The Forgiveness Parade

Jeffrey McDaniel's second book of poetry features dysfunctional family, heartbroken love and above all, humor.

Whether Jeffrey McDaniel is denouncing insomnia ("4,000 A.M."), exploring family tragedy ("Ghost Townhouse"), or celebrating love and lust ("The Biology of Numbers"), his writing is original and provocative. A noted poet, McDaniel has appeared on ABC’s Nightline and NPR’s Talk of the Nation. "Wild, fierce, irreverent, full of praise and lament, and deeply, intensely human." — Thomas Lux

“Reading Jeffrey McDaniel’s gorgeously dark and utterly compelling Chapel of Inadvertent Joy reminds me that he is probably the most important poet in America. The book in your hands was written by a master of metaphor and a poet of huge imagination and fierce ingenuity, a fine antidote to realism. Get this voice in your head.” —Major Jackson

In his new collection, Jeffrey McDaniel confronts the insular and expansive qualities of loss. With electric language and surrealistic imagery, McDaniel’s poems deliver the quotidian elements of middle-age life while weaving us in & out of childhood and adulthood alongside body and mind. The tragic and life affirming share the same page and the same world, reminding us how close corruption can be to innocence; domesticity to fantasy; aging to youth. Jonathan We are underwater off the coast of Belize. The water is lit up even though its dark as if there are illuminated seashells scattered on the ocean floor. We’re not wearing oxygen tanks, yet staying underwater for long stretches. We are looking for the body of the boy we lost. Each year he grows a little older. Last December I opened his knapsack and stuck in a plastic box of carrots. Even though we’re underwater, we hear a song playing over a policeman’s radio. He comes to the shoreline to park and eat midnight sandwiches, his headlights fanning out across the harbor. And I hold you close, apple of my closed eye, red dance of my opened fist.

For fans of Coraline and Spirited Away comes a diverse fantasy debut steeped in Japanese mythology about a girl and a deadly curse. The last thing thirteen-year-old Saki Yamamoto wants to do for her summer vacation is trade in exciting Tokyo for the antiquated rituals and bad cell reception of her grandmother's village. Preparing for the Obon ceremony is boring. Then the local kids take interest in Saki and she sees an opportunity for some fun, even if it means disrespecting her family's ancestral shrine on a malicious dare. But as Saki rings the sacred bell, the darkness shifts. A death curse has been invoked...and Saki has three nights to undo it. With the help of three spirit guides and some unexpected friends, Saki must prove her worth—or say goodbye to the world of the living forever... The Night Parade is perfect for: Fantasy fans and kids 11 to 14 who love Spirited Away Kids and teens looking for creepy, suspenseful stories Adults looking for diverse books for kids Mythology fans and kids 12 to 14 A 2017 Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year A Kids' Indie Next Pick A Junior Library Guild Selection A 2017 Freeman Book Award Winner

"Known for his commanding stage presence as a reader, McDaniel trades hard in his fourth book on his rough-and-tumble persona--a recovering addict from the working class streets--while also showing softer sides. McDaniel's sometimes awkward, if earnest searching might just be what allows him to find moments of great beauty, humor and stillness." --Publishers Weekly “McDaniel is known for his talent performing his poems, however his voice doesn’t lose its impact in written form. It may be more powerful because the reader can view the poet’s unique ideas and phrases over and over until their various meanings sink in.” —Gently Read Literature "McDaniel zings metaphors across the page like he's the Robin Williams of poetry. This collection in frequently moving and inventive with enough lightheartedness and whimsy to balance the heaviness of the darker moments." --hipbooksterclub.com Jeffrey McDaniel is the author of Alibi School, The Forgiveness Parade, and The Splinter Factory. His work has appeared in a number of anthologies, including Best American Poetry 1994, The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry, and New (American) Poets. He has won several awards, including an NEA Fellowship. He teaches creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College.

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! “[The Gift of Forgiveness] will spark conversations across families, across friendships, at workplaces, everywhere.” –Maria Shriver A fresh, inspiring book on learning how to forgive, with firsthand stories from those who have learned to let go of resentment and find peace. "When we learn to embrace forgiveness, it opens us up to healing, hope, and a new world of possibility." --Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt Written with grace and understanding and based on more than twenty in-depth interviews and stories as well as personal reflections from Schwarzenegger Pratt herself, The Gift of Forgiveness is about one of the most difficult challenges in life--learning to forgive. Here, Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt shows us what we can learn from those who have struggled with forgiveness, some still struggling, and others who have been able to forgive what might seem truly unforgivable. The book features experiences from those well-known and unknown, including Elizabeth Smart, who learned to forgive her captors; Sue Klebold, whose son, Dylan, was one of the Columbine shooters, learning empathy and how to forgive herself; Chris Williams, who forgave the drunken teenager who killed his wife and child; and of course Schwarzenegger Pratt's own challenges and path to forgiveness in her own life. All provide different journeys to forgiveness and the process--sometimes slow and thorny, sometimes almost instantaneous--by which they learned to forgive and let go. The Gift of Forgiveness is a perfect blend of personal insights, powerful quotations, and hard-won wisdom for those seeking a way to live with greater acceptance, grace, and peace. A PAMELA DORMAN BOOKS/VIKING LIFE TITLE

With themes ranging from twenty-nothing ennui to love poems for Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, from the trials of an academic upbringing in Philadelphia to the impossible wooing of a Muslim beauty, McDaniel paints a curious and compelling portrait of ordinary life. The result is a slightly surrealistic reading experience, with McDaniel's words expressing the humour, danger, and honest emotion of youth on the verge of the millenium.