A Russian American writer catapults herself into the maelstrom of Russian life at a time of seismic change for both The daughter of Russian émigrés, Ingrid Bengis grew up wondering whether she was American or, deep down, "really Russian." In 1991, naïvely in love with Russia and Russian literature, she settled in St. Petersburg, where she was quickly immersed in "catastroika," a period of immense turmoil that mirrored her own increasingly complex and contradictory experience. Bengis's account of her involvement with Russia is heightened by her involvement with B, a Russian whose collapsing marriage, paralleling the collapse of the Soviet Union, produces a situation in which "anything could happen." Their relationship reflects the social tumult, as well as the sometimes dangerous consequences of American "good intentions." As Bengis takes part in Russian life-becoming a reluctant entrepreneur, undergoing surgery in a St. Petersburg hospital, descending into a coal mine-she becomes increasingly aware of its Dostoevskian duality, never more so than when she meets the impoverished, importuning great-great-granddaughter of the writer himself. Beneath the seismic shifting remains a centuries-old preoccuption with "the big questions": tradition and progress, destiny and activism, skepticism and faith. With its elaborate pattern of digression and its eye for the revealing detail, Bengis's account has the hypnotic intimacy of a late-night conversation in a Russian kitchen, where such questions are perpetually being asked.

The Humility of Brutes, Ron Smith’s third poetry collection, is a fast-moving work that examines a range of themes from love to world travel. Smith lyrical skill shines in his meditation on sports, from both a contemporary and nostalgic point of view. He deftly balances truculent images, “the caged face came in a satisfying / net of blood from the layered scar / that gritted the nose to the eyes," with tenderness, “It’s OK, / I’d say, and wedge his hot neck / in the bend of my elbow." Smith employs these allusions to human physicality to explore youth, spirituality, and mortality.

It is the first decade of the twenty-first century. To commemorate the new millennium, a renegade sheikh has declared an all-out Jihad—a Holy War— against the 'Great Satan', the United States. And now he is no longer limited to blowing up embassies and trade centers with mere chemical explosives. By joining forces with a Russian subversive organization, he obtains top Russian atomic scientists and nuclear warhead uranium. The result is the development of the first thermonuclear bomb to be in terrorist hands. The mysterious disappearance of Russia's foremost nuclear physicist sets an agent of Russia's Federal Security Service on the trail of the sheikh and the missing uranium. He is soon joined by an agent of America's National Security Agency, who is trying to solve the brutal and mysterious murder of the CEO of an American uranium importing company. The trail leads them to the mountains of Afghanistan, the deserts of Sudan, and the islands of the Caribbean before the final, thrilling denouement. Along the way, the reader is treated to espionage, romance, betrayal, pitched battles, and twists and turns that reveal a deeper meaning than perhaps was first suspected in the word, 'Jihad'.

Finding the right agent can be a bewildering, frustrating and byzantine process for beginners and experienced writers alike. How do you tell a good agent from a bad agent? What's the best way to approach an agent? What exactly does an agent do? In The Agents Directory, editor-turned-agent Rachel Vater answers these questions and more. Unlike guides that have readers sifting through page after page of listings of agencies that aren't accepting new writers, won't read manuscripts, or will charge money up-front, The Agents Directory offers an exclusive guide to the best literary and script agents looking for new clients. Each listing provides detailed, up-to-date information about the type of work each agent accepts, clients he or she represents, recent sales, contact information, and the best way to submit work. Detailed instructions for writing a query letter, complete with sample queries, help readers make a great impression on an agent. A bonus directory to writing conferences across the US and Canada provides networking opportunities with other writers, agents, and editors. The Agents Directory also includes an extensive list of writer’s organizations — invaluable resources to support a commitment to writing.

A history of Paris in twelve métro stops. Métro Stop Paris recounts the extraordinary and colorful history of the City of Light, by way of twelve Métro stops-a voyage across both space and time. At each stop a Parisian building, or street, or tomb or landmark sparks a story that holds particular significance for that area of the city. Dallas takes us to the jazz cellars and literary cafés of Montparnasse and Saint-Germain-des-Prés; the catacombs at Hell's Gate; and the Opéra during the days of Claude Debussy. A darker side of Paris emerges at the Trocadéro stop and a charitable side at the Gare du Nord, which highlights the work of Saint Vincent de Paul. Finally, our journey ends at Père-Lachaise cemetery with the little-known story of Oscar Wilde's curious involvement in the Dreyfus affair, one of France's greatest legal scandals. From Hell (the Denfert-Rochereau stop on the south side of the city) to Heaven (the Gare du Nord at the north end of Paris), Métro Stop Paris carries readers on a journey of the heart and mind. Métro Stop Paris is a thinker's guide to Paris made up of "slices of life," little vignettes drawn from Paris's two thousand years of history. Taken separately, these are charming historic tales about a city known and loved by many, but read as a whole Métro Stop Paris goes straight to the heart of what is quintessentially Parisian.

A collection of articles representing cutting-edge Russian scholarship on Dostoevsky and his writings, in English translation.