In the Spring of 19- I took a sabbatical from the University of C-, over-the-seas branch, Kawagawa, Cipan where I had been working towards the postponement of a doctoral degree in the dual fields of comparative histrionics and cryptophilology. The cause of my departure: that I would pursue an ancillary degree elsewhere, although some may have observed that I had rather quietly suffered a nervous breakdown. The simple, more economical pretext, however, was that I was maddeningly overworked and shamefully underemployed. Repatriated, I finally took a job in S. Hollywood with a talent agency founded by a wealthy, enlightened Japanese autodidact of Western Culture, or "Sei Bun" as Kennichi-"Ken" to his friends-Chibita-"Chibi" by the same friends-liked to call it, who claimed, but could never quite document, a connection with his own royal family. Ken had entered the film business with the intention of "Making Movies That Make The Differences And Represent A Goal Of Universal Culture," a letterhead slogan that fell just short of the felicitous. He idolized the silver-screen impresario Alexandr Korda, and would have emulated him. Accordingly, Kenchan had acquired a reputation for his readiness to buy, at cut-rate prices, the rights to stories or, should we say, fragments of stories, incomplete or in a state of hopeless disarray, ones such as other agencies would have refused as unrepresentable. In principle we operated much like corporate marauders, but in the reverse: We bought up under-producing literary properties and then reassembled them into "marginally" profitable entities.

Life changes drastically for Lyana Lagos and her family on Carnival Day - February 27, 1952 - when her father, Luis, a prominent lawyer, along with other dissidents, plan the assassination of Dominican Republic dictator Rafael Trujillo. When their plan is discovered, Luis Lagos rushes to his home just in time to rescue his wife and two children from Trujillo's militia. Speeding away from their home as gunshots permeate their family car, they flee to Haiti. With the help of a good friend, the Lagos family travels to New York City and moves into a tiny apartment in Hell's Kitchen, a neighborhood riddled with gang violence. Upon their arrival in the Big Apple, Lyana's father takes a job as a lowly dishwasher while the family tries to adapt to their new lives. Lyana eloquently narrates how her father quickly moves up the ranks in the restaurant business, and how she grows up and embraces the tempations of the Beat Generation, carefree hippie movement, Vietnam War, and the Women's Liberation Movement. But the influences of these dynamic times threaten to rip apart the Lagos family fabric. Throughout their American journey, the Lagos family experiences alienation, not only as people living in a new country, but also within the confines of their own clan. Lyana helps her brother keep his darkest secret from their parents and stands by him when it is finally exposed. Through it all - the unrealistic and antiquated family expectations and unanticipated loss of a great love - Lyana defies all the odds and remains true to herself. Yocasta Fareri, born in the Dominican Republic, is an internationally known interior designer and freelance writer. She grew up in the United States and Canada and now resides in Switzerland.

The articles in this collection are representative of the criticism that has followed Walcott's career from the 1940s into the 1990s. Ten entries by Walcott himself (including one not previously published and two vital interviews) are complemented by some 40 incisive essays and reviews, ranging from professional assessments to the rare, personal observations of Walcott's earliest mentors.

Before he met Batman, Dick Grayson discovered the power of young love-and its staggering cost-at the magical Lost Carnival. Haly's traveling circus no longer has the allure of its glamorous past, but it still has one main attraction: the Flying Graysons, a family of trapeze artists featuring a teenage Dick Grayson. The only problem is that Dick loathes spending his summers performing tired routines for dwindling crowds. When the Lost Carnival opens nearby and threatens to pull Haly's remaining customers, Dick is among those drawn to its nighttime glow. But there are ancient forces at work at the Lost Carnival, and when Dick meets the mysterious Luciana and her nomadic family, he may be too mesmerized to recognize the danger ahead. Beneath the carnival's dazzling fireworks, Dick must decide between who he is and who he wants to be-choosing either loyalty to his family history or a glittering future with new friends and romance. Author Michael Moreci and illustrator Sas Milledge will suspend readers from a tightrope in this graphic novel, redefining Dick Grayson for a new generation.

A silly story that presents an assortment of animals and an orchestra.

A heist by the Serenity crew goes badly wrong in a captivating original Firefly tie-in novel from the award-winning series by Titan Books. City of sin Neapolis: a desert city on planet Bethel where all manner of entertainment can be found: high-stakes gambling, luxurious hotels, exclusive clubs and any form of diversion imaginable may be had for a price. It’s the eve of the annual carnival: three days of decadent revelry, and Serenity arrives to take a security job, guarding a costly shipment. An unattainable ransom Tragedy strikes: the shipment is stolen, and the wealthy owner kidnaps Zoë and Book, holding them to ransom for the lost shipment’s value. If Mal can’t find the enormous sum of five hundred platinum by the next evening, both of them will be killed. A race against time As the carnival begins the crew must attempt the impossible, calling on contacts, calling in favours, and revealing hidden talents to save their crewmates’ lives. Meanwhile, the hostages have their own plans…