The Work-Shy painstakingly reconstructs a chorus of voices rescued from hermetic "colonies" and fragile communes, from worlds that work in ways that defy work as we know it. Its poetic assemblages offer direct testimony from the first youth prison in California and from asylums for the chronically insane (preserved in the Prinzhorn Collection in Germany and the Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in New York City). Painful facts emerge about "sterilization mills" in California, where thousands of individuals became subject to compulsory procedures (policies that shaped eugenics practice in the Third Reich). In addition, the poems "translate" asylum texts—the writing of the insane—into a wider field of social conflict and utopian fragments of not-yet-being. Activating what Susan Howe calls "the telepathy of the archive" (and Peter Gizzi dubs "archeophonics" in the title of his latest collection), the poems of The Work-Shy become part of a "book of listening," occupying identities rooted in the demimonde and in places of confinement. Voices echo to form a ragged chain of soliloquies, kenning and keening, riddles and rants. Published under the collective, anonymous signature of the BLUNT RESEARCH GROUP, the book operates at the crossroads of lyric and documentary poetries, of singularity and collectivism. An online readers companion will be available at bluntresearchgroup.site.wesleyan.edu.

Sam is a quiet litle boy who must conquer his fear of show-and-tell.

Say hello to new friends, new business opportunities, new love, and new confidence Okay, so you're shy. Here are 85 proven techniques to help you conquer your shyness and change your life for good. No psychobabble. No nonsense. These tested "ShyBusters" prepare you for that upcoming party, work function, interview, date, and the rest of your life. As someone who overcame debilitating shyness herself, professional speaker Leil Lowndes used this method to become a confident woman who has been interviewed on hundreds of TV and radio shows and has spoken to crowds of 10,000. You'll soon be making "fearless conversation" with people who used to intimidate you. You'll learn how to win the love you deserve and ask for whatever you want. You will overcome embarrassing stammering, sweating, clamming up, and wishing you were invisible. Good-Bye to Shy will show you how to: Make a stronger impression at work, at parties, in any situation Feel more relaxed around people, make eye contact, and spark conversations Boost your career, jump-start your social life, and open your heart to new possibilities Say Good-Bye to Shy--and hello to the happy, loving, confident person who's been hiding inside you.

After an overdose, the unfortunate painter Edgar Bloom is dead. At the funeral, Douglas Frank (soft-boiled crime writer) is persuaded to look into his friend’s misadventure by Bloom’s long suffering widow. Did I mention she was beautiful? He discovers the artist’s diaries buried in the an unkempt studio. Frank’s agent, Ron Cranston (Albatross Books) urges him to write a brash expose featuring the dirty side of creative failure so Frank can rise in the literary food chain. What better way to get back at the elitist “Art Mob” for neglecting his friend Bloom and make a bit of cash? Ethical dilemmas multiply. Frank is asked to consult on a big museum exhibition by hard-nosed, curator, Martha Trout and Bloom’s resurrection takes on a life of its’ own. Bemused, Frank realizes he’s the only one who represents the disaffected artists of the world. To complicate matters, the success of the “Forgotten Poets” exhibition and subsequent book Work Shy soon has Hollywood knocking on his door. Publishers are thrilled. Is this a good thing asks the jaded writer? Sherrie Bloom is upset by the belated notoriety her dead husband receives and spurns amorous Frank. Our reluctant investigator must choose sides, live with the guilt or take the money and run.

Legendary Australian showman Dave Graney returns to the page and reveals the lengths he has gone to avoid anything that really feels like work. In his inimitable style, Graney veers from a feckless childhood in blue-collar South Australia, to the punk rock scene of 1980s London, and beer-soaked nights touring Australia where he worked very hard at not working at all. But in slacking off, Graney became one of the hardest working musicians in the industry, constantly evolving, reinventing, staying one step ahead of everyone - even himself. Workshy is half written by Dave Graney the consummate and tireless performer, and half-written by Dave Graney the bludge. The magic is that you're never sure which is which.

Charles is a mouse of few words. He doesn’t like to talk, and he’s perfectly happy playing by himself. But his parents are not happy. “It’s time he played football or joined the ballet,” says Charles’s father. So off Charles goes to ballet class, where he curls up and pretends to be asleep. Football proves even less successful. Will anything bring Charles out of his shell? “A nicely told fable as helpful for their parents as for shy children in need of respect.” —The New York Times Book Review “Wells has a time-tested talent for taking a keenly felt emotion—in this case shyness—and exploring it in a manner that is reassuring to young listeners.” —Booklist

There were not a lot of stories about Shelly. No one talked about her. No one knew her. She had no friend exept Huey Louie, her pet turtle of five years. One night, Shelly wrote on a paper star: I WISH TO HAVE A REAL FRIEND. Her wish comes true when she easily becomes a part of the group called Butterfly Club. For the first time, Shelly sat in the cafeteria with lunch buddies. But when she becomes the seatmate of the mysterious class outcast Vanna, Shelly also discovers a sweet and patient friend in her. But Vanna could never be part of the Butterfly Club. With friends on opposing sides, Shelly must learn what it means to be a true friend.