Mad Scenes and Exit Arias: The Death of the New York City Opera and the Future of Opera in America


Heidi Waleson - 2018
    The company had been a fixture on the national opera scene--as the populist antithesis of the grand Metropolitan Opera, a nurturing home for young American talent, and a place where new, lively ideas shook up a venerable art form. But NYCO's demise represented more than the loss of a cherished organization: it was a harbinger of massive upheaval in the performing arts--and a warning about how cultural institutions would need to change in order to survive.Drawing on extensive research and reporting, Heidi Waleson, one of the foremost American opera critics, recounts the history of this scrappy company and reveals how, from the beginning, it precariously balanced an ambitious artistic program on fragile financial supports. Waleson also looks forward and considers some better-managed, more visionary opera companies that have taken City Opera's lessons to heart.Above all, Mad Scenes and Exit Arias is a story of money, ego, changes in institutional identity, competing forces of populism and elitism, and the ongoing debate about the role of the arts in society. It serves as a detailed case study not only for an American arts organization, but also for the sustainability and management of nonprofit organizations across the country.

Peace, Love, Goats of Anarchy: How My Little Goats Taught Me Huge Lessons about Life


Leanne Lauricella - 2018
    Part humor, part memoir of her life with the goats, and part testament to the power of giving back, Peace, Love, Goats of Anarchy is a moving read for animal lovers of every kind. When Leanne left her job as an event planner in New York City, she had no idea that in just four short years, her home—both inside and out—would evolve into a farm sanctuary for special needs goats!  The inspiring stories—accompanied by a wealth of heart-melting photos of Leanne's rescue goats—tell how these special animals taught her lessons about:ChangeFinding purposeUnconditional loveStrengthConfidencePatienceGrief and courageHow to fight like a goatHopeLaugh, cry, and be amazed by how much a few goats can teach you about life in Peace, Love, Goats of Anarchy.

All That Followed: A story of cancer, kids and the fear of leaving too soon


Emma Campbell - 2018
    This is a deeply felt memoir about motherhood, survival and learning to live for whatever life throws at you." CLOVER STROUD, author of The Wild OtherAn extraordinary story of facing life s multiple (!) trials with love, resilience and courage, told in Emma s warm, funny and unflinchingly honest style. AMY McCULLOCH, author of Jinxed and The Potion DiariesWith four children (three of them triplets!) and a relationship break-up to contend with, some things get a little lost in the mix. Like symptoms. Emma Campbell bravely and honestly offers heartfelt thoughts on what happens when cancer becomes an unwelcome guest at an already crowded party. She shares her own terror and pain, mixed with the heartwarming and unexpected. The extraordinary kindness of people and the gritty detail of battling a life-threatening illness, all while being a single mum to four children. She opens up about her angels and demons, losing and then finding love again, a constant fear of death mixed with the joy and relief of living, the anxiety of cancer returning - then facing it when it does. This book has grown from Emma's blog Me And My Four. Eager to share with her followers in more detail, the secrets, the fears, the triumphs and the terrors that she faces each day, in a life as unpredictable as your own...www.meandmyfour.com

Buddha Bowls: 100 Nourishing One-Bowl Meals [A Cookbook]


Kelli Foster - 2018
    You start with a base of whole grains, rice, noodles, or legumes. Then you layer on a generous assortment of cooked or raw vegetables. Finally, you top the veggies with a boost of protein and then a dressing, sauce, or broth. Buddha bowls are an easy, healthy meal that can be ready in minutes and that you can have for breakfast, lunch, or dinner—or, if you like, all three! The Buddha bowl concept is loosely based on guidance from Chinese medicine: a meal should have vegetables, protein, and grain. Typically, in a Buddha bowl there is a high ratio of ingredients to broth or sauce and the ingredients are left whole or in large pieces, and not blended, minced, or pureed. Although it is Asian in inspiration, a Buddha bowl can be made with a variety of ingredients from just about anywhere on the planet. Kelli Foster, who writes about food for the popular website The Kitchn, serves up in these pages an amazing variety of Buddha bowl ideas, each one vibrant with color, alive with flavor, and oh-so-comforting to eat. Can you think of a heartier way to start the day than with a Blackberry Millet Breakfast Bowl, a Coconut Quinoa Breakfast Bowl, or a Chai-Spiced Multigrain Porridge Bowl, just three among many breakfast bowl ideas? Later in the day, for cozy meals with loved ones, how about Warm Autumn Chicken and Wild Rice Bowls, Sesame Tuna Bowls, or Lamb Kebab Bowls? For company, Lentil and Smoked Salmon Nicoise Bowls or Miso Noodle Bowls with Stir-Fried Beef will delight your guests. There are many vegan recipes, too, from Cauliflower Falafel Power Bowls to Spicy Sesame Tofu and Rice Bowls and beyond. A special chapter on fruit bowls has ideas for power-snacking, as well as for meals. Buddha bowls are elegant in appearance and flavor, but surprisingly easy to make—a perfect marriage of convenience and good taste. If you haven't tried them yet, now you have a great reason!

Juggling Twins


Meghan Regan-Loomis - 2008
    Recommended reading for all mothers of twins."" Deborah Platek, MD, Director of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates The best twin-tested tips used by real moms The stresses that come with raising two babies are numerous - but they are predictable and manageable. From a mom who's been there, Juggling Twins is a funny, realistic, and reassuring guide for every new mom of twins who may be asking herself, ""Can I really pull this off?"" From pregnancy to health issues, to eating, sleeping, bathing, and leaving the house, Juggling Twins is packed with the detailed, authoritative information that parents of multiples crave. Author and mother of twin boys Meghan Regan-Loomis offers an indispensable toolkit of solutions and techniques, designed to create order out of the chaos and help you catch your breath during this daunting and exhilarating time. You'll learn how to: Nurse two babies at the same time, comfortably and efficiently Get exactly the help you need from family and friends in those first few weeks Safely transport two babies at once when it's just you and them Survive the nights by breaking them into shifts (that include you sleeping) Stockpile the right food and supplies in advance of their arrival Maintain your identity and your marriage through the madness Get prepared, stay calm, and count your blessings (two )-raising twins can be a wonderful, intense challenge that draws on the best in you.

Street Logos


Tristan Manco - 2004
    Fresh coats of paint and newly pasted posters appear overnight in cities across the world. New artists, new ideas, and new tactics displace faded images in a perpetual process of renewal and metamorphosis. From Los Angeles to Barcelona, Stockholm to Tokyo, Melbourne to Milan, wall spaces are a breeding ground for graphic and typographic forms as artists unleash their daily creations.Current graffiti art is reflective of the world around it. Using new materials and techniques, its innovators are creating a language of forms and images infused with contemporary graphic design and illustration. Fluent in branding and graphic imagery, they have been replacing tags with more personal logos and shifting from typographic to iconographic forms of communication.Street Logos is a worldwide celebration of these new developments in twenty-first-century graffiti, an essential sourcebook for all art and design professionals, and a delight to everyone excited by the vitality of the street.

All My Dogs Go to Heaven


Kay Bratt - 2021
    Kay Bratt explores these ideas in All (my) Dogs Go to Heaven. Touching on relevant Biblical scriptures, she chronicles her tumultuous past— including a traveling childhood and a near decade of domestic abuse— revealing how her beloved pets helped her cope, and instilled hope for better days ahead. Interspersed within this memoir are short essays from real people who have experienced signs from their departed pets as proof that they are still around in spirit. Included in the back of the book is a Grief Guide to help get us through those first devastating days after our loss.Insightful and fascinating, Kay Bratt has ultimately given us a message of hope with All (my) Dogs Go to Heaven. -Judy Morgan, Founder of Yorkie Rescue of the Carolinas

Botanical Art Techniques: A Comprehensive Guide to Watercolor, Graphite, Colored Pencil, Vellum, Pen and Ink, Egg Tempera, Oils, Printmaking, and More


American Society of Botanical Artists - 2020
    The experts at the American Society of Botanical Artists offer step-by-step projects that move from introductory to advanced—so any level of artist can build on acquired skills. Helpful tutorials cover watercolor, graphite, colored pencil, vellum, egg tempera, oils, pen and ink, and printmaking. Filled with more than 900 photographs and stunning examples of finished art by the best contemporary botanical artists, Botanical Art Techniques is the authoritative manual on this exquisite art form.

Eric Gill


Fiona MacCarthy - 1989
    He was a devoted family man and key figure in three Catholic art and craft communities: yet he also believed in complete sexual freedom. In her controversial, landmark biography, originally published in 1989, celebrated biographer Fiona MacCarthy delves into the complex, dark, and contradictory sides of the man and the artist for the first time - and the result is his definitive portrait.

Fine Cooking Cakes & Cupcakes: 100 Best Ever Recipes


Fine Cooking Magazine - 2014
    Never buy another boxed cake mix again! Fine Cooking Cakes & Cupcakes features the best from-scratch cake recipes Fine Cooking has published, from gorgeous layer cakes, simple bundt cakes, and icebox favorites to decorated cupcakes, snacking cakes, and crumb cakes—frostings and fillings, too! Tips and techniques, coupled with the triple-tested recipes, ensure delicious results every time.

Confessions of a Learner Parent: Parenting like a boss. (An inexperienced, slightly ineffectual boss.)


Sam Avery - 2017
    Both are pretty easy to put off as they're very expensive and tend to wreck your house.' Stand-up comedian Sam Avery (aka the Learner Parent) started his award-winning blog when his twin boys were born. A million nappies, Peppa Pig episodes and a lot less sleep later, he shares all the lows, highs and hilarious in-betweens of his experiences of first-time parenthood in this, his highly anticipated first book. Sam's honest, messy and laugh-out-loud account of trying for a baby (which transpired to be babIES) and figuring out what to do with them once they arrived - right up to the toddler years of talking, walking and tantrum-ing - will have you crying with laughter between your own nappy changes and nursery runs.

The Filth: The Explosive Inside Story of Scotland Yard's Top Undercover Cop


Duncan MacLaughlin - 2002
     Duncan MacLaughlin was one of New Scotland Yard's elite. In a career spanning more than two decades he served in both the Central Drug Squad and the Regional Crime Squad - Britain's equivalent of the FBI. Trained in in SAS covert techniques, his expertise lay in money laundering and undercover surveillance. Infamous cases in which he was involved include the investigation of Kenneth Noye, the pursuit of kidnap victim Stephanie Slater, the murder of PC Keith Blakelock and Operation Emerge - the seizure of a tonne of cocaine, tracked from South America. He and his colleagues penetrated international drug cartels and nailed the ruthless barons who controlled them. Filled with black humour, gritty slang and investigative detail that only an ex-copper could reveal, MacLaughlin's story is a riveting insight into the world of serious crime that is both thrilling and frightening. With shocking behind-the-scenes stories that you'll never read in the newspapers or see on Crimewatch, The Filth is the true story about working on the dark side of the streets.

Inside the Business of Illustration


Steven Heller - 2004
    Using an entertaining, running narrative format to look at key concerns every illustrator must face today, this book covers finding one's unique style and establishing a balance between art and commerce; tackling issues of authorship and promotion; and more. In-depth perspectives are offered by illustrators, art directors, and art buyers from various industries and professional levels on such issues as quality, price negotiation, and illustrator-client relationships.• Includes an afterword by Milton Glaser, well-known designer/illustrator• From the authors of The Education of an Illustrator (1-58115-075-x)

Give Yourself Margin: A Guide to Rediscovering and Reconnecting with Your Creative Self


Stacie Bloomfield - 2020
    This book is about giving yourself the space—the mental margin—to reconnect with your creative self by trying new things and, yes, even by failing sometimes. With lush illustrations, empowering interactive prompts, and inspiring personal stories, Give Yourself Margin is the perfect gift for anyone who is looking to rediscover their spark.

The Deplorables' Guide to Making America Great Again


Todd Starnes - 2017
    Change may start at the White House, but it finishes at your house. In The Deplorables' Guide to Making America Great Again, Fox News Radio host Todd Starnes reports from the front lines of the culture war in America and provides insights on what you can do to bring about real and lasting change in our nation. We've told Washington enough is enough, and we want to change the course of the country. President Obama called us bitter. Hillary Clinton called us irredeemable. The mainstream media called us backwater bigots. We were mocked by Hollywood and dismissed by academics. We were marginalized by the media - bullied and belittled by sex and gender revolutionaries. With the election of Donald Trump, the American people have spoken.