Full of wit and stories, some well-known. Plus, a recap of memories of famous comedians he's known and places where he's been the entertainer.

Like many ambitious New York City teenagers, Craig Gilner sees entry into Manhattan's Executive Pre-Professional High School as the ticket to his future. Determined to succeed at life—which means getting into the right high school to get into the right college to get the right job—Craig studies night and day to ace the entrance exam, and does. That's when things start to get crazy. At his new school, Craig realizes that he isn't brilliant compared to the other kids; he's just average, and maybe not even that. He soon sees his once-perfect future crumbling away.

Loosely based on the plays of Plautus, A Funny Thing... ran for three years on Broadway. The first British production, starring Frankie Howerd as the cowardly slave Pseudolus, ran almost as long and spawned the TV series Up Pompeii!

Funeral Diva is the Winner of the Lambda Award for Lesbian Poetry! A poetic memoir about coming-of-age in the AIDS era, and its effects on life and art. "Sneed is an acclaimed reader of her own poetry, and the book has the feeling of live performance. . . . Its strength is in its abundance, its desire for language to stir body as well as mind."—Parul Sehgal, The New York Times Book Review "She is a writer for the future, in that she defies genre."—Hilton Als "This notable achievement, traveling from youth to adulthood, is a harrowing account of how Sneed transforms violence and pain into an artist's life."—Claudia Rankine, author of Citizen: An American Lyric "There's an eerie sense of timeliness to this book, which features prose and poetry by the writer and teacher Pamela Sneed and is largely — though not entirely — about mourning Black gay men killed too soon by a deadly virus."—Tomi Obaro, Buzzfeed "OH MY GOODNESS, it was amazing. I was in tears by the end. What starts off as beautiful memoir evolves into incredibly moving poetry, painful and sweet and lovely."—Marie Cloutier, Greenlight Bookstore, Brooklyn, NY "Balancing and mixing, with rhyme and reason, love and anger, good and bad, memory and the created present, all to tell the story of a life, a memoir unrestrained, devoid of artificial forms. Honest. Free."—Anjanette Delgado, New York Journal of Books In this collection of personal essays and poetry, acclaimed poet and performer Pamela Sneed details her coming of age in New York City during the late 1980s. Funeral Diva captures the impact of AIDS on Black Queer life, and highlights the enduring bonds between the living, the dying, and the dead. Sneed’s poems not only converse with lovers past and present, but also with her literary forebears—like James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, Audre Lorde—whose aesthetic and thematic investments she renews for a contemporary American landscape. Offering critical focus on matters from police brutality to LGBTQ+ rights, Funeral Diva confronts today's most pressing issues with acerbic wit and audacity. The collection closes with Sneed's reflections on the two pandemics of her time, AIDS and COVID-19, and the disproportionate impact of each on African American communities. "Riveting, personal, open-hearted, risky and wise."—Sarah Schulman, author of Conflict Is Not Abuse " . . . a tour de force about the collision between a coalescing 1980s 'Black lesbian and gay literary and poetic movement' in New York and the onslaught of AIDS."—Donna Seaman, Booklist "Pamela Sneed's Funeral Diva is deft, defiant, and devastating."—Tommy Pico, author of Feed "Funeral Diva is urgent and necessary reading to live by. This is writing at its finest. Keep this book close to your heart and soul."—Karen Finley, author of Shock Treatment "Reminiscent of Audre Lorde’s Zami, Pamela Sneed’s memoir is, in itself, a healing balm, affirming in its truths and honesty. I cannot remember ever reading a book that illustrates the impact of the AIDS epidemic on our community more poignantly than Funeral Diva."—Nicole Dennis-Benn, author of Patsy "Pamela Sneed takes enormous risks in this book. She tells the truth with fierce concentration and an abiding sense of purpose.”—Dorothy Allison, author of Bastard Out of Carolina

Me?!? Go to church? Lightning will strike me dead! Me?!? Homeless? Jobless? How did this happen? Me?!? Give money to the church? They are just after my money! Me?!? Go back to school? Become a CPA? I'm over 40! Me?!? Tithe? I give enough! Me?!? Date? How could I ever trust a man again? Me?!? Write a book? I'm a CPA for Heaven's sake! Me?!? Witness? People will think I'm strange! Author Patricia Coury Hartman is, of all things, a CPA. She always sees the lighter side of life, even though she has been through some very deep painful times, including divorce and parenting alone. Her smile and her laughter brighten any room. Her humility shows through in her writing, as she shares transparently how she got to where she is today. She has a gift of taking the complex and making it simple. Her journey has taken her from: [Runaway to Home Again [Liberal to Conservative [Atheist to Christian [Single Mom to Married [Empty Nester [Rebellion to Contentment [Broke to Financially Stable [Bus Driver to CPA [Homeless to Homeowner [Proud to Humble [Lost to Found [Sinner to... well... Grab a cup of coffee and a box of tissues and head for the easy chair. Get ready for times of laughter, reflection and joy...

The humorous stories that Dr. White tells about in this book are all about people in and out of the church and the ups and downs of life in the parsonage. Funny things can happen at church, and the behavior of some religious people can make you laugh and laugh. Behind the humor in this book is often a spiritual truth. But this is more than a religious book. It is about changing times in North Carolina for three quarters of a century. Dr. White keeps telling about things he has learned during this time, or maybe he is subtly teaching his readers to learn with him what religion is really all about. The people in the stories may seem like someone you know in your own church or family. The comical stories will entertain you while you ponder their meaning. The more serious ones may touch you deeply.