"Everything abandoned comes alive" Pamela Yenser writes in CLOSE ENCOUNTERS Down Home, which becomes an invocation for resilience in a world filled with disaster at every turn: whether it's the wreckage of flying saucers in Roswell, or a brother and a mother who are irrevocably changed after a complicated birth, or an abusive father who is always in the driver's seat-whether it's by plane or car. Yenser does the difficult work of reckoning with trauma and the "family / history slamming the lid on truth." And though there's comfort in escape, and beauty to be found in the landscapes these poems traverse in a wide range of traditional and open poetic forms, Yenser reminds us "As long as you live / you won't forget," and there's danger everywhere. Lucky for us, we have a wonderful guide who knows her way around language and line, and is cunning enough to "have razor blades sewn / into the hem of every poem." -Gary Jackson Pamela Yenser is a learned poet who knows the context, history, and texts of literature. Here she uses her supple and strict prosody to tell a family story about an abusive, daredevil father, a denying-praying mother, her "little retarded brother" ("She is her brother's keeper") and more. In airplanes and Airstream trailers "one catastrophe after another" happens to mark a childhood where "Visions of the devil / made you tithe, trade in the family silver." This astonishing chapbook delivers one revelation after another in poems exquisitely structured: "The past is a trap the Jaws of Life / can't break," she writes, "... but isn't this the work a poet is meant to do?" One poem in exact rhyming couplets is called "In the Garden of Demented Parents." Another, also in couplets, ends: "Look! I have razor blades sewn / into the hem of every poem." Read this brilliant and triumphant chapbook by a poet who limns the tragedy and triumph of her life. -Hilda Raz Pamela Yenser's brave and tender poems spin together family history, personal resilience, and imaginative perseverance "sharp as that wreckage/ strewn like tinsel on glitter-/fields of tumbled rock" (as she writes in the title poem). Encompassing everything from a "bad weather balloon made of Kryptonite" to "a pineapple/ ruffled doily," Yenser juxtaposes the images and dreams of the otherworldly and the day-to-day life while also writing deeply of love and survival, monsters and angels, magic tricks and memories. This is a captivating and sparkling collection. -Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg Pamela Yenser's CLOSE ENCOUNTERS refers to, yes, the Roswell UFO, as well as family relationships that are a parallel encounter. The poems' narrator sees the flying saucer wreckage as a four-year-old. She writes about this iconic disruption of the skies as a way to reveal the workings of memory itself. This is an exciting personal fable that blends journalism, verse, and narration. -Denise Lowe

"Most people know that UFOs repeatedly visited Washington, D.C., in the summer of 1952. Few people realize that UFOs returned to DC 50 years later, in the summer of 2002, and were photographed landing on Capitol Hill. But no one knew how many times UFOs had been sighted in the nation's capitol, until now." -- cover [p. 4].

Fifteen-piece swinging dance bands swept the country in popularity during the big band era of 1935-1946, the only time in America's history to-date when jazz was the most popular form of music. This book provides detailed profiles, many based on personal interviews, of the era's bandleaders, musicians, vocalists, arrangers, and contributors.--Publisher's information.

A relational approach to the study of interpersonal communication Close Encounters: Communication in Relationships, Fifth Edition helps students better understand their relationships with romantic partners, friends, and family members. Bestselling authors Laura K. Guerrero, Peter A. Andersen, and Walid A. Afifi offer research-based insights and content illustrated with engaging scenarios to show how state-of-the-art research and theory can be applied to specific issues within relationships—with a focus on issues that are central to describing and understanding close relationships. While maintaining the spotlight on communication, the authors also emphasize the interdisciplinary nature of the study of personal relationships by including research from such disciplines as social psychology and family studies. The book covers issues relevant to developing, maintaining, repairing, and ending relationships. Both the "bright" and "dark" sides of interpersonal communication within relationships are explored.

A clinical psychologist analyzes the extraterrestrial abduction phenomenon, finding that the experience can be far more positive than many professionals realize. Dr. Boylan traces much of the trauma that other researchers have associated with extraterrestrial contact to earlier, and altogether earthly, experiences in the individual's life. After dealing with previous traumatic reactions, he defines a new treatable disorder, Close Extraterrestrial Encounter Syndrome, and identifies the 20 signs that justify the diagnosis. Nine fascinating case histories illustrate abstract theory with solid clinical evidence.

A Reporter's Notebook on Alien Abduction, UFOS, and the Conference at MIT Alien abduction is hardly the usual topic for a scientific conference, yet in 1992 just such a conference was held at MIT. Respected journalist C D B Bryan had serious doubts about UFO encounters , but decided to attend with an open mind. This startling and thought-provoking book is the result. Fascinating - compelling, terrifying, haunting, yet entirely rational' - The Baltimore Sun'

When encountering a whirlwind of emotions, it is often difficult to know just what to do. When facing difficult situations, whom do you turn to? And in times of extreme happiness, do you first thank the one who is responsible for that joy? Nancy Hurley learned at a young age that turning to God in every circumstance is the only way to make it through the tough times. When faced with the threat of a sexual predator, Nancy Hurley turned to God. When she was repeatedly put down and belittled by family members, Nancy turned to God. When she married her husband, Ron, and gave birth to her two sons, Nancy turned to God. Nancy's conversations with her Lord have been a constant in her life from the time she had to have her tonsils removed. When she was frightened, lost, sad, and overjoyed, Nancy knew the Lord would see her safely through. You will find comfort in the heartfelt prayers Nancy lifts up to God in times of need and times of joy and will be inspired by the intimate relationship Nancy shares with the one who has been her strength through thick and thin in Close Encounters with My Lord.

An investigation into abductions by extra-terrestrial beings: captivating accounts from the edge of the universe. In recent years sightings of unidentified flying objects have received more traction and public attention than ever before, with an increasing dialogue surrounding the UFO phenomenon. However, what has received less attention in popular culture and media is the sinister world of alien abductions. Warren Agius’ trailblazing second title focuses on the many case studies of close encounters with extra-terrestrial beings, delving deeper into the ways in which they have been observing and experimenting on human beings for decades. Agius’ work is not indented to convince the sceptical reader of the plausibility of alien encounters. Rather, through his thorough research and compelling prose, Agius presents readers with carefully considered case studies of abductions, complete with each individuals background, other plausible hypotheses and supporting evidence for each theory, allowing the reader to come to their own conclusions about alien abductions. The first section of the book looks at close encounters of the third kind, which relate to cases where the individual was not abducted but was in close proximity to or witnessed an extra-terrestrial entity. The second section moves on to explore a number of actual alien abductions. The book also includes information on Hynek’s UFO classification scale. Close Encounters illuminates a complex yet pertinent phenomenon, which has spiritual, philosophical and existential implications for the human race as a whole. Ultimately, this book is a thrilling and captivating invitation for readers to consider the infinite universe we inhabit, and what it might mean for us to share such a space with other intelligent and conscious lifeforms.

A collection of essays addresses the ways in which sexual roles are depicted in science fiction films and includes the complete text of Peter Wollen's film script for "Friendship's Death"

Currently, science fiction in all its forms is enjoying enormous popular interest. There can be no doubt that science fiction books and films have great influence on the public view of science and scientists. Close Encounters? examines the historical development of science fiction as a genre in books and films, tracing its roots, examining its most common ideas, exploring its relationship to "real" science, and attempting to assess its cultural impact. Discussion focuses on major themes such as time travel, politics, religion, ecology, and disasters. The authors consider the science in science fiction, the images of scientists that science fiction conveys, and some of the political, religious, and social motifs prominent in science fiction. They also discuss pseudo-science and its growing influence on the public perception of science. This fascinating, thought-provoking study should be read by all those interested in how the nature of science and its role in our society is portrayed in science fiction.