Steve Simpson's mesmerizing collection of short fiction and illustrations is surreal and wildly imaginative, with touches of playfulness throughout. Here is a selection of the beings within: At Claire's school, the walls were cardboard, and her chain-smoking math teacher never allowed numbers to be mentioned. He used a drawing of a press to flatten slices of air into tissue paper for kites, and he was Claire's favorite, because all the other teachers were ghosts. One day, with a little pas...

Sometime in his mid-teens, Steve Simpson decided he wanted to become a hermit. Socially awkward and athletically inept, he felt isolated from his classmates in a huge suburban high school. Finding no joy in the company of his peers, he sought his joy in nature; in the forest preserves and state parks of the Midwest and in kayaking the waters of the region. He read Walden at an impressionable age, and the movie Jeremiah Johnson helped to reinforce the notion that true happiness could be fou...

Steve Simpson's remarkable collection of poetry and illustrations is dream-like, playful and wildly inventive. Here is a selection of the beings within: The detective, who carelessly morphs into birds and insects, and cannot choose between brooding and moping, until a stylish grayscale client with retrolescent highlights appears. Proteus, Homo Sapiens Beta, who discovered fire and put it out, who created a rudimentary encyclopedia that he pedaled across Gondwanaland on weekends. Millie, th...

Freedom of speech is indispensable to a free and civilized society, yet this precious right is increasingly under attack today.Islamic totalitarians repeatedly threaten and kill those deemed blasphemers while our political leaders stand idly by—and many intellectuals blame the victims. College students seek “trigger warnings” and “safe spaces” from controversial ideas. The government harasses tea party groups, preventing them from speaking out during an election, and it investigate...

Tá Orcó tinn tuirseach de gach duine sa teach ag rá ‘Ná Dúisigh an Páiste!’ Níl sé ach ag iarraidh súgradh lena shlat nua draíochta – déanfaidh sé go deas ciúin é! Ach nuair a oibríonn an draíocht agus nuair a eitlíonn an páiste amach an fhuinneog, tá lá mór fada roimh Orcó bocht!Orcó, the little monster child, is tired of tiptoeing around the new baby. When he gets a magic kit for his birthday, he promises to do some very quiet magic. However, the spell he weaves sends Baby and he...

Níl Lúlú an moncaí beag in ann dul a chodladh. Tá an oíche an-ghlórach agus cuireann an torann ar fad eagla uirthi. Ach nuair a thagann a cara Jeaicí Ulchabhán ar cuairt, tá plean aici siúd le Lúlú a chur ar a suaimhneas.The strange noises of the jungle keep little monkey Lúlú awake night after night. Can her friend Jeaicí the owl help her overcome her fears and get a good night’s sleep?Tá Futa Fata buíoch d'Fhoras na Gaeilge agus den Chomhairle Ealaíon as a gcuid tacaíocht...

Are there any legends about cats? Is Cinderella an English story? What is a Mumming Play? The subject of folklore covers an extremely wide field, with connections to virtually every aspect of life. It ranges from the bizarre to the seemingly mundane. Similarly, folklore is as much a feature of the modern technological age as the ancient world, of every part of the country, both urban and rural, and of every age group and occupation. Containing 1,250 entries, from dragons to Mother Goose, M...

These challenging times demand that Christian churches and their leaders faithfully and effectively address diverse global situations with Gospel-rooted compassion and justice. These essays argue that public theology provides the trinitarian theological framework which fuels wise and compassionate public participation in God's mission within the world today. Public church leaders from the Global South and Global North join their voices to explore the global implications of public theology ...

An imaginative short story inspired by real events, taken from the collection, BEYOND THE STARS, and written and illustrated by two award-winning talentsTold from the perspective of the Russian dog Tsygan, this is the story of the first living creatures to be sent into space – the ‘star dogs’ of the title.Roddy Doyle’s typically accessible voice is complemented by the illuminating illustrations of Steve Simpson, together immersing a new generation of young readers in the in...

Statistical data and evidence-based claims are increasingly central to our everyday lives. Critically examining ‘Big Data’, this book charts the recent explosion in sources of data, including those precipitated by global developments and technological change. It sets out changes and controversies related to data harvesting and construction, dissemination and data analytics by a range of private, governmental and social organisations in multiple settings.Analysing the power of data ...

They said this day would never come. They said our sights were set too high. They said this country was too divided, too disillusioned to ever come together around a common purpose. But on this January night, at this defining moment in history, you have done what the cynics said we couldn't do. - Barack ObamaThe thrilling, inspirational story of Obama's first Presidential campaign, as told by those who lived it.

With the possible exception of Mozart, Verdi is the most popular opera composer who ever lived. Quite early in his career his tunes were being cranked out by barrel organs throughout Europe and were well known to many who may never even have heard his name. But the complex man behind them remains elusive and puzzling. In this portrait-in-sound, Jeremy Siepmann and a group of distinguished actors take an in-depth look behind the popular image of a man who was, and perhaps remains, the most ...