Articles in this quarterly issue.
By Sue Clowes, photo by Samuel Guerrier When I graduated from art school in 1979, Margaret Thatcher was the prime minister. Her expansive economic policies led to deindustrialisation, which resulted in factory closures and catastrophically high unemployment. Millions of people waited in line to receive unemployment benefits. 80s chroniclers, and any ideological journalist from that […]
By Glenda Benevides As America approaches its 250th anniversary, I found myself reflecting on the courage, sacrifice, and determination that shaped our nation. That reflection while in Boston Mass became the inspiration for my song, I Ride. I wanted to wake up something in myself and others as we too live through challenging historical times. […]
By Mark Everglade (courtesy of Books & Buzz) Freedom of choice is the foundation which democracy is based upon, but it can only be as valuable as our education, which is based on the flow of information. The books we read influence our worldviews, excite discussions that result in communicative action, and help us frame and narrate our life stories. […]
By Maria Gallucci Lessons on Listening, Love, and Loud Family Dinners From a Child of Deaf Adults A heartfelt book about communication and empathy from Maria Gallucci, A Child of Deaf Adults (CODA) What if your first language wasn’t spoken, but signed? Do you have friends, family, or clients who feel stuck on the outside? Do […]
By Nicole Fronek Growth, financial maturity, and a healthy work-life balance – an optimal career trifecta. Those once eager to ascend the ladder may find a loss of ambition during the climb. A stumble weakening confidence in choices made to date may question whether it all has been worth it, or what the next best […]
By Jennifer Lieberman The worst part about starting off as an actor was the waiting. Waiting for an audition, waiting to get cast, waiting in between gigs, jobs, roles…It felt like my career was out of my control. The worst part about starting off as a writer was waiting for someone to read my work, […]
By S.A. Schneider Picture the scene: a child curled into the corner of a couch, knees pulled up, book open in their lap,completely unreachable. You call their name. A vague, distracted “mmm” from somewhere deep insidea world that isn’t this one. Any parent or teacher who has witnessed this knows the particular quality of that […]
By: S. E. Tschritter As a new writer, I clung to my prose. Each word I typed was a nugget of gold to be cherished. Soimagine the heart attack I experienced when I let a friend with a master degree in English edit my work. “Deleting is part of the process,” she told me. I did not comprehend her […]
By Glenda Benevides Everyone is at different places in life, and sometimes we convince ourselves we need to do everything alone. We tell ourselves: I can handle this. I can’t depend on anyone else to get it right. I can’t afford help. The usual suspects show up, time, money, fear, overwhelm, and the mindset that somehow we should […]
By Anderson Routh, Armchair Philosopher and comedian I think, in general, people (myself included) are infatuated with the idea of things more than they love ’em in reality. This thought immediately conjures a favorite concept: people are mirrors. There are four nouns in existence that I’ve found will deliver the most uncomfortable truths to you—drunk […]
By Alan R. Warren For both publishers and media, podcasting is a new and vital way to promote books in the market space. Podcasting provides writers with a raw and direct way to introduce their writings to a broad public in an industry where traditional marketing has all but been abandoned traditional marketing methods. So, be it interviews […]
By Alison McBain Alison McBain is the author behind Author Versus AI. Starting on Global Book Day on April 23, 2024, she will write a book a week for 52 weeks. Her mission is to show that one author can take on AI and create novels almost as fast but much, much better than AI programs. She will answer the question now […]
By Doug Lawrence Family is one of the most frequently used words in our language, yet one of the least examined. We speak of it casually—my family, family first, family values—as though its meaning is universally agreed upon. In reality, family is layered, complicated, and deeply personal. For some, it is a place of safety and belonging. […]
By Bianca Rose of Book Notions Mickey Mikkelson has connected me with author and podcaster Zoey Michaels, the author of The Echoed Mind which is the first book in a series, and its prequel Fractured Shadows! Q: Welcome to Book Notions Zoey! Would you please give a brief description of each of your books? A: Thank you for […]
Interview courtesy of Sassy Reads Q1 Could you please start by introducing yourself to our readers? A1. My name is Jenna Greene and I am a children’s/ middle grade/ young adult author. (What are adults? Ew). I have been writing for 25 + years, which is odd because certainly I can’t be that old! I raise two stubborn and […]
Interview courtesy of Sassy Reads Q1. Hello, can you please introduce yourself? Readers would love to know more about you. A1. Pat Daily here. I’m a former USAF Test Pilot and engineer who worked on NASA’s Space Shuttle and International Space Station programs. These days, I devote most of my professional time to writing and consulting on new […]
By Kim Lengling Do you remember the first book you ever read? Or maybe there’s a word you love saying out loud. Words like Hullabaloo or Psithurism. Go ahead, look them up, you won’t be disappointed. They roll off the tongue and spark our imagination. That’s the beauty and the magic of words. When woven together in just the right way, words […]
By Tricia Copeland One of my most important friendships was founded on the love for the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. We attended movie releases, compared progress on the Volvo® New Moon online game, and hosted Twilight themed parties. Years later learned that this friend doesn’t like fantasy stories. What? I felt betrayed. So, why Twilight? Why would a person with no interest in vampires, werewolves, or […]
52 Inspirational quotes to start your week right By D. C. Gomez Message from DC Gomez: I’m doing a happy dance! After months of studying, analyzing and planning, I did it. I hit the launch button and my first Kickstarter campaign was successful. Monday Motivation is out into the world and I cannot wait to […]
Easton Cain, Emerald Thinker Gallery, and the art world’s most quietly compelling mystery By Simone Bell Before sunrise, Northern California has a way of disguising itself. The hills disappear beneath a low ceiling of fog, eucalyptus trees become silhouettes, telephone poles dissolve into pale light and the landscape seems undecided, suspended somewhere between memory and […]
By T.K. Bush When I was young, our family would go to the state fair. One of my favorite attractions was the fun house. Inside, I would climb shaky wooden bridges and crawl through spinning tunnels, then arrive dizzy with laughter in a room full of mirrors. The mirrors would show altered images of me. […]
By JM Shaw Sometimes writing comes easily, and the words flow without resistance. Other times, our confidence is lacking, and writing becomes torturous—passion turned punishment. Certainty in ourselves and our work is a fleeting gift, waxing and waning like the tides. Sometimes it vanishes for weeks, months, or even years, and its return seldom coincides with a writer’s ever-present desire to create. This poison we call doubt proclaims us failures. It whispers to us from our subconscious, like a shadow breathing half-truths about our place in the world at large, where judgment […]
By A-M Mawhiney In February 2026 I had a conversation with podcaster Kino Isaac about the challenges of livingin uncertain times. It was an important conversation shaped by what is occurring in the world. In times of turmoil or disaster, it is difficult to know what we each can do when faced with something overwhelming. Kino Isaac asked what had happen to reconnect in a world that […]
By Tara Hodgson When I became a teacher, like most, I entered the profession with blind optimism. I was going to make a difference. I was going to reach the most unreachable kids. I was going to change the world. Even though it was more difficult than I anticipated, those dreams felt possible for a while. But as my seventeen-year career progressed, changes trickled in that made the jobprogressively […]
By Edwina Perkins When I meet first-time authors and even some seasoned ones, I love their excitement as they share about their manuscript. Their eyes are expressive, their smiles broad, and their entire being illuminates enthusiasm. They talk about their characters as if they’re old friends, describe plot twists with animated gestures, and quote their […]