The trailblazing book that influenced a generation of writers, and proves that mature reflection needn’t be lacking in attitude. In the beginning when everything was very sexual we talked about our fantasies. She thought about having a guy for some of it. She thought about having a gun. I had gone through a lot to get away from guys so I admit that the thought of going back to them, even for a little adventure, was surprising and disconcerting … Ann Rower’s first book, If You’re a Girl, published by Semiotext(e)’s Native Agents series in 1991 in tandem with Cookie Mueller’s Walking Through Clear Water in a Pool Painted Black, cemented her reputation as the Eve Babitz of lower Manhattan. Rower was fifty-three years old at the time. Her stories—urtexts of female autofiction—had long been circulating within the poetry and postpunk music scenes. They were unlike anyone else’s: disarming, embarrassing, psuedoconfessional tales of everyday life dizzily told and laced with dry humor. In If You’re a Girl, she recounts her adventures as Timothy Leary’s babysitter, her artistic romance with actor Ron Vawter, and her attempts to evade a schizophrenic stalker. Rower went on to publish two novels: Armed Response (1995) and Lee & Elaine (2002). After the 2002 suicide of her partner, the writer Heather Lewis, Rower stopped writing for almost two decades. And then she picked up where If You’re a Girl left off. No longer a girl, she produced dozens of stories from her life in New York as an octogenarian. This new, expanded edition includes most of the original book, together with selections from both her novels and her recent writings. If You’re a Girl is a trailblazing book that manifests Rower’s influence on a generation of writers, and proves that mature reflection needn’t be lacking in attitude.

Rower's fiction is a devious transcription of life as it morphs into stories that turn into still more stories, palimpsets inscribed in a true confessional mode: a transfiction. Elizabeth LeComte: Alright, I want to know something and I want the straight dope. Were you ever in the sack with this guy? Ann Rower: With [Timothy] Leary? Willem Dafoe: Oh, here it is... " Ann and I ambled up to the bedroom." [laughter] Ann Rower: Ah, he was a liar. He's so dishonest. I mean, he was a classic paranoid... but like most paranoids he turned out to be right... Ann Rower writes like Dorothy Parker as if she'd taken acid to come down from speed. Funny, sad and smart, Rower's fiction is a devious transcription of life as it morphs into stories that turn into still more stories, palimpsets inscribed in a true confessional mode: a transfiction. If You're A Girl, published in 1990, includes Rower's story about Timothy Leary's Millbrook days, which formed the basis of The Wooster Group's acclaimed play LSD... Just The High Points. Perhaps the most distinguished American writer ever to have babysat for Timothy Leary.

Fill Your Performance with Spontaneity and Energy Improvisation is an essential and invaluable technique for the actor's repertoire: It asks you to think beyond a script--and its memorized lines, movements, and facial expressions--to deliver a performance filled with honesty, insight, nuance, and verisimilitude. Improvisation Starters Revised and Expanded provides more than 1,000 brand-new scene scenarios that will help you: • Depict conflict by focusing on differing beliefs, motivations, and needs • Use contrasts to show the clash of personalities and emotions • Creatively incorporate props and specific lines of dialogue within an improvised scene • Explore character relationships with various locations • Take on the role of inanimate objects and animals From the classroom to the community theater group--and even in business, language, and technology classes--improvisation is the perfect tool for thinking critically, communicating clearly, building self-confidence, and developing interpersonal skills. With this revised edition of Improvisation Starters, you'll bring new vitality to the stage or set--and have fun in the process!

The doctrine of adoption—God’s decision to adopt sinful men and women into his family—stands at the heart of Christianity. In light of this, Christians’ efforts to adopt beautifully illustrate the truth of the gospel. In this popular-level and practical manifesto, Russell Moore encourages Christians to adopt children and to help other Christian families to do the same. He shows that adoption is not just about couples who have struggled to have children. Rather, it’s about an entire culture within evangelicalism—a culture that sees adoption as part of the Great Commission mandate and as a sign of the gospel itself.

Every young woman’s essential guide to tackling all of the challenges of college­—from stress to debt to scholarships—in a completed updated new edition: “Some things are common sense but some things aren’t—especially when it comes to navigating a college campus in a way that’s fun, independent, and totally safe” (Today.com). Get ready for the best years of your life! From the experts behind Her Campus, this completely updated college guide is bursting with insider tips to help you navigate classes, relationships, and all your extracurriculars—including parties and Greek life, of course. Whether you’re just starting freshman year or a seasoned pro as an upperclassman, you’ll learn tips and tricks for how to survive: —Bonding with your roommate—while setting ground rules for your new space at the same time —Beating the dreaded Freshman 15 without having to give up dessert —Snagging a date with the cutie from class —Coping with stress and anxiety—even during the insanity of finals week! —Navigating student loans and finding the best financial aid, scholarships, and post-graduate loan forgiveness programs —Scoring awesome jobs and internships and transitioning into post-collegiate life —Staying safe on campus so you can enjoy all college has to offer—without horror stories Complete with fun checklists and helpful worksheets, The Her Campus Guide to College Life, Updated and Expanded Edition shows you how to make the most out of your undergrad experience—in and outside the classroom.

A Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award Finalist for Best Critical/Biographical Work Discover the secrets to crafting an unforgettable mystery! To piece together the puzzle of your mystery novel, you need patience, resilience, a solid understanding of the craft, and a clear blueprint for combining the plot, characters, setting, and more. And while patience and resilience must come from you, the essentials of craft and the plan to execute them are right at your fingertips with Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel. This completely revised and updated edition features solid strategies for drafting, revising, and selling an intriguing novel that grips your readers and refuses to let them go. New York Times best-selling author Hallie Ephron shows you how to: • Create a compelling sleuth and a worthy villain • Construct a plot rich in twists, red herrings, and misdirection • Bring the story to a satisfying conclusion • Sharpen characters and optimize pace during revision • Seek publication through both traditional and indie paths Filled with helpful worksheets and exercises for every step of the process, Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel Revised and Expanded reveals the keys to writing a memorable story that will have fans of mystery, suspense, and crime clamoring for more.

One of the premier writers of the Harlem Renaissance, Rudolph Fisher wrote short stories depicting the multifaceted black urban experience that are still acclaimed today for their humor, grace, and objective view of Harlem life. Through his words, wrote the New York Times Book Review, “one feels, smells, and tastes his Harlem; its people come alive and one cares about them.” A definitive collection of Fisher’s short stories, The City of Refuge offers vibrant tales that deal with the problems faced by newcomers to the city, ancestor figures who struggle to instill a sense of integrity in the young, problems of violence and vengeance, and tensions of caste and class. This anthology has now been expanded to include seven previously unpublished stories that take up such themes as marital infidelity and passing for black and also relate the further adventures of Jinx and Bubber, the comic duo who appeared in Fisher’s two novels. This new edition also includes two unpublished speeches and the popular article “The Caucasian Storms Harlem,” describing the craze for black music and dance. John McCluskey’s introduction has been updated to place the additional works within the context of Fisher’s career while situating his oeuvre within the broader context of American writing during the twenties. Fisher recognized the dramatic and comic power in African American folklore and music and frequented Harlem’s many cabarets, speakeasies, and nightclubs, and at the core of his work is a strong regard for music as context and counterpoint. The City of Refuge now better captures the sounds of the city experience by presenting all of Fisher’s known stories. It offers a portrait of Harlem unmatched in depth and range by Fisher’s contemporaries or successors, celebrating, as Booklist noted, “the complexity of black urban life in its encounter with the dangers and delights of the city.” This expanded edition adds new perspectives to that experience and will enhance Fisher’s status for a new generation of readers.