Oh how the truth does bite. After class had closed, standing by the desk, of my seventh grade teacher. I was receiving, a large spoon full of that bitter but, necessary medicine called truth. “Well now Freddy Maguyer Tarrant” said the crotchety old Irish teacher. “Here you are showing up on your first day at this school for the blind with all the qualifications that should send you straight back to the fourth or fifth grade. However, since you are twelve years old, I’ll give you just one chance to buckle down and work your way out of your abysmal condition of ignorance. Just in this first day of class, I have learned that you have no understanding of numbers and most remarkably you do not even know the alphabet. You must have been living in a cave. Furthermore, it is inconceivable that the teachers you have had in the past have brought you to this point, knowing so little.” “They too must have lived in caves.” Standing silently by Miss Feelin’s desk, I felt a deep and overwhelming sense of dread and yet a deeper sense of burning shame. I knew in my heart of hearts that what she said was true. Two hundred miles from home in a boarding school for the blind, knowing nothing, I thought, when Miss Feelin said: “Now here is a poem in braille, Freddy, that you must learn by heart and recite before the class on Friday and no excuses”. “This poem is entitled, “To a Waterfowl” by William Cullen Bryant and in this poem there are five words, in particular, that you must remember to your dying day, yes, to your dying day”. These five words are: “Lone wandering, but not lost”, I repeat, “Lone wandering, but not lost” and you must never ever forget these words. These five words burst from old Miss Feelin with a nerve shattering shriek, with her knuckles banging on her desk top, for emphasis. “Now you remember what I’ve told and be off to your next class for you remind me of an Irish fiddle, all strings and no bow. I expect that every vagrant breeze that comes along will have its way with you.” That was 1938 and now it is seventy-three years later. And yes, I did learn those miserable numbers and even learned the alphabet. Those five words “Lone wandering, but not lost” have stood me in good stead, and yes, these vagrant breezes rushing down from these old, old hills around Palmares, Costa Rica do have their way with me. They touch the strings of my heart and set the memories to dancing. I invite you to read, reflect and enjoy the “First Time Ever”.

A SUNDAY TIMES AND TELEGRAPH BOOK OF THE YEARSHORTLISTED FOR THE PENDERYN MUSIC BOOK PRIZEPeggy Seeger is one of folk music's most influential artists and songwriters. Born in New York City in 1935, she enjoyed a childhood steeped in music and left-wing politics - they remain her lifeblood. After college, she travelled to Russia and China - against US advice - before arriving in London, where she met the man with whom she would raise three children and share the next thirty-three years: Ewan MacColl. Together, they helped lay the foundations of the British folk revival, through the influential Critics Group and the landmark BBC Radio Ballads series. And as Ewan's muse, she inspired one of the twentieth century's most popular love songs, 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face'. With a clear eye and generous spirit, Peggy writes of a rollercoaster life - of birth and abortion, sex and infidelity, devotion and betrayal - in a luminous, beautifully realised account.

From the school yards of the South Bronx to the tops of the "Billboard" charts, rap has emerged as one of the most influential cultural forces of our time. This pioneering anthology brings together more than 300 lyrics written over 30 years, from the "old school" to the present day.

This title was first published in 2003. This work considers the post-war folk revival in Britain from a popular music studies perspective. Michael Brocken provides a historical narrative of the folk revival from the 1940s up until the 1990s, beginning with the emergence of the revival from within and around the left-wing movements of the 1940s and 1950s. Key figures and organizations such as the Workers' Music Association, the BBC, the English Folk Dance and Song Society, A.L. Lloyd and Ewan MacColl are examined closely. By looking at the work of British Communist Party splinter groups it is possible to see the refraction of folk music as a political tool. Brocken openly challenges folk historicity and internal narrative by discussing the convergence of folk and pop during the 1950s and 1960s. The significant development of the folk/rock hybrid is considered alongside "class", "Americana", radio and the strength of pop culture. Brocken shows how the dichotomy of artistic (natural) versus industry (mass-produced) music since the 1970s has led to a fragmentation and constriction of the folk revival. The study concludes with a look at the upsurge of the folk music industry, the growth of festivals and the implications of the Internet for the British folk revival. Brocken suggests the way forward should involve an acknowledgement that folk music is not superior to but is, in fact, a form of popular music.

“A hero’s tale of what’s possible when we unlock our potential, continue the search for knowledge, and draw on our lived experiences to guide us through the darkest moments.”—Stacey Abrams From a Black, gay woman who broke into the boys’ club of Silicon Valley comes an empowering guide to finding your voice, working your way into any room you want to be in, and achieving your own dreams. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY FORTUNE In 2015, Arlan Hamilton was on food stamps and sleeping on the floor of the San Francisco airport, with nothing but an old laptop and a dream of breaking into the venture capital business. She couldn’t understand why people starting companies all looked the same (White and male), and she wanted the chance to invest in the ideas and people who didn’t conform to this image of how a founder is supposed to look. Hamilton had no contacts or network in Silicon Valley, no background in finance—not even a college degree. What she did have was fierce determination and the will to succeed. As much as we wish it weren’t so, we still live in a world where being underrepresented often means being underestimated. But as someone who makes her living investing in high-potential founders who also happen to be female, LGBTQ, or people of color, Hamilton understands that being undervalued simply means that a big upside exists. Because even if you have to work twice as hard to get to the starting line, she says, once you are on a level playing field, you will sprint ahead. Despite what society would have you believe, Hamilton argues, a privileged background, an influential network, and a fancy college degree are not prerequisites for success. Here she shares the hard-won wisdom she’s picked up on her remarkable journey from food-stamp recipient to venture capitalist, with lessons like “The Best Music Comes from the Worst Breakups,” “Let Someone Shorter Stand in Front of You,” “The Dangers of Hustle Porn,” and “Don’t Let Anyone Drink Your Diet Coke.” Along the way, she inspires us all to defy other people’s expectations and to become the role models we’ve been looking for. Praise for It’s About Damn Time “Reading Arlan Hamilton’s It’s About Damn Time is like having a conversation with that frank, bawdy friend who somehow always manages to make you laugh, get a little emo, and, ultimately, think about ­­the world in a different way. . . . The book is warm, witty, and unflinching in its critique of the fake meritocracy that permeates Silicon Valley.”—Shondaland