Stories by Laura Chester.

In this remarkable one-year journal, skilled horsewoman and adventurer Laura Chester brings us into her world, where we deeply connect with the earth and its seasons, with beauty and sometimes danger. While riding in places as far-reaching as Mexico, Australia, and India, Chester is always grateful to come home to the comforts of her familiar horse. As they cover the borderland of Arizona and the hills of Massachusetts, we get to know Barranca as intimate companion, mediator between soul and nature, whether entering the wilds of Cochise Stronghold or picking Berkshire apples from the saddle. Carried along on waves of memory, released by the gaits of her smooth-moving fox trotter, this literary memoir takes us on a personal exploration as well—where family relationships are fractured by anger, jealousy, illness, and death. With the help of her big-hearted animal, Chester is able to retrieve the past and find forgiveness. For as she says—"Riding Barranca puts me in the moment, which is where I want to live."

"Holy Personal" begins with the design and construction of the author's own private chapel and activities that compelled her to set forth on a pilgrimage to 28 other private places of worship--temples, chapels, stupas and shrines. DeMari's luminous photos reveal the personal and private nature of these unique places. 100 photos, 60 in color.

Poetry. Photography. SPARKS marks the second collaboration (after Holy Personal) of author Laura Chester and photographer Donna DeMari. Here, prose poetry and sepia-toned photographs combine to tell a story. "THE SPARK SO quickly becomes the fire becomes you. Your face is shining with the light all around, like a mane. Aura, luster, a polished egg"-from Part One. Laura Chester has written many books of poetry and prose, including FREE REIN, ALL IN ALL, and MY PLEASURE, all available at SPD.

A unique anthology of erotic and romantic writing on married life and love by some of the most renowned contemporary fiction and poetry writers, including Raymond Carver, Laurie Colwin, and John Updike. The book is divided into six sections that mirror the emotional and erotic phases of a couple's union, from "The Newlywed Bed" to "The Forever Bed".