Annotation. The Big Black Thing: Chapter 1 is the first issue in a new series of poetry and prose from emerging and established writers of Indigenous, migrant and refugee backgrounds.

An upbeat, empowering, important picture book from the team that created the award-winning Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut. A perfect gift for any special occasion! I am a nonstop ball of energy. Powerful and full of light. I am a go-getter. A difference maker. A leader. The confident Black narrator of this book is proud of everything that makes him who he is. He's got big plans, and no doubt he'll see them through--as he's creative, adventurous, smart, funny, and a good friend. Sometimes he falls, but he always gets back up. And other times he's afraid, because he's so often misunderstood and called what he is not. So slow down and really look and listen, when somebody tells you--and shows you--who they are. There are superheroes in our midst!

The uprising at Attica Prison remains one of the bloodiest civil rights confrontations in American history... but without Frank “Big Black” Smith it could have been even worse. Now for the first time, the late Frank “Big Black” Smith shares his experience at the center of this uprising, struggling to protect hostages, prisoners and negotiators alike. Before his death, Frank “Big Black” Smith worked with writer and long time friend, Jared Reinmuth, to share the true story of his time in Attica State Prison. Adapted to a graphic novel by Améziane (Dark Horse’s Muhammad Ali), this is an unflinching look at the price of standing up to injustice.

The story of Texas is the story of struggle and triumph in a land of extremes. It is a story of drought and flood, invasion and war, boom and bust, and of the myriad peoples who, over centuries of conflict, gave rise to a place that has helped shape the identity of the United States and the destiny of the world. “I couldn’t believe Texas was real,” the painter Georgia O’Keeffe remembered of her first encounter with the Lone Star State. It was, for her, “the same big wonderful thing that oceans and the highest mountains are.” Big Wonderful Thing invites us to walk in the footsteps of ancient as well as modern people along the path of Texas’s evolution. Blending action and atmosphere with impeccable research, New York Times best-selling author Stephen Harrigan brings to life with novelistic immediacy the generations of driven men and women who shaped Texas, including Spanish explorers, American filibusters, Comanche warriors, wildcatters, Tejano activists, and spellbinding artists—all of them taking their part in the creation of a place that became not just a nation, not just a state, but an indelible idea. Written in fast-paced prose, rich with personal observation and a passionate sense of place, Big Wonderful Thing calls to mind the literary spirit of Robert Hughes writing about Australia or Shelby Foote about the Civil War. Like those volumes it is a big book about a big subject, a book that dares to tell the whole glorious, gruesome, epically sprawling story of Texas.

The Big Black Thing: Chapter. 2 is the second issue in a new series of prose and poetry by emerging and established writers from Indigenous, migrant and refugee backgrounds.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Tarana Burke and Dr. Brené Brown bring together a dynamic group of Black writers, organizers, artists, academics, and cultural figures to discuss the topics the two have dedicated their lives to understanding and teaching: vulnerability and shame resilience. Contributions by Kiese Laymon, Imani Perry, Laverne Cox, Jason Reynolds, Austin Channing Brown, and more NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY MARIE CLAIRE AND BOOKRIOT It started as a text between two friends. Tarana Burke, founder of the ‘me too.’ Movement, texted researcher and writer Brené Brown to see if she was free to jump on a call. Brené assumed that Tarana wanted to talk about wallpaper. They had been trading home decorating inspiration boards in their last text conversation so Brené started scrolling to find her latest Pinterest pictures when the phone rang. But it was immediately clear to Brené that the conversation wasn’t going to be about wallpaper. Tarana’s hello was serious and she hesitated for a bit before saying, “Brené, you know your work affected me so deeply, but as a Black woman, I’ve sometimes had to feel like I have to contort myself to fit into some of your words. The core of it rings so true for me, but the application has been harder.” Brené replied, “I’m so glad we’re talking about this. It makes sense to me. Especially in terms of vulnerability. How do you take the armor off in a country where you’re not physically or emotionally safe?” Long pause. “That’s why I’m calling,” said Tarana. “What do you think about working together on a book about the Black experience with vulnerability and shame resilience?” There was no hesitation. Burke and Brown are the perfect pair to usher in this stark, potent collection of essays on Black shame and healing. Along with the anthology contributors, they create a space to recognize and process the trauma of white supremacy, a space to be vulnerable and affirm the fullness of Black love and Black life.

The Big Black Dog is the story of Paul, a young man in fifth grade in a Chicago school who has become prey for the notorious school bullies. Marvin Sikes and four of his sidekicks are seventh graders who love to pick on the weak and the defenseless. Paul runs home a different way every day after school to get away from the bullies. One day Paul runs into a very strange-looking animal he thinks is a black bear in an alley. After a long while and a real scare session for Paul, he realizes it was no bear, but the biggest black dog he has ever seen in his whole life. He things that he will never see that big black dog again, that is, until the bullies decide that Paul needs to be taught a lesson. Paul is terrified when he discovers the bullies plot to beat him to within an inch of his life. He takes a longer way home this time, thinking they will never find him. But to his surprise there they are. He knows now he is dead meat, As they corner him, Marvin picks him off his feet and throws him on the ground. Things go on and Paul knows the end was near. Then the bullies stop and are looking at something. They are frozen, without a sound, as they stare behind Paul, who is now standing. As Paul turns, he can see the most amazing sight he has ever seen in his life, the big black dog. He doesnt know why the dog is there, but he sure is glad that such is the case. That is where this friendship starts, but its not where it ends. This mysterious big black dog becomes Pauls hero and a hero to many others.

... gathering of oral traditions from the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.

ABC Bunyip is a misfit monster with a big problem. His home in Outback Australia in the Big Black Boogie Swamp is special. He needs to find a way to save its' animals and environment from Farmer Joe's ghastly new mining plans. What will he do? Can his new best friends, Archie the dotty Dalmatian dog and Raymond the little black pig, help him save the day?ABC Bunyip Colour and Read Book 1 is the companion book to ABC Bunyip Saves the Big Black Boogie Swamp. It is a laugh-out-loud, funny book for kids with interesting lessons about Australian culture, problem solving, making friends and the value of the natural environment. The reader gets to colour in the brilliant illustrations. This book is fabulous fun for beginner and reluctant readers and makes the perfect bedtime story for kids of any age.