.

Marquardt spent two years reviewing police and court files, eyewitness accounts, the killer's interview with a state psychiatrist and video footage to chronicle in stunning detail what lead up to the crime and how the killer escaped detection.

Pressed to Kill: Inside Newspapers' Worst Mass Murder is a chilling account of the worst mass murder at an American newspaper, but more so it is about the lives of those who died, their heroism on that day, and the remarkable response from a community who rushed to its side.

For all Tom Marquardt knew, Capital Gazette just had an unhappy reader. What he didn't know was that the unhappy reader was about to become a mass murderer.

Marquardt, the former editor of Capital Gazette newspapers in Annapolis, MD, was a target of a 38-year-old loner who sought to avenge a 2011 article that reported the reader's conviction of sexually harassing a former high school classmate. For years the man sued the editor, the reporter and the newspaper for defamation, then took to Twitter (now X) to lash out against the editor and reporter. Representing himself in court, his lawsuit rambled and failed to persuade a judge who easily dismissed it. He spent the next three years silently plotting his attack.

On June 28, 2018, he blasted his way through the locked doors of Capital Gazette offices and killed five employees. He called 911 to confess, then hid under a desk while waiting to surrender to approaching police.

Marquardt spent two years reviewing police and court files, eyewitness accounts, the killer's interview with a state psychiatrist and video footage to chronicle in stunning detail what lead up to the crime and how the killer escaped detection.

Pressed to Kill: Inside Newspapers' Worst Mass Murder is a chilling account of the worst mass murder at an American newspaper, but more so it is about the lives of those who died, their heroism on that day, and the remarkable response from a community who rushed to its side.

One cold night in April, Natasha's father drove his car into the frigid water of New York Bay with her two-year-old half-sister in the backseat. She was the one to walk him past the column of hungry reporters demanding an explanation.

The headline in The Daily News read: Back from a Watery Grave. But Natasha's experiences growing up with her schizophrenic father in the gritty New York City of the 1970s are not so easily captured in a single headline. How could she possibly convey the power of her father's love in the face of this tragedy?

The Parts of Him I Kept is an intimate account of coming of age in the face of a father's schizophrenic unraveling. In the tradition of Michael Greenberg's Hurry Down Sunshine and Robert Kolker's Hidden Valley Road, Williams explores the limits of our understanding of schizophrenia and chronicles the burden and privilege of caring for a mentally ill family member.

This book grew out of the overwhelming response requesting a companion volume to Father Brown's book, Psalms and Consolations: A Jesuit's Journey Through Grief. In this volume about the reflection on healing - the opening up of all the blocked spiritual arteries of the past years. The Psalms have always been a spiritual way for me to allow the Lord to unblock that which impedes the flow of Christ's grace within me. Included are prayers, homilies and reflections meant to help all who are finding their spiritual way.

This book grew out of the overwhelming response requesting a companion volume to Father Brown's book, Psalms and Consolations: A Jesuit's Journey through Grief. In this volume on forgiveness and reconciliation, Father Brown continues to turn to the Book of Psalms for inspiration.

Included are prayers and reflections meant to help all who are searching for a compassionate and healing path to forgiveness

Illuminating the intimate, human faces of war, this unique series of short stories by award-winning author Katey Schultz questions the stereotypes of modern war by bearing witness to the shared struggles of all who are touched by it. Numerous characters-returning U.S. soldier and pragmatic jihadist, Afghan mother and listless American sister, courageous amputee and a ghost that cannot let go-appear in Flashes of War, which captures personal moments of fear, introspection, confusion, and valor in one collection spanning nations and perspectives. Written in clear, accessible language with startling metaphors, this unforgettable journey leaves aside judgment, bringing us closer to a broader understanding of war by focusing on individuals, their motivations, and their impossible decisions. Flashes of War weaves intimate portrayals of lives affected by the War on Terror into a distinctive tapestry of emotional resonance. It builds bridges, tears them down, and sends out a universal plea for reconnection. Katey Schultz has written an amazing book. What emerges from these stories is a chorus of voices-American, Afghan, Iraqi-and this chorus enlarged my sense of a war that has defined an American decade. Flashes Of War is the work of a bold, ambitious, and brilliant young author who is writing stories few others in American fiction have really yet tackled. - Doug Stanton, author of New York Times Bestsellers Horse Soldiers and In Harm's Way Katey Schultz grew up in Portland, Oregon, and is most recently from Celo, North Carolina. She is a graduate of the Pacific University MFA in Writing Program and recipient of the Linda Flowers Literary Award from the North Carolina Humanities Council. She lives in a 1970 Airstream trailer bordering the Pisgah National Forest. This is her first book.

In Sparking the Genius, Whitehead outlines the Critical Moments in American History that defined both the beginning of the early Civil Rights Movement-with the release of the Emancipation Proclamation-and the modern Civil Rights Movement in 1963. Starting with the Birmingham Campaign (Project C), Whitehead outlines, defines, and deconstructs five Critical Moments including the release of Dr. King's Letter from a Birmingham Jail, the assassination of Medgar Evers, the March on Washington, and the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. With an introduction from Dr. Alicia Moore and Dr. La Vonne Neal, the book also includes an article on critical pedagogy by Dr. Conra Gist and a lesson plan for teaching the Woodson Lecture to K-16 students. Whitehead's 2013 Carter G. Woodson Lecture is both a challenge and a call to action: Will you answer the call to help spark the genius? Sparking the Genius is a gem that illuminates the African American struggle in the United States. - Daryl Michael Scott, Professor of History, Howard University, and President of ASALH In the dynamic oratory voice of her father, who is a pastor, Whitehead challenges us to (re)spark the genius in not only ourselves, but to also spark this genius in those we come in contact with, especially the youth. - Janet Sims-Wood, Ph.D., National VP for Membership of ASALH Sparking the Genius is a riveting call to action from Dr. Whitehead to all generations to fully embrace and learn from our Black History and Heritage. - Cheryl Clark, CEO, National Visionary Leadership Project Karsonya Wise Whitehead is one of our new script-writers - La Vonne Neal, Dean, Northern Illinois University, College of Education

With the number of Covid cases increasing and the death toll steadily rising, award-winning writer Stephen E. Smith decided it was appropriate-maybe even necessary-to write about happier, less stressful times.

In a box of forgotten files, he rediscovered loose-leaf binders and keepsakes from his first year of college. It had been more than half a century but reading through his course notes, personal observations, and the clippings he'd torn from magazines and newspapers, he pieced together the events, good and bad, tender and tragic, that shaped his freshman year.

Much of what he writes is disarmingly funny, but recalling the Civil Rights Movement, the War in Vietnam, and the complexities of finding himself a stranger in the South forced him to reassess a period of his life he'd long recalled as carefree. In this vivid and poignant mid-60s memoir, readers come to understand how friendship, a love of language and music, and the bittersweet remembrance of lost love can help sustain us through difficult times.

So, what's a nice girl from a good family doing in a place like the Bronx House of Detention?

Like many immigrants who flee persecution, when the Rosens escaped the Nazis they thought life in America would be perfect. And for a while it was. Men developed successful businesses, a mink stole hung in every hall closet, overly abundant high-carb food graced all tables and grandma preserved traditions while finishing her weekly bottle of whiskey.

But then cracks appeared-a teenager pushed boundaries so far that the police became part of the family story, an in-law loudly mourned the loss of status he had in their village and a woman with stricter beliefs married into the family causing catastrophic rifts.

Despite the ever-present shadow of the Holocaust there's frequent humor. People who eat frozen, pre-packaged bagels are condemned, Cossacks who once incinerated towns are now Bar Mitzvah waiters carrying flaming cherries jubilee, the chippie dating the synagogue president carries a bejeweled poodle-shaped purse that barks in French and no one understands how WASPs can wear leather loafers without socks.

This book has enough twists, turns and turmoil to make anyone, immigrant or Mayflower descendant, cry, Oy Vey!

Jump inside this amazing, original golf book... Filled with the ABC's of success to life and the game of golf, this book is written by the very people who have achieved fame and fortune in their respective golf-related field. Historically compelling and just plain fun to read, Wisdom For A Young Golfer will fascinate those golfers new to the game, as well as the serious golf historian and weekend hacker. You will not be able to put these compelling letters down until you have reached the very last page. Then you will want to share this rich knowledge with someone close to you, even if they have never picked up a driver or putter in their life. Wisdom For A Young Golfer includes letters from Greg Norman, Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson, and many more. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book will benefit The First Tee. The First Tee's mission is to positively impact young people with educational programs that build character, instill life-enhancing values and promote healthy choices through the game of golf.

This memoir of medical training in the 1970s, Stress Test, is particularly timely after the Dobbs decision, when the rights that underpin a woman's ability to participate fully in professional and public life are under attack. The story takes the reader through a five-year crucible, from the first day of medical school through the last day of an internship year in pediatrics and from the gross anatomy lab to the neonatal intensive care unit. Unveiling the cadaver in the first days of medical school while her mother lay dying on an oncology ward; the excitement of making difficult diagnoses and the terror and tragedy of disastrous mistakes; the joy of connecting with patients and the heartbreak of losing them-it's all here. Women comprised less than a fifth of the author's medical school class, so the scourge of sexism riddles the narrative. And as a white woman in the largely Black urban environment of West Baltimore, barely a decade after the Civil Rights movement and long before Black Lives Matter, she bore witness throughout her training to the human cost of racism.

All this took place while the author navigated personal struggles: her mother's death two months into medical school; several ill-starred romantic relationships, including an interracial love affair with a professor; a roommate's suicide; and her own suicidality, depression, and experiences in therapy.

This memoir joins a growing body of work by women physicians in recent years, including several memoirs. What makes it unique is the era when it was written: a time when women were still years away from comprising half-or more-of medical school students, and when the second wave of feminism was surging. Many of the fears, griefs, and struggles that women in medicine face today are the same ones the author grappled with decades earlier.

Displaced by the Russian invasion, Vira, carrying little but her precious viola da gamba, is a refugee in the Uniting for Ukraine program. When she is physically attacked soon after her arrival in the United States, the terrifying experience prompts her to hide in plain sight by passing as her twin, Sevastyan, until he is able join her.

Orson has been commissioned to write an opera for The Twelfth Night Festival, but he is suffering from composer's block. Not only that, his muse, Isabella, has inexplicably withdrawn from all performing. During a chance meeting, Orson discovers the extraordinary musical talent of Vira, now passing as Sevastyan, and it gives him the jolt of inspiration he needs. Hoping that Isabella will be as intrigued as he is, Orson sends Sevastyan as his emissary to persuade Isabella to sing in his opera.

In this love-quadrangle seen from multiple points of view-some poignant, some hilarious-the myriad misconceptions that result from Vira's deception are woven into themes of migration, sexuality, and diversity.

One cold night in April, Natasha's father drove his car into the frigid water of New York Bay with her two-year-old half-sister in the backseat. She was the one to walk him past the column of hungry reporters demanding an explanation.

The headline in The Daily News read: Back from a Watery Grave. But Natasha's experiences growing up with her schizophrenic father in the gritty New York City of the 1970s are not so easily captured in a single headline. How could she possibly convey the power of her father's love in the face of this tragedy?

The Parts of Him I Kept is an intimate account of coming of age in the face of a father's schizophrenic unraveling. In the tradition of Michael Greenberg's Hurry Down Sunshine and Robert Kolker's Hidden Valley Road, Williams explores the limits of our understanding of schizophrenia and chronicles the burden and privilege of caring for a mentally ill family member.

UFO Symphonic-Journeys into Sound explores the language of music and its relationship to the mystery of existence. A collection of many voices, UFO Symphonic sings like a choral symphony. UFO Symphonic suggests that music is a form of highly complex communication, a contact modality. Contact with whom? Or what? There are no final answers, the author submits. Is music one way in which the past, present and future are attempting to communicate with and through us? More than a vehicle for time travel, music can transport us to another realm. UFO Symphonic investigates how the symbolic language of music, of sound, interfaces with the collective unconscious. And with the symbolism of dreams, leading us, at times, into the realm of high strangeness. Through a series of personal accounts and experiencer stories, UFO Symphonic takes the reader on a journey into the impossible.

Baltimore senior editor Ron Cassie has garnered national awards for his coverage of the death of Freddie Gray, sea-level rise on the Eastern Shore, and the opioid epidemic in Hagerstown. This collection of short stories, culled from a decade spent roaming around Charm City with a notebook in his back pocket, is different, however. They are of the kind of wide-ranging city writing and literary journalism that speaks directly to the fabric of a place. There are encounters with former Rep. Elijah Cummings, former Senator Barbara Mikulski, and Orioles Hall-of-Famer Jim Palmer. But more often, these stories revolve around people few Baltimoreans have heard of--a blind police detective, old Jewish boxers, a flower shop owner, the city native who created the statue of Billie Holiday in Upton. Each story makes the picture of Baltimore and its work-a-day inhabitants--gritty, resilient, quirky--clearer and more complex at the same time.

This is sharp, vivid, and gut-wrenching story-telling of the most powerful kind. -Catherine Mayo, author, The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire Ellen Prentiss Campbell's debut novel, The Bowl with Gold Seams, is a moving, intimate story of unexpected personal transformations. An unusual chapter in the long history of the Bedford Springs Hotel in Pennsylvania inspired this work of historical fiction: during the summer of 1945, the resort served as the unlikely detainment center for the Japanese ambassador to Berlin, his staff, and their families. The Bowl with Gold Seams tells Hazel Shaw's story as a young woman working at the hotel among the Japanese, and the further story of the reverberating lifelong consequences of that experience. The final events of the war challenge her beliefs about enemies and friends, victory and defeat, love and loyalty. In the ensuing years she remains haunted by memories. An unexpected encounter causes Hazel to return to the hotel long after the end of the war; she must confront her past, come to terms with her present life, and determine her future.

This book is a collection of poetry; a product of a contemplative life of prayer. Through his poetry, Bill Phillips reminds us of all that is beautiful in our lives and the beauty with which God has surrounded us. If we fail to pause in our daily lives to notice God's wondrous works, Bill has done so for us, using words and imagery that reveal the glory of God's design of man and of nature. I pray Bill's work will inspire those who read it to come to the quiet from time-to time, to seek the peace and contentment that can be found in ourselves and to take stock of all that is beautiful and good in our lives, as bestowed on us by God, the Architect of all Creation. - Most Reverend William E. Lori, Archbishop of Baltimore

The Wilderness is new--to you. Master, let me lead you.

Emily Dickinson wrote these words to her mentor shortly after his wife died, inviting him to trust her intimate knowledge of grief's landscape. In Grief's Compass, Patricia McKernon Runkle takes Dickinson for her guide after the devastating loss of her brother. As she charts a path through the holy madness of grief and the grace of healing, she finds no stages. Instead, she finds points on a compass and lines from Dickinson that illuminate them. Gently suggesting that you can take your time healing, she becomes your patient companion.

The 'hand you stretch me in the Dark, ' I put mine in, Dickinson wrote. Here is Patricia's hand, reaching for yours.

2017 Nautilus Book Award - Silver Medal, Lyrical Prose
2018 Rubery Book Award - Short List, Nonfiction