Rudy and Charlie Webb grew up as the closest of brothers. But after a fight over a girl both loved, Rudy fled the idyllic farm of his childhood, vowing never to return. Charlie remained behind, marrying Dottie, the girl who chose Charlie over Rudy. Now, thirty-four years later, Charlie's son, Gus, calls Rudy to inform him that Charlie is dying and wants to mend fences, not just with Rudy, but with his wife and children before he goes. Rudy is reluctant to go back. The family is a mess. Cha...

In a rapidly and ever-changing world, The Agnostic's Handbook presents a philosophy of life designed to allow for cooperation and unity between various religious, political and cultural views. The agnostic point of view, that none of us can answer for certain the question of God, allows us to form new ways of thinking about morality and ethics. Divisions created by black and white rules offered in conflicting belief systems can be healed once we admit that first, black and white rules are ...

Scholars of Richard Wagner’s works have long noted his numerous comparisons between their characters and plots in his letters, essays, and recorded remarks. Yet no one has previously attempted to assess their implications for our understanding of his art systematically. Paul Heise’s quest to grasp the allegorical unity underlying Wagner’s canonical artworks began in the 1970s. Following his allegorical interpretation of Wagner’s Ring of the Nibelung, The Wound That Will Never Heal (Academi...

"Butterbugs is a nobody, a nothing. But that's not why he's compelled to drive to Hollywood and hurl himself upon the mercy of the cinematic capital. His only dream is to act. Without any plans, resources or friends, he throws caution to the wind and embarks on a journey to the City of Angels. The trials that result pose only one question: will Butterbugs remain a non-entity, or will his big dream come true? Facing the movie monolith's prospects alone, Butterbugs attempts to perform dramat...

Shakespeare's 12th Night as told by the beloved character, Feste the Jester. This is the modified text used in the sole enactment by the author and performance artist, Brian Paul Allison... a glorious piece of fan fiction, a brilliant twist on the story, and a lifelong aspiration.

This is my first book of poetry, which spans over twenty years of my young adult life. It is largely tongue-in-cheek, at times confessional, satirical, lyrical, formal, irreverent, humorous, soul-searching, diabolical... and maybe even inspirational. With the illustrations and heavy stylization, I am pretty sure it offers a unique voice to the modern poetry scene, for what it's worth.

This is a semi-autobiographical account of the development, history, and demise of the most sophisticated live-action role-playing game ever to hit the collective consciousness of humanity. The Adventure Game Theater was the brainchild of Brian Paul Allison and Howard Moody III. In collaboration with dozens of other highly talented individuals they pioneered the most wonderous fantasy enactments over the span of some 25 years at such institutions as The Center for Symbolic Studies, Wesleya...

It’s true: the superpower known as the USA is now being run … by Baby Boomers. They dominate government, control corporations, steer society and culture. Boomers are in power. This is their time. But who are they, really? What do they think? And most importantly, what have they done? What are they doing? The Baby Boom generation is certainly well known, but rarely described or even revealed. BUSTED BOOM: THE BUMMER OF BEING A BOOMER takes a crack at it. A wild ride awaits. You’ll need seat...

This book is truly a love-service of noteworthy magnitude. To memorize hundreds of poems and then arrange them into sequences, creating gems of intertextuality, and then to go out into the world and offer this as an example of the newest form of an ancient practice, to get up in front of people and recite... well, it is a scary yet enormously rewarding thing to do. On either side of the equation, this can result in truly bringing the poetry to life in your life. It's like, if you have a re...

In the rapidly evolving landscape of the digital era, where screens light up our lives and technology interweaves with every facet of our existence, the art of parenting finds itself at an extraordinary crossroads. As we navigate the uncharted waters of raising tech-savvy children, the journey becomes both exhilarating and challenging, shaping the course of our children's futures in unprecedented ways."Parenting in the Digital Era (Raising Tech Savvies)" is more than a mere book; i...

Butterbugs is becoming somebody. He has come to Hollywood to act, and as an aspiring performer, so far, he is a survivor. His dream persists... though barely. But something's coming.He has had to endure nearly crushing challenges with a tenacity deserving its own kind of award. Perhaps simple luck is all that's needed. It soon appears, from unexpected quarters. And starting there, his ascent begins. Butterbugs is about to be exposed – as actor, as talent, as star. A splash like no o...

Scholars devoted to analysis of Richard Wagner’s operas and music-dramas have long noted his numerous comparisons between their characters and plots in his letters, essays, and recorded remarks. Yet no one has previously attempted to assess their implications for our systematic understanding of his art. Following Heise’s allegorical interpretation of Wagner’s Ring of the Nibelung, The Wound That Will Never Heal (Academica Press, 2021), this second installment of the author’s lifel...