Circling Brooks

Circling Brooks is a work of social and natural historical fiction, magic realism and zoomorphism, which depicts modern human society in the wilderness. In addition to narrating entertaining adventures, it questions stereotypic and personified descriptions of the landscape. Rather than merely recount human-projected thoughts and designs upon the earth, the book portrays the land shaping and, in somewhat wild form(s), literally transforming humans. It plays with the multifarious possibilities of the unleashed power of the land upon humanity. The novel is an account of many inter-linking journeys in the rough style of the epic. The nexus of all action is the re-invented village of “Brooks,” located on the north coast of Alaska between Barrow and Point Hope. From Brooks the characters wander across north central Alaska, the Yukon Territory, and eastern Siberia. Their paths wind south; cross, combine, split, and eventually curve back north to complete a mosaic of circling trails. Along the way these protagonists meet with many wild incidents and side-characters, including surly bears with grudges, an enraged cuckold, ghosts of dead caribou, projected vision through animal eyes, a maniacal captain of an illegal whaling ship, racist cult-missionaries, a whining phantom of a dead snowshoe hare, and their own persistent dreams.

Circling Brooks is a work of social and natural historical fiction, magic realism and zoomorphism, which depicts modern human society in the wilderness. In addition to narrating entertaining adventures, it questions stereotypic and personified descriptions of the landscape. Rather than merely recount human-projected thoughts and designs upon the earth, the book portrays the land shaping and, in somewhat wild form(s), literally transforming humans. It plays with the multifarious possibilities of the unleashed power of the land upon humanity. The novel is an account of many inter-linking journeys in the rough style of the epic. The nexus of all action is the re-invented village of “Brooks,” located on the north coast of Alaska between Barrow and Point Hope. From Brooks the characters wander across north central Alaska, the Yukon Territory, and eastern Siberia. Their paths wind south; cross, combine, split, and eventually curve back north to complete a mosaic of circling trails. Along the way these protagonists meet with many wild incidents and side-characters, including surly bears with grudges, an enraged cuckold, ghosts of dead caribou, projected vision through animal eyes, a maniacal captain of an illegal whaling ship, racist cult-missionaries, a whining phantom of a dead snowshoe hare, and their own persistent dreams.

Based on years of research as well as interviews conducted with Circle in the Square's major contributing artists, this book records the entire history of this distinguished theatre from its nightclub origins to its current status as a Tony Award-winning Broadway institution. Over the course of seven decades, Circle in the Square theatre profoundly changed ideas of what American theatre could be. Founded by Theodore Mann and Jose Quintero in an abandoned Off-Broadway nightclub just after WWII, it was a catalyst for the Off-Broadway movement. The building had a unique arena-shaped performance space that became Circle in the Square theatre, New York's first Off-Broadway arena stage and currently Broadway's only arena stage. The theatre was precedent-setting in many other regards, including operating as a non-profit, contracting with trade unions, establishing a school, and serving as a home for blacklisted artists. It sparked a resurgence of interest in playwright Eugene O'Neill's canon, and was famous for landmark revivals and American premieres of his plays. The theatre also fostered the careers of such luminaries as Geraldine Page, Colleen Dewhurst, George C. Scott, Jason Robards, James Earl Jones, Cecily Tyson, Dustin Hoffman, Irene Papas, Alan Arkin, Philip Bosco, Al Pacino, Amy Irving, Pamela Payton-Wright, Vanessa Redgrave, Julie Christie, John Malkovich, Lynn Redgrave, and Annette Bening.

This is a personal history of the twentieth century as seen through the eyes of Edith Kurzweil, author, teacher, editor of Partisan Review, and a recent recipient of the National Medal of Humanities. The book opens with Kurzweil early adolescence in Vienna during the Nazi takeover. It ends with the author finding herself in the new century. In between, she kept moving on and interrogating the world around her. The reader follows Kurzweil on her perilous journey, at the age of fourteen, to Belgium, through France, Spain, and Portugal, alone with her younger brother. Her fantasies of reunion with her parents in New York kept her going but came to naught: she had not expected to fall from a wealthy childhood into the life of the working-class poor, as a millinery apprentice or a diamond cutter. Instead of entering college life, she eventually became a conventional American housewife. Unhappy and anxious, she anticipated the social changes in America, and returned to Europe with her second husband and her two children. She arrived at the beginning of the Italian miracle--its post-war revitalization. In Milan she met many Americans as an active member of its community and of the British-American club. After personal tragedy she returned to New York, and only then pursued her early intellectual ambitions. The author eventually became a professor of sociology and quickly climbed up the academic ladder. Just as she had been as a little girl, she still "wanted to know everything," beginning with her study of Italian entrepreneurs and going on to European history and French thought, to psychoanalysis and anti-Semitism. Her early writings prompted William Phillips, co-founder and editor of Partisan Review, to invite her into the elite circle of New York intellectuals. She worked alongside him, first as a reader, then as executive editor, and took over the editorship of the legendary journal during its final period. Kurzweil's journey was one of courage, and of emotional and intellectual growth. Full Circle will be of interest to intellectual and cultural historians, literary and Holocaust scholars, and American studies specialists.

Peace and Turmoil is the first installment in an epic fantasy series following heirs from across the land of Abra'am as they try to navigate magic, politics, and fiends.

This one-stop reference is a perfect resource for anyone interested in the North and South Poles, whether their interest relates to history, wildlife, or the geography of these regions in the news today. Global warming, a hot topic among scholars of geography and science, has led to increased interest in studying the earth's polar ice caps, which seem to be melting at an alarming rate. This accessible, two-volume encyclopedia lays a foundation for understanding global warming and other issues related to the North and South Poles. Approximately 350 alphabetically arranged, user-friendly entries treat key terms and topics, important expeditions, major figures, territorial disputes, and much more. Readers will find information on the explorations of Cook, Scott, Amundsen, and Peary; articles on humpback whales, penguins, and polar bears; and explanations of natural phenomena like the Aurora Australis and the polar night. Expedition tourism is covered, as is climate change. Ideal for high school and undergraduate students studying geography, social studies, history, and earth science, the encyclopedia will provide a better understanding of these remote and unfamiliar lands and their place in today's world.