"One of the funniest voices in the inspirational genre."--Booklist Lucetta Plum is an actress on the rise in New York City, but is forced to abandon her starring role when a fan's interest turns threatening. Lucetta's widowed friend, Abigail Hart, is delighted at the opportunity to meddle in Lucetta's life and promptly whisks her away to her grandson's estate to hide out. Bram Haverstein may appear to simply be a somewhat eccentric gentleman of means, but a mysterious career and a secret fascination with a certain actress mean there's much more to him than society knows. Lucetta, who has no interest in Abigail's matchmaking machinations, has the best intentions of remaining cordial but coolly distant to Bram. But when she can't ignore the strange and mysterious things going on in his house, it'll take more than good intentions to keep her from trying to discover who Bram is behind the part he plays.

The first young adult novel translated from Russian, a brave coming-out, coming-of-age story. In June 2013, the Russian government passed laws prohibiting "gay propaganda," threatening jail time and fines to offenders. That same month, in spite of these harsh laws, a Russian publisher released PLAYING A PART, a young adult novel with openly gay characters. It was a brave, bold act, and now this groundbreaking story has been translated for American readers.In PLAYING A PART, Grisha adores everything about the Moscow puppet theater where his parents work, and spends as much time there as he can. But life outside the theater is not so wonderful. The boys in Grisha's class bully him mercilessly, and his own grandfather says hateful things about how he's not "masculine" enough. Life goes from bad to worse when Grisha learns that Sam, his favorite actor and mentor, is moving: He's leaving the country to escape the extreme homophobia he faces in Russia. How Grisha overcomes these trials and writes himself a new role in his own story is heartfelt, courageous, and hopeful.

Learn the secrets of great communicators, professional speakers, and C-level executives “Gina is a maestro of public speaking! She coached me for my TED talk, and I am forever grateful to her for giving me the technical and emotional training I needed to take the stage.” —Susan Cain, bestselling author of Quiet “Gina is an incredible coach who’ll increase your impact when presenting in an executive setting—or any professional interaction. But she can’t be everywhere, so this book is the next best thing! A must-read.” —Greg Behar, CEO of Nestle Science and Health Every body tells a story. From the moment an actor steps on stage, an audience collectively feels whether his or her performance is authentic, forced, or over the top. Business professionals are also performers—and the workplace is their stage. In Play the Part, executive communication consultant Gina Barnett brings the same techniques actors use to bear on all types of presentation and communication situations, from the board room to the conference stage. She reveals how the body affects our communication and thought patterns and how to align these consistently for maximum success. Featuring practical exercises, she shows you how to develop presence and become more intuitive, so you can navigate challenging communication situations with optimal results. You worked hard to earn your title. Now it’s time to play the part.

Anthea Cane is a successful actress—well, action star. Her films are mostly about how hot she looks silhouetted by fiery explosions. But Anthea is determined to prove she's more than just a body. With the role of a lifetime up for grabs—a serious adaptation of her favorite novel—Anthea sets off to her small hometown in the name of research. Cole Daniel is a blind farmer with no patience for divas, especially one who mercilessly teased him as a young boy. When Anthea shows up using a fake name and pestering him into letting her stay, he can't pass up the opportunity to torment her just a little. But Anthea won't let the stubborn farmer deter her from her goal, even if he is hotter than any man she's ever met. Cole finds his form of payback less than satisfying when Anthea keeps turning the tables on him, proving her mettle and gaining his respect. Will Anthea's research land her a man, as well as the part? 65,000 words

Playing a Part in History examines the ways in which the revival of The York Mystery Plays transformed them for twentieth- and twenty-first-century audiences.

All they wanted was to know how. I could do this, I could invent something . . . It is 1991, and on a trip to the United States to research a new novel, British artist and writer Brinsel Thomas discovers she has more to deal with than just writing. When two police officers show up at her door with questions, her next stop is the police station. One little lie intended to extricate herself from what she is certain is a terrible mistake instead snowballs into a story she cannot get out of, trapped with a secret she cannot risk giving away. Instead of working on her novel, Brinsel finds herself enlisted to help solve a murder, attempting to fabricate an incriminating correspondence, shedding a few copyrights, and dodging insistently prying questions. There is one person who she is convinced might be able to help her: a private detective and sometime-professional musician named Max Thompson. Then again, he might not. Because there is one enormous, indisputable complication . . .

Focusing on the transformative power of the creative arts process, Christopher Worthman offers readers a new way of thinking about literacy development and, specifically, the teaching of writing and out-of-school literacies. Rich with theoretical and practical insights, this groundbreaking ethnography describes and analyzes the writing development of a group of teenagers involved in a unique community-based teen theater project. Includes detailed descriptions of improvisational activities that can be adapted for use by other classes or ensembles.

An award-winning photographer captures children's thoughts about their bodies in striking b&w photos and disarmingly honest words.

The national bestselling author of A Natural History of the Senses tackles the realm of creativity, by exploring one of the most essential aspects of our characters: the ability to play. "Deep play" is that more intensified form of play that puts us in a rapturous mood and awakens the most creative, sentient, and joyful aspects of our inner selves. As Diane Ackerman ranges over a panoply of artistic, spiritual, and athletic activities, from spiritual rapture through extreme sports, we gain a greater sense of what it means to be "in the moment" and totally, transcendentally human. Keenly perceived and written with poetic exuberance, Deep Play enlightens us by revealing the manifold ways we can enhance our lives.

An engineering student tries out for a role in a summer play. He doesn't get the leading man's part but is offered the leading lady's instead. With the help of his friend Melanie, he takes on the role, living it daily for the entire summer. Can he give up his paradigms and masculine ego to play the role of a woman as well as a woman can? What will he learn about his desires, and what will change in his views on how to live, love, and enjoy life? Will he be able to return to school to become an engineer after this summer, or will this role alter his destiny? Enter the new world of a MTF crossdressed, feminized man, playing the part of an actress and learning what it means to be a sensual, sexy, gender-bending creature, trained with male chastity, and driven to fall in love with his mentor in this first time, LGBT, short read romance.