Art Encounters brings the work of famous artists to life through thrilling and evocative stories that reflect the individual paintings featured. This new series of historical fiction introduces young readers to the styles, methods, techniques, and influences of great painters. History and fiction merge in this uplifting novel about a boy whose artistic talent awaits a great mind to uncover it. A child of the Depression, Parker begins his relationship with O'Keeffe by stealing her property, notably a camera. She is prepared to let him rot in jail when she develops the photos he has taken with the stolen camera and recognizes the boy's raw ability. Set against the backdrop of New Mexico's stark beauty, Parker's struggle to find his artistic vision clashes with O'Keeffe's fierce independence and private nature. Parker tries to connect with his surroundings through the use of a camera, while O'Keeffe uses it as an aid for finding points of view otherwise difficult to obtain. This book is a literary interpretation of O'Keeffe's painting Ram's Skull with Brown Leaves, as well as an intimate look at the artist's fame, her relationship with Alfred Stieglitz, and her creative process. Georgia O'Keeffe in New Mexico Georgia O'Keeffe's single greatest inspiration was the New Mexican desert. She went "half mad with love for the place." There O'Keeffe collected the dry, white animal bones scattered over the desert, and painted her first "bone" paintings, including Ram's Skull with Brown Leaves. After 1934, she returned to New Mexico every summer, moving there permanently after the death of her husband, the art impresario Alfred Stieglitz. When O'Keeffe visited the Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, New Mexico, she knew immediately that she wanted to live there. Later, she bought and restored an abandoned hacienda nearby. Although failing eyesight forced her to stop painting with oil in the 70's, she continued to use pencil and watercolor. Active long into her later years, O'Keeffe died in 1986 at the age of 98. • For readers ages 12 and up • The first book in the new Art Encounters series • The story is based around O'Keeffe's painting Ram's Skull with Brown Leaves (Roswell Museum and Art Center, Roswell, NM) • Georgia O'Keeffe is one of the top five most studied artists in American schools

The business of dying has always been a numbers game. From the moment she set foot in The Establishment, Sarah Galloway has never questioned her purpose. She is a Spirit Catcher, a supernatural being tasked with escorting human souls to the hereafter. Only after she has met a predefined collection quota will she be considered for regeneration?the last step on her journey toward the next iteration of her life. Despite her immortality, her job is not without its hazards. Chief among these threats are malevolents, corrupt entities with a hankering for world domination. Condemned to an eternity in The Establishment's basement, these powerful spirits must remain under lock and key to safeguard the future of humanity... until the day they are set free.

-- Captures the central drama of Coltrane's life which other books have failed to do. -- Proven track record with former distributor: reached the top 1% of all Atrium's titles. -- Great mystery story throughout with Coltrane's search for a mysterious sound. -- A new type of jazz criticism which places readers within the context of music. Spirit Catcher offers a new type of biography and jazz criticism, combining an exciting story with vivid metaphors. It begins in the late 1920s when Coltrane grew up in North Carolina and ends with his death in 1967. Spirit Catcher is structured in three major sections (which incidentally relate to the progress of Coltrane's life and his progress towards spiritual insight): Disciple, Prophet and Spirit. Learn what happened in the interim to make him an international jazz prophet. "A terrific story! Most enlightening in facets of Coltrane's life even I didn't know about. I had to read the book twice because it was so fascinating. This book knocked me out!" -- Bob Thiele, Producer, Impulse Records (Coltrane's main record producer)

Nothing happens unless first a dream. Carl Sandberg THE DREAM CATCHERS is comprised of an extraordinary series of reports on Bynums experiences and adventures with cowboys, hippies, athletes, gang members, soldiers, actors, dreamers, and people like you. The author not only carried his research skills into the social arena, but approached each group with his own Christian experience and world view. Thus, each chapter reflects not only Bynums quest for scientific understanding of his subjects distinctive problems, behavior, hopes, and dreams, but explanations are supported by fascinating Biblical and historical insights. Practical applications of new findings relevant to all our lives are made on interesting issues and questions such as the following: 1. Why is loneliness the most common social problem in the world? 2. Why do some young people become hippies or join violent street gangs? 3. Is physical appearance related to social acceptance and deviant behavior? 4. Were Old Testament cowboys and herdsmen used by God in crisis situations? 5. Are all of us actors on the stage of life? 6. How did Jesus control an unruly crowd disrupting His teaching? 7. What is the formula for achieving your high aspirations? 8. How do the social relationships of soldiers affect their survival in battle? THE DREAM CATCHERS is appropriate for adult readers of all agesbut especially for young people as they plan and prepare for their own future.

In books such as Mystics and Messiahs, Hidden Gospels, and The Next Christendom, Philip Jenkins has established himself as a leading commentator on religion and society. Now, in Dream Catchers, Jenkins offers a brilliant account of the changing mainstream attitudes towards Native American spirituality, once seen as degraded spectacle, now hailed as New Age salvation. Jenkins charts this remarkable change by highlighting the complex history of white American attitudes towards Native religions, considering everything from the 19th-century American obsession with "Hebrew Indians" and Lost Tribes, to the early 20th-century cult of the Maya as bearers of the wisdom of ancient Atlantis. He looks at the popularity of the Carlos Castaneda books, the writings of Lynn Andrews and Frank Waters, and explores New Age paraphernalia including dream-catchers, crystals, medicine bags, and Native-themed Tarot cards. He also examines the controversial New Age appropriation of Native sacred places and notes that many "white indians" see mainstream society as religiously empty. An engrossing account of our changing attitudes towards Native spirituality, Dream Catchers offers a fascinating introduction to one of the more interesting aspects of contemporary American religion.

When nightmares start troubling her, young Marin goes to her grandmother's home to see an Elder. After visiting with the Elder Maskwa, Marin better understands her dreams and the importance of ritual, respect and connection to the Great Spirit, Kici Manitow. With the help of her family, Marin makes a dream catcher. It helps her appreciate herself and her connection to the land and the creatures around her.