I was born and raised in New York. I now live in Colorado. I was at a point in my life where I was giving up, I have had a very hard life, I have been abused at a very young age it went on till just recently. I know what it is like to be homeless with a child and know what it's like not to have family help you. I have always been overweight and always felt ugly; I lost 160 pounds and I feel like a new person. I raised my son on my own, I have depression and PTSD, and trust issues but I have gotten better. I am now dating, I volunteer for Spirit Crossing Club House, and NAMI (National Alliance On Mental Health) I do pretentions for (IN OUR OWN VOICES) I am a work in progress. I have become a very strong woman, I am a very positive person and I take it one day at a time. I am looking forward to becoming a peer specialist, the key is not to give up...I almost did but I got the help that I needed. I am happier now then I have ever been!"

The acclaimed debut short story collection that introduced the world to an arresting and unforgettable new voice in fiction, from multi-award winning author ZZ Packer Her impressive range and talent are abundantly evident: Packer dazzles with her command of language, surprising and delighting us with unexpected turns and indelible images, as she takes us into the lives of characters on the periphery, unsure of where they belong. We meet a Brownie troop of black girls who are confronted with a troop of white girls; a young man who goes with his father to the Million Man March and must decide where his allegiance lies; an international group of drifters in Japan, who are starving, unable to find work; a girl in a Baltimore ghetto who has dreams of the larger world she has seen only on the screens in the television store nearby, where the Lithuanian shopkeeper holds out hope for attaining his own American Dream. With penetrating insight, ZZ Packer helps us see the world with a clearer vision. Fresh, versatile, and captivating, Drinking Coffee Elsewhere is a striking and unforgettable collection, sure to stand out among the contemporary canon of fiction.

Gaining a view behind the scenes into the jobs and personalities of people who work in the theatre is a privilege afforded to few. This book grants that privilege to all its readers. Twenty-one highly respected backstage professionals are interviewed, from artistic director to wig maker, working in all kinds of theatres in Britain and the United States. Their stories inform and entertain as they describe what they do and how they got to do it. Their anecdotes and observations intrigue and amuse as they reminisce about working with people such as Alan Bennett, Judi Dench, Placido Domingo, Ian McKellen and Andrew Lloyd Webber, to name just a few. Whether you enjoy watching theatrical performances and want to know more about them, or you would like to work in the theatre, Backstage Stories is the book for you.

They Said I Wouldn't Make It. This is a book that needs to be read by all. It is full of everyday life situation. A book about one man's dreams and strggles to get custody of his ten siblings and reunite his family together again. This book is a pure inspiration to millions. I was always challenged by people that said that they were normal, telling me that I wouldn't make it in life because of how I was born. Not only is this book written from my heart, but it is also written through my pain and tears, triumphs and victories. It is my desire that kids that are born handicap would have the understanding that no on can make you handicap, if you chose not to be that handicap is a state of one's mind. It is my desire that the department of Social Services will remove the name 'foster' from kids. There is no such thing as a false child, all kids are real. For those that are single parents, I hope that you receive new strength. You can make it, don't give up. For the parents that have kids that were born handicap, if you want them normal, don't raise them handicap. For you that have lost your family through the system, don't give up, miracles still happen. For those of you that had been through sexual, physical, psychological, or any other abuse you can be healed. Many people's childhoods destroyed their adulthoods. For you this does not have to be so. Remember a quitter never wins, and a winner never quits. Last, those who say they can and those wh say they can not, are both correct.

Skiing in movies, like the sport itself, grew more prevalent beginning in the 1930s, when it was a pastime of the elite, with depictions reflecting changes in technique, fashion and social climate. World War II saw skiing featured in a dozen films dealing with that conflict. Fueled by postwar prosperity, the sport exploded in the 1950s--filmmakers followed suit, using scenes on snow-covered slopes for panoramic beauty and the thrill of the chase. Through the free-spirited 1960s and 1970s, the downhill lifestyle shussed into everything from spy thrillers to beach party romps. The extreme sports era of the 1980s and 1990s brought snowboarding to the big screen. This first ever critical history of skiing in film chronicles a century of alpine cinema, with production information and stories and quotes from directors, actors and stuntmen.