Science fiction, fantasy, comics, romance, genre movies, games all drain into the Cultural Gutter, a website dedicated to thoughtful articles about disreputable art-media and genres that are a little embarrassing. Irredeemable. Worthy of Note, but rolling like errant pennies back into the gutter. The Cultural Gutter is dangerous because we have a philosophy. We try to balance enthusiasm with clear-eyed, honest engagement with the material and with our readers. This book expands on our mission with 10 articles each from science fiction/fantasy editor James Schellenberg, comics editor and publisher Carol Borden, romance editor Chris Szego, screen editor Ian Driscoll and founding editor and former games editor Jim Munroe.

A lush and beautiful fantasy set in a world where music is magic and the fate of many thrones lies with one girl… “Excellent.”—Booklist An Amazon #1 Children's Music Book at Release Twelve-year-old Elissa has been raised in seclusion as a devotee of the Mother Goddess. She is a special child, a blessed child, a child who can sing miracles into being. Her voice can heal wounds, halt landslides, cure hunger—and even end wars. But there are those who would use her gift for darker things. And when Elissa finds herself the farthest from home she’s ever been—along with her vain and jealous music tutor, Lucio—she will have to develop the judgment to decide who wants to use her song to heal… and who wants to use her song to hurt. In this astonishing debut—perfect for music lovers—Catherine Bakewell presents not only a wholly unique musical magic system, but a sumptuous baroque world filled with soaring basilicas, gilded palaces, dazzling food, and snow-piled wildernesses. It is a world both beautiful and treacherous, with a fiercely determined girl blazing brightly at its center. Can a lone voice change the world? “Spellbinding.”—The Horn Book “Beguiling.”—Publishers Weekly “Unique.”—BCCB “Captivating.”—School Library Connection “Enthralling.”—YA Books Central “Alluring.”—School Library Journal

Immonsima is a splinter project germinating from Rearranging Myths Series that I have been working on in which a new viewpoint is applied to myths that exist and myths that wait to be created. Immonsim and Immonsima who are a man and woman eternal and hopelessly in love and they live in our time and space, even though fictitious, yet behave as though they are living in a higher plane of reality that can only be described as mythical. This work is simply to illustrate this point that myths stay no longer myths if we begin to believe in them for then they become real and living. Would it not be wonderful if we all started to believe in the fact that love is not a myth nor is beauty or being warm, open and reachably soft and serene? And this myth is, therefore, at least it is hoped, will spring up all the stones in us into eagles into the liberate sky singing in Immonsim and Immonsima's voices: love the soul of this universe's pulsating expanse.

Sue Kappa has taken his artistry to another level. Continuing to operate in the unique trait of the African free verse style, he has put together here a set of citations, tributes for the memorable remembrances of the sterling human qualities of notable figures such as Mama Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., Papa Johannes Paulus II, Nelson Mandela, Azumah Nelson, Haile Gebrselassie, Serena Williams, Kofi Annan, Presidents JEA Mills and Rawlings, others, and iconic events such as 9/11, who, and which have greatly impacted many lives. He questions the ‘conscious killing’ of ‘his twin sisters’ Ladan and Laleh of Fizourabad and the May, 2020 killing of George Floyd. In ‘The Cheering Crowd’, he taunts the legendary character, sycophancy as a worthless pursuit. Similarly, he draws attention to the plight of vulnerable head-porters, Kayayee, on the streets of Accra. This collection again marks the deeply contemplative nature of Kappa as he paints relics of the combination of his insightful instincts and style of the long rendition. In this three-in-one volume collection of mostly long homages christened A Dab Of a Film ...Of the Fragrance ...Of a Rose (Vol. 1-3), following four of his earlier collections (all by Xlibris), Kappa utilizes this deep-fry style of digging extensively into subjects treated, to make us reflect on the Golden lives of the personalities eulogized or the social phenomena hoisted up for celebration or for reconsideration.

"I read this in one sitting, laughing out loud and cheering for Felipe to follow his heart. I love this book!" --Rainbow Rowell, New York Times bestselling author of Carry On and Wayward Son Felipe can't wait for winter break: Finally, he'll get some time away from the classmates who tease him incessantly about his weight. But Felipe's plan turns upside down when he learns that Caio, his neighbor from apartment 57, will be staying with him for fifteen days. Which is a problem because (a) Felipe has had a crush on Caio since, well, forever; and (b) Felipe has a list of body image insecurities and absolutely NO idea how he's going to handle them while sharing a room with his lifelong crush. Suddenly, the days that once promised rest and relaxation (not to mention some epic Netflix bingeing) are a gauntlet of every unresolved issue in Felipe's life. But if he can overcome his insecurities, then maybe -- just maybe -- this break won't turn out to be such a disaster after all . . .

A complete step-by-step guide, Secrets of Singing provides everything needed to gain technical and musical vocal mastery. Some of the highlights include: basic principles of singing, mastery of the upper voice, achieving the power of an open throat, and phrasing and diction on a professional level. The package contains two CDs (one for high voice and one for low voice) and an almost 400-page information-packed book.

You're Invited to Savor Some Grace Today What do you do when everyone expects you to be amazing...and you've got nothing left to give? It's an issue all busy women share—that pressure to always be a go-getter when sometimes all you want to do is get going (and stay gone for a long time). Join author and speaker Stacey Thacker as she walks you through God's mercies and shows you how to... identify what's dragging you down so you can find the specific encouragement you need increase your trust in Jesus by learning practical ways to rest when you're depleted accept the invitation to see God big when you're fresh out of amazing Whether you're short on time, energy, motivation, hope, or all of the above, only one thing can bring your weary spirit back to life: Jesus.

This memoir chronicles the unique ordeals of identical twin sisters Diana and Julia Lockwood. Even among twins, Diana and Julia were especially close and deeply entwined--they were more than just sisters or best friends, they were like one soul in two bodies. While their total attunement sometimes saved them in funny and unexpected ways, it also eventually destroyed them. A survivor of sexual assault and anorexia and living with Asperger's, the author tells her own life story while weaving Julia's letters and journal entries into the text. While Diana survived the struggles that led her to three suicide attempts, her twin unfortunately took her own life only a year after their father did the same. This book explores the life and relationship of twins separated by tragedy and follows a woman's struggle to make it on her own.