The poems in Because You Previously Liked or Played explore a world that is increasingly mediated through technology; the personal and political struggle for meaning, connection, and reality run like a fever dream through the schizophrenic circuits of television, cyberspace, and virtual existence. The poems in Because You Previously Liked or Played reveal an extremely online persona who finds life IRL challenging. In the reality of these poems, the reader confronts the difficulties and nuances of a world rendered more accessible, more instantaneous, but also more isolating, uncertain, even terrifying thanks to the internet. The speaker faces a social sphere that is bigger, faster, more politically unstable. Lyricism and personal expression are interlaced with the language and syntax of chat rooms, gamers, e-commerce, in a way that troubles the dividing lines between the human and the inhuman, the authentic and the artificial, the real and the hyperreal. The self morphs into a sequence of failed firewalls and emotions. And yet, the speaker continues questing for answers, for meaning, for connection. These poems provide an unflinching look at a wired existence, but they never lose their capacity for wonder, feeling, surprise.

The poems in Because You Previously Liked or Played explore a world that is increasingly mediated through technology; the personal and political struggle for meaning, connection, and reality run like a fever dream through the schizophrenic circuits of television, cyberspace, and virtual existence. The poems in Because You Previously Liked or Played reveal an extremely online persona who finds life IRL challenging. In the reality of these poems, the reader confronts the difficulties and nuances of a world rendered more accessible, more instantaneous, but also more isolating, uncertain, even terrifying thanks to the internet. The speaker faces a social sphere that is bigger, faster, more politically unstable. Lyricism and personal expression are interlaced with the language and syntax of chat rooms, gamers, e-commerce, in a way that troubles the dividing lines between the human and the inhuman, the authentic and the artificial, the real and the hyperreal. The self morphs into a sequence of failed firewalls and emotions. And yet, the speaker continues questing for answers, for meaning, for connection. These poems provide an unflinching look at a wired existence, but they never lose their capacity for wonder, feeling, surprise.

Professor of positive psychology Dr. Tim Bono weaves together new research and innovative practical strategies to reveal the science of happiness. When Professor Timothy Bono created a course on positive psychology, it quickly became one of Washington University's most in-demand classes, with a massive waitlist. His students--burning out from stress, binging on social media, and measuring their self-worth in likes and retweets--were desperate for true happiness. Now Dr. Bono has distilled his life-changing seminar's lessons into a master class, providing innovative techniques and practical advice scientifically proven to increase happiness in areas such as: - Attention training and willpower - Time management - The mind-body connection - Gratitude and resilience - Relationships - Coping techniques for life's challenges With groundbreaking research from over 100 studies, real stories from Dr. Bono's students, and simple yet creative tips, Happiness 101 is the perfect guide for your journey to well-being.