Showing results by publisher "Spoken Word Inc." in All Categories

Intelligent influence is defined as "a learned competency that leads to extraordinary results driven by effective human interaction". This groundbreaking publication provides fascinating stories that prove that the strategic use of positive influence is the foundation of individual and organizational effectiveness in any endeavor that involves human interaction.

Lee Casey plays guitar in a noise band called Ottermeat, about to leave NJ, to try and make it in Los Angeles. For now, he's squatting in a collapsing house, working as a stone mason, driving a jacked up pickup truck that he crashes into everything. As a close friend ODs in his sleep, Lee falls into a three-way relationship with two college girls, June Doom and K Neon. F-250 is a novel equal parts about growing up and being torn apart.

The very short stories of Diane Williams have been aptly called "folk tales that hammer like a nail gun," and these 40 new ones are sharper than ever. They are unsettling, yes, frequently revelatory, and, more often than not, downright funny. Not a single moment here is what you might expect. The heart of the drama beats in the language of American short fiction's grand master, whose originality, precision, and power bring the familiar into startling and enchanted relief.

You're already a great coder, but awesome coding chops aren't always enough to get you through your toughest projects. You need these 50+ nuggets of wisdom. Veteran programmers: reinvigorate your passion for developing web applications. New programmers: here's the guidance you need to get started. With this book, you'll think about your job in new and enlightened ways.

These reflections by male inmates, recorded by a prison psychologist, are brief, sometimes only a few lines, but they offer profound insights into the realities of prison life. Some of the inmates are still bewildered that they gave up good opportunities and turned to crime; some fear that they may really like being in prison; others hope they will never return after being released, although they have not kept that vow in the past. Some come from families that abused or neglected them, and others had their every whim indulged.

It is the mid-1980s, the era of so-called reformist apartheid, and South Africa is in flames. Police and military are gunning down children at the forefront of the liberation struggle. Far from such action, it seems, a small party of four is traveling by minibus to the north of the country, close to the border with Zimbabwe. Their aim is to shoot a documentary on the discovery of a prehistoric skull that is evidence that, Professor Digby Bamford boasts, "True man first arose in Southern Africa."

An "unleashed love song" to her late grandmother, Nickole Brown's collection brings her brassy, bawdy, tough-as-new-rope grandmother to life. With hair teased to Jesus, mile-long false eyelashes, and a white Cadillac Eldorado with atomic-red leather seats, Fanny is not your typical granny rocking in a chair. Instead, think of a character that looks a lot like Eva Gabor in Green Acres, but darkened with a shadow of Flannery O'Connor.

Beatnik baby boomer Joan Moran thinks it is time to get rid of all the old clichés about getting older. In her memoir, 60, Sex & Tango: Confessions of a Beatnik Boomer, she shares her engaging, humorous, and wildly entertaining personal journey as she provides a unique perspective on the trials and tribulations of being an active, sexy, intelligent woman in her 60s.

Robin Russell Gaiser is a certified music practitioner (CMP), a trained specialist who provides therapeutic music to the ill, the elderly, and the dying in hospital, nursing homes, and hospice settings; her music offers respite for them, their families, and friends from the pain, fear, and confusion that frequently accompany the complicated process of dying.

Hear all 21 curious critters talk to you in their own, distinctive voices. Incredible voice-over talent, from children to adults, including author and photographer David FitzSimmons, bring each character to life with fun, unique, and highly memorable voices. Delightful sound effects accompany the animals, providing fun sounds that add pizzazz to the narratives and contextualize the animals.

Somewhere in a Town You Never Knew Existed Somewhere is a book that speaks directly to society's "elephants in the living room" through kooky hooliganism and satire. Five year-old Bonanza's mother tells her to "keep digging" as she buries her dolls, and ultimately, herself. The dead poet Robert Lowell reappears as a high school student. Meanwhile, at a butterfly farm, the protagonist dishes up some unconventional environmental justice.

Beginner's Guide to a Head-on Collision offers the deeply moving poetic memoir of Sebastian Matthews's life in the years after the car accident that devastated him and his wife and son. The poems, which often feel like electric improvised prayer-songs, intimately evoke the terrors and wonders of catastrophic physical injury and of life re-booted. They are disturbing, eerie poems that embody the paradoxes of being The Dead Man at the crossing.

Elsa Fisher is headed for rock bottom. At least, that’s her plan. She has just been fired from MoMA on the heels of an affair with her married boss, and she retreats to Los Angeles to blow her severance package on whatever it takes to numb the pain. Her abandoned crew of college friends (childhood friend Charlotte and her wayward husband, Jared; and Elsa’s ex-husband, Robby) receive her with open arms, and, thinking she’s on vacation, a plan to celebrate their reunion on a booze-soaked sailing trip to Catalina Island.

Following a summer's worth of drug abuse, epic alcohol benders, and promiscuous sexual misadventures. You cope with your impoverished living arrangements while mourning the senility of your beloved grandmother, the destructive idiocy of your only two friends, and most importantly, the devastating loss of your free-spirited lover. There are things to consider, of course, and it's real tough to think sometimes.

Reverend Maloney isn't the world's greatest spiritual advisor. He drinks gin out of his coffee cup and has sex dreams about the Holy Ghost. His best friend Eli isn't perfect either, but he's a chess genius, so Maloney sees an opportunity in traveling around the country so Eli can win major chess tournament after chess tournament (while Maloney pockets Eli's winnings).

The Mechanics Series is composed of 40 lectures covering four topics: Understanding space, understanding energy, understanding matter, and understanding time. This series is written by Matthew M. Radmanesh, PhD, the author of three popular books: Advanced Principles of Success and Prosperity, The Ultimate Keys to Success in Business and Science, and The Gateway to Prosperity.

In this high-altitude adventure tale, a fictional student is moved to Sin City, Las Vegas. Forty minutes away from her new hometown is rock climbing mecca, Red Rock Canyon. There, a mix of eccentric characters meets every weekend to do battle with the vertical sandstone cliffs. Thrown into their mix, our student begins applying the brilliantly simple lessons she learns from her mentors and uncovers a way to get what she wants out of life...and love what she gets.

Lose your best friend because you finally Came Out. Spend days driving aimlessly because there's nothing to do. Serve your rapist breakfast because you need your job. Fall asleep to gunshots and sirens because that's the only sense of home you've ever known. Hold hands with ghosts. Your life is in pieces, but you can't be broken. Wipe off the blood. Tired of being told who to be, what to wear, how to act and who to f-k. Break the rules and learn fast how to never get caught. All you need is nothing, but you're happy with your car, guitar and camera.

Archer is a semi-celebrated novelist and sex-toy heir. His best friend, John, is as earnest as Archer is feckless. John's girlfriend, Sara, envies Archer's writing career. And Sara's roommate, Lucas, wishes he'd never lost his girlfriend to the man. Money, friendship, and resentment unspool in the conversations we have as we're coming of age and coming to grips.

Applauding the true heroes of the classroom, this compilation looks closely at the teachers who change lives one day and one lesson at a time. Instructors from all backgrounds are covered, from literature and poetry to film and even those captured in comic strips. Detailed statistics are presented, proving that teachers really do make a difference and celebrating the most unheralded, exhausting, income-challenged, and ultimately, rewarding of all professions.