Child Of Grass

"With this fascinating synthesis of word and image, internationally renowned photographer B.A. Van Sise offers a visually stimulating anthology that will enchant lovers of both poetry and photography. At times whimsical, surreal, challenging, enigmatic, joyful and sobering, these portraits--running adjacent to poems by each of their subjects--highlight some of the most influential poets of our time and celebrate creativity as only these poets in collaboration with Van Sise could convey. Children of Grass is also a timely homage to Walt Whitman--of whom Van Sise is a relative--and his masterpiece, "Leaves of Grass," during this, the 200th anniversary of his birth. Children of Grass, will, as a contemporary homage to Whitman, stand as a lasting tribute to the vitality and creativity that flourishes in our country."--Publisher's website.

The all-time marijuana classic, revised and reprinted for the first time in 50 years....and more hilarious than ever! When you finish this book, you will know all there is to know about the use of the marijuana from buying it to cleaning it to rolling it in a joint to smoking it and getting high on it and realizing that there may be, after all, a point to existence. Included are the following subjects: Grass as an Aphrodisiac Games Stoned People Play Acquiring Grass How to enhance the power of Grass The Morality of Grass "A wealth of off-beat tips for many readers - especially non-users - the greater value lies in the pleasant, almost grass-like aura that the authors produce. Their low key approach and refusal to take grass too seriously help support their main contention: that grass should be no big deal." - Time Magazine

“[An] incisive, personal mediation.” —New York Times Book Review Mark Doty has always felt haunted by Walt Whitman’s perennially new American voice, and by his equally radical claims about body and soul. In What Is the Grass, Doty effortlessly blends biography, criticism, and memoir to keep company with Whitman and his Leaves of Grass, tracing the resonances between his own experience and the legendary poet’s life and work.

In the first installment of the Sea of Grass trilogy, Child of Earth, we learn of young Kaer, whose family decides to emigrate to Linnea, a parallel Earth-like world characterized by huge horses, dangerous giant wolves, and a strict religious, primitive culture. Before Kaer and her family can emigrate, they are expected to undergo rigorous training under a massive dome that simulates the Linnean environment in every respect, designed to prepare Earthlings for the new world. In the midst of Kaer's family's training, an uprising occurs. A band of religious zealots known as the Hale-Stones, former Earth residents living on Linnea, began outing other Earthlings and disrupting Linnean society in order to convert them to Earth's Christianity. Kaer's family was stuck in limbo. Now, in Child of Grass, Kaer and Lorrin, Kaer's father, venture away from the training dome as part of a secret mission to restore peace to Linnea and free the hostage Earthlings from captivity. Defeating the Hale-Stones means using every available resource to preserve the Linnean way of life, from advanced technology, to natural disasters, and even the Hale-Stones' own religious teachings. Through the struggle for peace, Kaer is forced to confront issues about morality, loyalty, the bond of family, and the nature of intelligent life.

Set on the border between South Africa and an unnamed country, A Blade of Grass is the taut story of two women, one white and one black, who struggle to save their farm and, ultimately, their lives. Marit, a young woman of British descent, recently orphaned and newly wed, comes to live with her husband, Ben, on their new farm. Despite its Edenic setting, the land explodes in violence and tragedy, and Marit finds herself caught in a tug of war between the local Afrikaner community and the black workers who live on her farm. Frightened, she turns to the only person who can help her, a young woman who is now also alone in the world -- her maid, Tembi. As the novel builds to its devastating climax, it unfolds a tale both terrifying and hopeful, moving beyond its own time and place to become a universal story of the price of freedom.

One of the Greatest Poems in American Literature Walt Whitman (1819-1892) was considered by many to be one of the most important American poets of all time. He had a profound influence on all those who came after him. “Song of Myself”, a portion of Whitman’s monumental poetry collection “Leaves of Grass”, is one of his most beloved poems. It was through this moving piece that Whitman first made himself known to the world. One of the most acclaimed of all American poems, it is written in Whitman’s signature free verse style, without a regular form, meter, or rhythm. His lines have a mesmerizing chant-like quality, as he sought to make poetry more appealing. Few poems are as fun to read aloud as this one. Considered to be the core of his poetic vision, this poem is an optimistic and inspirational look at the world in 1855. It is exhilarating, epic, and fresh in its brilliant and fascinating diction and wordplay as it tries to capture the unique meaning of words of the day, while also embracing the rapidly evolving vocabularies of the sciences and the streets. Far ahead of its time, it was considered by many social conservatives to be scandalous and obscene for its depiction of sexuality and desire, while at the same time, critics hailed the poem as a modern masterpiece. This first version of “Song of Myself” is far superior to the later versions and will delight readers with the playfulness of its diction as it glorifies the self, body, and soul. “I am large, I contain multitudes,”

One day I was 12 years old and broke. Then Grandma gave me Grandpa's old riding lawnmower. I set out to mow some lawns. More people wanted me to mow their lawns. And more and more. . . . One client was Arnold the stockbroker, who offered to teach me about "the beauty of capitalism. Supply and Demand. Diversify labor. Distribute the wealth." "Wealth?" I said. "It's groovy, man," said Arnold. If I'd known what was coming, I might have climbed on my mower and putted all the way home to hide in my room. But the lawn business grew and grew. So did my profits, which Arnold invested in many things. And one of them was Joey Pow the prizefighter. That's when my 12th summer got really interesting.