What happens when you ask today's top songwriters to apply their talents to prose You get a surprising and diverse collection of writing as penetrating and unforgettable as your most beloved album. Like writers and poets, the best songwriters are storytellers; their words and music inspire, move, and comfort us. This wholly original collection brings together the talents of today's most accomplished songwriters in a compelling and rewarding anthology -- not of songs, but of prose. Although most of the songwriters included here have never before published a work of this kind, their talent for it is undeniable. Between these covers are pieces by David Byrne, Marc Cohn, Paula Cole, Shawn Colvin, Rodney Crowell, Joe Henry, Lyle Lovett, Steven Page, Jane Siberry, John Stewart, Suzanne Vega, Loudon Wainwright III, Lucinda Williams, and Johnny Cash, whose daughter, Grammy winning musician and songwriter Rosanne Cash, serves as editor of this volume. Each piece is paired with the song lyric that inspired it, offering a rare glimpse into the artists creative process. Together, they comprise a fascinating collection of unique talent and creativity -- one that music fans and readers of all kinds will find hard to resist.

The instant New York Times bestseller featured on NPR's Weekend Edition with Scott Simon! B. J. Novak (bestselling author of The Book With No Pictures) described this groundbreaking poetry collection as "Smart and sweet, wild and wicked, brilliantly funny--it's everything a book for kids should be." Lauded by critics as a worthy heir to such greats as Silverstein, Seuss, Nash and Lear, Harris's hilarious debut molds wit and wordplay, nonsense and oxymoron, and visual and verbal sleight-of-hand in masterful ways that make you look at the world in a whole new wonderfully upside-down way. With enthusiastic endorsements from bestselling luminaries such as Lemony Snicket, Judith Viorst, Andrea Beaty, and many others, this entirely unique collection offers a surprise around every corner. Adding to the fun: Lane Smith, bestselling creator of beloved hits like It's a Book and The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, has spectacularly illustrated this extraordinary collection with nearly one hundred pieces of appropriately absurd art. It's a mischievous match made in heaven! "Ridiculous, nonsensical, peculiar, outrageous, possibly deranged--and utterly, totally, absolutely delicious. Read it! Immediately!" --Judith Viorst, bestselling author of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

""Nicky has found a creative way of channeling her feelings and has produced a piece of work that is an inspiration to people who have experienced mental health problems. It is also of great value to us professionals and we should not forget that an essential part of our continuing medical education is listening to patients"" - Dr Eleni Palazidou MD, PhD, MRCP, MRCPSYCH DescriptionNicky Thomas' extraordinary book of poetry charts her feelings and experiences of depression and the recovery of some stability in her life. Nicky found that writing her book proved a cathartic process and helped her to overcome her depression and stop self-harming. Nicky hopes that this book maybe able to help someone else feel less alone in their despair and help families, friends and health professionals gain a greater understanding. This is a wonderfully strong book from a very strong and determined woman.Depression, although so common, is still so badly misunderstood - on the one hand it is not taken seriously and people are told to 'cheer up' and 'try harder'; on the other hand the stigma leaves many people further isolated and discriminated against. Taking medication is often seen as admitting defeat, failing; when taking medication for any physical order is socially acceptable. Nicky Thomas About the AuthorNicola Thomas was born in 1968. Diagnosed with clinical depression at an early age, Nicky has had to endure twelve separate hospital admissions and years of psychotherapy before her eventual recovery. Nicola feels that her recovery has been aided by her writing - whenever she is depressed she writes about her feelings. It is no coincidence that when she is writing Nicky stops self-harming. As well as being a successful author, Nicky is currently studying at college and works voluntarily.

On 29 April 1841, a week after his thirty-fourth birthday, Louis (Aloysius) Bertrand died of tuberculosis. This malady, his destitute poverty, and his errant existence qualify him as a quintessential poete maudit, whose one great work, Gaspard de la Nuit: Fantasies a la maniere de Rembrandt et de Callot, was not published until 1842. Now widely considered as the first collection of prose poems to appear in France, Gaspard inspired writers like Baudelaire, Mallarme, Huysmans, and Andre Breton. This study offers a rereading of Bertrand's book grounded in modern critical theory, including the work of Derrida, Bakhtin, Barbara Johnson, Genette, Lacoue-Labarthe, and Nancy. It elaborates a new perspective on a work that contains all the paradoxes of the genre, with which theorists still struggle.

A sweet and clever friendship story in rhyme, about looking past physical differences to appreciate the person (or dragon) underneath. George and Blaise are pen pals, and they write letters to each other about everything: their pets, birthdays, favorite sports, and science fair projects. There’s just one thing that the two friends don’t know: George is a human, while Blaise is a dragon! What will happen when these pen pals finally meet face-to-face? "When I was a kid, my best friend was Josh Funk. Now he's becoming a friend to a whole new generation.”--B.J. Novak, author of The New York Times bestseller The Book With No Pictures

A thoroughly delicious rhyming story about the funniest food fight ever—perfect for fans of The Food Group series. Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast have a beautiful friendship—until they discover that there's only one drop of maple syrup left! The race is ON! Off they go, racing past the Orange Juice Fountain, skiing through Sauerkraut Peak, and reeling down the linguini. But who will enjoy the sweet taste of victory? And could working together be better than tearing each other apart? Praise for the Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast Series: “[R]eaders will giggle their way through this refrigerated fantasyland.”—Publishers Weekly “A must purchase.”—School Library Journal, starred review Don’t miss the other books in the series: The Case of the Stinky Stench Mission Defrostable Short & Sweet The Great Caper Caper