There are many kinds of mothers today—birth, adoptive, grandmothers and mothers of necessity. In this collection of mothering stories, Lana Skauge retells some of her favourites. Six stories about life’s lessons using metaphors and simple truths. They are based on her interactive performance pieces, bound by a tradition of storytelling (that ancient way of remembering through spiritual heartspeak) and told here by a straight shooting prairie girl! Back copy: Reworked from her live performances, these stories are “life lessons” told through metaphor and simple truths. Meant to be read aloud they focus on the renewal brought about by Spring and Motherhood. All six stories presented are told in an ancient storyteller tradition where each vignett, through spiritual-heart-speak and motherly-instinct, tugs at the heart strings of hope, happiness and heritage. Introduction: It is a Mother’s load, one that we accept without hesitation. Whether we are—birth mothers, adoptive mothers, grandmothers or mothers of necessity our children will one day tell our stories. What a responsibility! My life lessons are best told using metaphor and simple truths. They have rewarded me with a motherlode that I never expected. Reworked from my performances, the following pieces are bound by the tradition of storytelling, that ancient way of remembering through spiritual heartspeak and instinct that, for me, comes from a straight shooter prairie girl who has always listened to her motherland. Stories: Whale Sounds – For my brother, Denny. Matta’s Wish – For Judith Mercer, who walks in grace. The Fool and the Storyteller – Part of the sky, sweet Mom, I still feel you. Motherload - For all Mothers. Grandma’s Hands - For Grandmothers When the Sky Got Bigger - For Artie and Holly.

An illustrated highlight reel of more than 100 women in rap who have helped shape the genre and eschewed gender norms in the process The Motherlode highlights more than 100 women who have shaped the power, scope, and reach of rap music, including pioneers like Roxanne Shanté, game changers like Lauryn Hill and Missy Elliott, and current reigning queens like Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, and Lizzo—as well as everyone who came before, after, and in between. Some of these women were respected but not widely celebrated. Some are impossible not to know. Some of these women have stood on their own; others were forced into templates, compelled to stand beside men in big rap crews. Some have been trapped in a strange critical space between respected MC and object. They are characters, caricatures, lyricists, at times both feminine and explicit. This book profiles each of these women, their musical and career breakthroughs, and the ways in which they each helped change the culture of rap.

When their Ukrainian grandmother is lost on a trans-Atlantic Flight, two sisters are swept into a quest across eastern Europe to find the woman who had always told more tales than truths. From Poland to Slovakia to Hungary and beyond, Larissa and Ira navigate the steps of Ukrainian folk dance, the cliff-side paths of Slovak Paradise National Park, and the stark realities of war, folktales, and feminism, all for the sake of chasing who they're starting to believe is a true Baba Yaga. Understanding their family's roots has never been more clear. The setting's mythic properties drift like ghosts in the humid air, hinting of the folktales the sisters whisper like codes of bravery. The nesting dolls they discover reveal how each woman becomes stronger when tucked one, within another, within another-forgetting lies and truths to seize upon history, love, and the familial traditions that have shaped them into who they are together. Author and professional editor Kris Spisak has been spotlighted in Writer's Digest and The Huffington Post for her work to helping other writers. Her previous non-fiction books include Get a Grip on Your Grammar: 250 Writing and Editing Reminders for the Curious or Confused, The Novel Editing Workbook, and The Family Story Workbook. Spisak's background and her own family experience in the Ukrainian diaspora add weight to her fiction debut.

How much truth is there to the popular belief that science is a young person's game? Is America's older scientific community retarding economic growth? Using a unique data base and an interdisciplinary approach, the authors address these and other questions. They find evidence that exceptional contributions to science are more likely to be made by those under 40. Age matters, but not nearly as much for "average" scientists. Success in science also depends on RPRT--being in the "right place at the right time". Not all generations of scientists have equal access to the type of jobs that foster productivity, nor do they have the good fortune to be educated when path-breaking events are occurring in their field. Changing economic conditions in science have conspired to make those who entered science during the last 25 years less productive than their predecessors. In addition, extreme competition for jobs and grants can make scientists behave in a dysfunctional manner. The authors conclude that the absence of a national science policy can cause serious problems for the United States, and they outline a policy to boost productivity in American science. Clearly written, with many pointed examples, this work will appeal to anyone interested in science or science policy.

Narrates the lives and evokes the voices of the women of all races who were involved in the Mother Lode region of California during the Gold Rush, artfully blending in their journals, songs, history, poetry, and recipes.