Orb weavers! Weavers of tangled nets! All eight-legged ones... Cast to the four winds my story's thread. Arachne, classical literature's most famous weaver exhorts her spider minions in this epic adaptation of a famous Greek myth. The talented, rebellious teenage Arachne here tells her own story in unforgettable words. She speaks of her impoverished childhood and lonely, steadfast pursuit of excellence in a bold, passionate voice. Her unshakable belief in herself and persistent questioning of divine authority lead to a dramatic confrontation with the goddess Athena, a fateful weaving contest, and an unexpected transformation. Poet Kate Hovey's lyrical verse and Blair Drawson's stunning artwork together create a timeless rendering of the ancient struggle between the headstrong Arachne and the powerful Athena.

Reception studies have transformed the classics. Many more literary and cultural texts are now regarded as 'valid' for classical study. And within this process of widening, children's literature has in its turn emerged as being increasingly important. Books written for children now comprise one of the largest and most prominent bodies of texts to engage with the classical world, with an audience that constantly changes as it grows up. This innovative volume wrestles with that very characteristic of change which is so fundamental to children's literature, showing how significant the classics, as well as classically-inspired fiction and verse, have been in tackling the adolescent challenges posed by metamorphosis. Chapters address such themes as the use made by C S Lewis, in The Horse and his Boy, of Apuleius' The Golden Ass; how Ovidian myth frames the Narnia stories; classical 'nonsense' in Edward Lear; Pan as a powerful symbol of change in children's literature, for instance in The Wind in the Willows; the transformative power of the Orpheus myth; and how works for children have handled the teaching of the classics.

Dark rituals drag London mage Alex Verus into the center of a conspiracy in this thrilling novel from the national bestselling author of Marked. Since his second sight made him infamous for defeating powerful dark mages, Alex Verus has been keeping his head down. But now he's discovered the resurgence of a forbidden ritual. Someone is harvesting the life-force of magical creatures—destroying them in the process. And draining humans is next on the agenda. Hired to investigate, Alex discovers not everyone on the Council wants him delving any deeper. Struggling to distinguish ally from enemy, he finds himself the target of those who would risk their own sanity for power. Alex still has the advantage of seeing the future—but he might not have a future for much longer.

The myths of ancient Crete, her people, and their gods twine through our minds like the snakes around the priestess's arms in those ancient temples. They call to us across the millennia, asking us to remember. In answer to that call, Ariadne’s Thread provides a window into the spirituality, culture and daily life of the Minoan people, and commemorates the richness of a world in which women and men worked and worshiped as equals. In these pages, the glory of Crete once again springs to life; the history, the culture, and most of all, the intense spirituality of these fascinating people and their gods can inspire and transform our modern ways of thinking, worshiping and being. The ruined temples and mansions of ancient Crete may crumble along the coastline of this tiny island, but Ariadne’s thread still leads us into the labyrinth and safely back out again.

THE story of Greece began long, long ago in a strange wonderland of beauty. Woods and winds, fields and rivers, each had a pathway which led upward and onward into the beautiful land. Sometimes indeed no path was needed, for the rivers, woods, and lone hill-sides were themselves the wonderland of which I am going to tell. In the woods and winds, in the trees and rivers, dwelt the gods and goddesses whom the people of long ago worshipped. It was their presence in the world that made it so great, so wide, so wonderful...

This volume is a material and semiotic study of transnationalsim, analyzed in terms of race, class, gender, and sexuality. The objects of analysis range from the aftermath of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, to science fiction by Pat Cadigan, CJ Cherryh, and Samuel Delaney, to material-semiotic feminist theory by Donna Harraway, to the neo-Marxist historical geography of Mike Davis and David Harvey. The book is centrally concerned with the social and cultural change brought about by the rise of the new social movements in the United States, such as the women's movement and the lesbian, gay, queer, and transgendered movements, and the backlash by the American new right against this change. Ethical and political concerns are central to the arguments, which is framed in terms of Emmanuel Levinas's notion of radical, non-reciprocal responsibility. Laura Chernaik is a free-lance writer.

Poetry in Literature for Youth offers teachers, librarians, parents, and students with an instrumental guide for incorporating all forms of poetry into the curriculum. More than 900 annotated entries provide descriptions of books and other resources, including anthologies, classics, various poetry formats, poetry novels, multicultural poetry, performance poetry, teen poetry, poet biographies, and curriculum connections. Educators, who are often unaware of the poetry resources available-particularly for young adults-will welcome this book with open arms. Lists for building a core poetry collection, along with resources for teaching poetry criticism and writing, electronic poetry resources, booktalks, classroom activities, and lesson plans complement this guide. Author, Geographic, Grade, Subject, and Title indexes are also included. For anyone interested in knowing more about poetry in literature, this is an indispensable guide.

"Drawing on recent scholarship in art, film, literary theory, and gender studies, A Web of Fantasies examines the complexities, symbolism, and interactions between gaze and image in Ovid's Metamorphoses and forms a gender-sensitive perspective. It is a feminist study of Ovid's epic, which includes many stories about change, in which discussions of viewers, viewing, and imagery strive to illuminate Ovid's constructions of male and female. Patricia Salzman-Mitchell discusses the text from the perspective of three types of gazes: of characters looking, of the poet who narrates visually charged stories, and of the reader who "sees" the woven images in the text. Arguing against certain theorists who deny the possibility of any feminine vision in a male-authored poem, the author maintains that the female point of view can be released through the traditional feminine occupation of weaving, featuring the woven images of Arachne (involved in a weaving contest in which she tried to best the goddess Athena, who turned her into a spider) and Philomela (who had her tongue cut out, so had to weave a tapestry depicting her rape and mutilation)." "The book observes that while feminist models of the gaze can create productive readings of the poem, these models are too limited and reductive for such a protean and complex text as Metamorphoses. This work brings forth the pervasive importance of the act of looking in the poem which will affect future readings of Ovid's epic."--BOOK JACKET.

Libby Larsen has composed award-winning music performed around the world. Her works range from chamber pieces and song cycles to operas to large-scale works for orchestra and chorus. At the same time, she has advocated for living composers and new music since cofounding the American Composers Forum in 1973. Denise Von Glahn’s in-depth examination of Larsen merges traditional biography with a daring scholarly foray: an ethnography of one active artist. Drawing on musical analysis, the composer’s personal archive, and seven years of interviews with Larsen and those in her orbit, Von Glahn illuminates the polyphony of achievements that make up Larsen’s public and private lives. In considering Larsen’s musical impact, Von Glahn delves into how elements of the personal—a 1950s childhood, spiritual seeking, love of nature, and status as an “important woman artist”—inform her work. The result is a portrait of a musical pathfinder who continues to defy expectations and reject labels.