Hurricane Katrina of August-September 2005, one of the most destructive natural disasters in U.S. history, dramatically illustrated the continuing racial and class inequalities of America. In this powerful reader, Seeking Higher Ground, prominent scholars and writers examine the racial impact of the disaster and the failure of governmental, corporate and private agencies to respond to the plight of the New Orleans black community. Contributing authors include Julianne Malveaux, Melissa Harris-Lacewell, Ronald Walters, Chester Hartman, Gregory D. Squires, Mindy Thompson Fullilove, Alan Stein, and Gene Preuss. This reader is the second volume of the Souls Critical Black Studies Series, edited by Manning Marable, and produced by the institute for Research in African-American Studies of Columbia University.

Following in the tradition of her bestselling Life Is a Verb—a guide to living life more consciously—Patti Digh returns with this deceptively simple gathering of touchstones, Your Daily Rock. With her signature gift of presenting truths in concise heartspeak, she provides short meditations to ground each day in more mindful and intentional living. The three hundred and sixty-six reflections (one for each date, including February 29th), lead readers to open space in their lives in order to love well, live fully, let go deeply, and make a difference.

Imagine: a sudden and dramatic worldwide elevation of the sea level of 40 feet. Surviving and recovering from a localized natural disaster is drastic enough, but when the water rises in a matter of hours all over the world with little advance warning and stays up permanently, what happens to the flooded cities and seaports? What is the death toll? How many survivors are suddenly surrounded by high water and cut off from higher ground? Who rescues them and how? What happens to the inland cities and towns, when tens of millions of refugees start arriving and overwhelm the local resources? What happens to the highly developed economies that are heavily dependent on international trade when seaports become unusable? What happens when the oil from the Persian Gulf is suddenly no longer available? What happens when electrical power generating plants fail and the few remaining plants and interconnected power grids can’t support demand? Will there be famine, civil unrest, anarchy, or war to grab what few resources are left? Searise – The Chaos Begins and its sequel, Searise – Exodus, are works of fiction that condense and admittedly exaggerate what will likely happen over the course of the next several decades into an immediate disaster for which the world is unprepared. You have never read anything like it!

Folktales teach, inform, and heal. Most of all, they entertain. Here's a collection of tales rich with homespun humor, charm, and wisdom--all told with flair by some of Florida's best and most sought-after storytellers. Their stories will make you feel part of the great "family" that is Florida. If it's spooky ghost stories you crave, let "The Silent Customer," "Kissimmee Bound," and "The Ghost Dog of the Biltmore" chill your spine. Heed the Cracker wisdom handed down in "Seek the Higher Ground," cow-hunter poetry with a message. Chuckle over the misadventures of Flossie, Bubba, and Flo in "Three Little Cracker Pigs," a tongue-in-cheek version of the classic children's tale. Test your wits against the little troll in "Angelina and Cigam." Will he have you running in circles, growing smaller with each snap of his fingers? Take "Cousin Cassie's Cookin" with a grain of salt. It's not true, of course. Then again, if Cassie asks you to dinner, say you have other plans. Many Indian legends attempt to explain why the world exists as it is. In this tradition, several tales target specific flukes of nature--the rabbit's short tail, the flamingo's long neck, the woodpecker's lack of song--and offer entertaining reasons for their existence. Discover these legends too: "The Devil's Millhopper," "The Legend of Lake Okeechobee," "Monkey, the Trickster," "Why Florida Key Deer Are So Small." A few history lessons never hurt anyone, and these are entertaining as well. Jonathan Dickinson, Mary McLeod Bethune, and Jake Summerlin have a thing or two to teach you about overcoming adversity and being resourceful. Settle back into your easy chair and let these tales entertain you.

Asgard is a subterranean kingdom populated by the descendants of Viking colonists whose vessels are blown off course and who are eventually stranded in the Canadian arctic. The subterranean kingdom also includes various aboriginal peoples from North America (Anasazi, Haida, Siksika, Inuit), Central America (Maya), and South America (Inca), and intelligent bears. There is an ancient prophecy that on the millennium anniversary of the arrival of the original Vikings, a blonde surface woman of Icelandic heritage will wed the current prince and usher in an age of untold prosperity. The blonde woman was foretold to appear at a hot spring (one of the natural entrances to the subterranean world) during a full moon when the lights were dancing in the northern sky. Princess Malicious, daughter of the King, covets the throne of Asgard. Her treacherous plans threaten the peace and survival of the kingdom. Viking, Mayan, Inca, Haida, Anasazi, Siksika, and other aboriginal myths and history are woven into the story. Descriptions of the cavern world (stalactites, stalagmites, crystals) are realistic. Seeing is an important themeseeing in dreams, seeing in wakeful visions, vision quests, drug-induced visions. Faith and conservation are other important themes

Adventure, murder, and heart-warming triumphs await within, but this isn’t your typical anthology. A curious collection of fiction and nonfiction, this special volume explores the process of team-written work and its relationship to writing alone. Twelve original works of fiction written by four teams invite you to explore unique perspectives on historical figures, the coming end of civilization, and some unusual events in between. Meanwhile, with six essays exploring the importance of writing groups and support and “behind the scenes” interviews with the authors, the nonfiction aspects of the book teach us the value of working with others. No matter how personal an endeavor, good writing is never truly a solitary undertaking.