The Power of the Porch

The Power of the Porch PDF Author: Trudier Harris
Publisher: University of Georgia Press
ISBN: 9780820318578
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 174

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Book Description
In ways that are highly individual, says Harris, yet still within a shared oral tradition, Zora Neale Hurston, Gloria Naylor, and Randall Kenan skillfully use storytelling techniques to define their audiences, reach out and draw them in, and fill them with anticipation. Considering how such dynamics come into play in Hurston's Mules and Men, Naylor's Mama Day, and Kenan's Let the Dead Bury Their Dead, Harris shows how the "power of the porch" resides in readers as well, who, in giving themselves over to a story, confer it on the writer. Against this background of give and take, anticipation and fulfillment, Harris considers Zora Neale Hurston's special challenges as a black woman writer in the thirties, and how her various roles as an anthropologist, folklorist, and novelist intermingle in her work. In Gloria Naylor's writing, Harris finds particularly satisfying themes and characters. A New York native, Naylor came to a knowledge of the South through her parents and during her stay on the Sea Islands she wrote Mama Day. A southerner by birth, Randall Kenan is particularly adept in getting his readers to accept aspects of African American culture that their rational minds might have wanted to reject. Although Kenan is set apart from Hurston and Naylor by his alliances with a new generation of writers intent upon broaching certain taboo subjects (in his case gay life in small southern towns), Kenan's Tims Creek is as rife with the otherworldly and the fantastic as Hurston's New Orleans and Naylor's Willow Springs.

The Power of the Porch

The Power of the Porch PDF Author: Trudier Harris
Publisher: University of Georgia Press
ISBN: 9780820318578
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 174

Get Book Here

Book Description
In ways that are highly individual, says Harris, yet still within a shared oral tradition, Zora Neale Hurston, Gloria Naylor, and Randall Kenan skillfully use storytelling techniques to define their audiences, reach out and draw them in, and fill them with anticipation. Considering how such dynamics come into play in Hurston's Mules and Men, Naylor's Mama Day, and Kenan's Let the Dead Bury Their Dead, Harris shows how the "power of the porch" resides in readers as well, who, in giving themselves over to a story, confer it on the writer. Against this background of give and take, anticipation and fulfillment, Harris considers Zora Neale Hurston's special challenges as a black woman writer in the thirties, and how her various roles as an anthropologist, folklorist, and novelist intermingle in her work. In Gloria Naylor's writing, Harris finds particularly satisfying themes and characters. A New York native, Naylor came to a knowledge of the South through her parents and during her stay on the Sea Islands she wrote Mama Day. A southerner by birth, Randall Kenan is particularly adept in getting his readers to accept aspects of African American culture that their rational minds might have wanted to reject. Although Kenan is set apart from Hurston and Naylor by his alliances with a new generation of writers intent upon broaching certain taboo subjects (in his case gay life in small southern towns), Kenan's Tims Creek is as rife with the otherworldly and the fantastic as Hurston's New Orleans and Naylor's Willow Springs.

The Boy on the Porch

The Boy on the Porch PDF Author: Sharon Creech
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0062207776
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 95

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Book Description
“This quiet novel sings. A graceful profound story for all ages that speaks well beyond its intended audience.” —Kirkus (starred review) Fans of Newbery Medal winner Sharon Creech's Ruby Holler will love this tween novel about opening your heart and finding family when you least expect it. When a young couple finds a boy asleep on their porch, their lives take a surprising turn. Unable to speak, the boy, Jacob, can't explain his history. All John and Marta know is that they have been chosen to care for him. And as their connection and friendship with Jacob grow, they embrace his exuberant spirit and talents. The three of them blossom into an unlikely family and begin to see the world in brand-new ways.

The Porch

The Porch PDF Author: Charlie Hailey
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022677001X
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 276

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Book Description
Come with us for a moment out onto the porch. Just like that, we’ve entered another world without leaving home. In this liminal space, an endless array of absorbing philosophical questions arises: What does it mean to be in a place? How does one place teach us about the world and ourselves? What do we—and the things we’ve built—mean in this world? In a time when reflections on the nature of society and individual endurance are so paramount, Charlie Hailey’s latest book is both a mental tonic and a welcome provocation. Solidly grounded in ideas, ecology, and architecture, The Porch takes us on a journey along the edges of nature where the outside comes in, hosts meet guests, and imagination runs wild. Hailey writes from a modest porch on the Homosassa River in Florida. He sleeps there, studies the tides, listens for osprey and manatee, welcomes shipwrecked visitors, watches shadows on its screens, reckons with climate change, and reflects on his own acclimation to his environment. The profound connections he unearths anchor an armchair exploration of past porches and those of the future, moving from ancient Greece to contemporary Sweden, from the White House roof to the Anthropocene home. In his ruminations, he links up with other porch dwellers including environmentalist Rachel Carson, poet Wendell Berry, writers Eudora Welty and Zora Neale Hurston, philosopher John Dewey, architect Louis Kahn, and photographer Paul Strand. As close as architecture can bring us to nature, the porch is where we can learn to contemplate anew our evolving place in a changing world—a space we need now more than ever. Timeless and timely, Hailey’s book is a dreamy yet deeply passionate meditation on the joy and gravity of sitting on the porch.

A Porch Sofa Almanac

A Porch Sofa Almanac PDF Author: Peter Smith
Publisher: U of Minnesota Press
ISBN: 1452915563
Category : American essays
Languages : en
Pages : 150

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Book Description
For Peter Smith, the assignment from Minnesota Public Radio was simple: try to do something about Minnesota . So he began exploring the simple, everyday Minnesota things he came across and sharing them with listeners each Tuesday morning. The result is a hilarious, often wry, and always remarkable portrait of everyday life in the Land of 10,000 Lakes that will resonate with Minnesotans from the state's biggest cities to its smallest towns. A Porch Sofa Almanac is the first collection of Smith's essays for MPR-stories that keep close to the ground and reflect on the common experiences of being.

Front Porch Politics

Front Porch Politics PDF Author: Michael Stewart Foley
Publisher: Hill and Wang
ISBN: 0374711089
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 434

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Book Description
"Reading this book revives the spirit of civic action today for those who are unjustifiably forlorn about overcoming injustice."—Ralph Nader An on-the-ground history of ordinary Americans who took to the streets when political issues became personal The 1960s are widely seen as the high tide of political activism in the United States. According to this view, Americans retreated to the private realm after the tumult of the civil rights and antiwar movements, and on the rare occasions when they did take action, it was mainly to express their wish to be left alone by government—as recommended by Ronald Reagan and the ascendant New Right. In fact, as Michael Stewart Foley shows in Front Porch Politics, this understanding of post-1960s politics needs drastic revision. On the community level, the 1970s and 1980s witnessed an unprecedented upsurge of innovative and impassioned grass roots political activity. In Southern California and on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, tenants challenged landlords with sit-ins and referenda; in the upper Midwest, farmers vandalized power lines and mobilized tractors to protect their land; and in the deindustrializing cities of the Rust Belt, laid-off workers boldly claimed the right to own their idled factories. Meanwhile, activists fought to defend the traditional family or to expand the rights of women, while entire towns organized to protest the toxic sludge in their basements. Recalling Love Canal, the tax revolt in California, ACT UP, and other crusades famous or forgotten, Foley shows how Americans were propelled by personal experiences and emotions into the public sphere. Disregarding conventional ideas of left and right, they turned to political action when they perceived, from their actual or figurative front porches, an immediate threat to their families, homes, or dreams. Front Porch Politics is a vivid and authoritative people's history of a time when Americans followed their outrage into the streets. Addressing today's readers, it is also a field guide for effective activism in an era when mass movements may seem impractical or even passé. The distinctively visceral, local, and highly personal politics that Americans practiced in the 1970s and 1980s provide a model of citizenship participation worth emulating if we are to renew our democracy.

From Miss Ida's Porch

From Miss Ida's Porch PDF Author: Sandra Belton
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0689818025
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 40

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Book Description
In the evening the residents of Church Street gather on Miss Ida's porch to share memories and hear stories about events in the past, events significant to them as black people.

Solomon's Porch

Solomon's Porch PDF Author: Janet Morris Grimes
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781649493408
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 310

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Book Description


The Boy Who Would Be King

The Boy Who Would Be King PDF Author: Ryan Holiday
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780578810041
Category : Emperors
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
"It's one of the most incredible stories in all of history. A young boy, out of nowhere, is chosen to be the emperor of most of the known world. What he learned, what he did, who he was, would echo in eternity. In 138 AD, Hadrian, the emperor of Rome, chose Marcus Aurelius to succeed him. He knew no one was born ready for the job, so he arranged for the young boy's education. The greatest philosophers of the day were assigned to teach him, and all threw themselves at the almost inhuman task of preparing someone for absolute power. It's a parable for life, really. The gods, fate, someone chooses something for us, calls us to something. Will we answer? Will we step up? Will we achieve the greatness within us? Marcus Aurelius did. Absolute power not only didn't corrupt, it made him better. We marvel at him centuries later--this man who thought he would not be remembered, that posthumous fame was worthless--stands today more famous than ever. A hero to millions."--Dailystoic.com

The Empty Front Porch

The Empty Front Porch PDF Author: Cynthia Spraker Mills
Publisher: WestBow Press
ISBN: 1490881840
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 189

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Book Description
TO: You SUBJECT: A porch to Porch Invitation DATE: Now Join me on the porch for some Soul Sittin to spark your renewal. Come to the mountain in the storm, travel the back roads to the farm, and share the wanderings that shaped a journey. As we roam, remember, and retrace the steps of your story. Connect porch to Porch, and co-design your life over and over anew, with the Source as your touchstone. Do the work, and youll have a plan that will provide you more hope, security, and fulfillment than you have ever dreamed. This is your time to fill up your empty front porch and create a deeper, more compelling life than you can author on your own. If it scares you, remember that there is no safer place than being with our greatest Fan. Lets do some Soul Sittin and create your porch to Porch plan. Weve saved you a seat. The Empty Front Porch is a wonderful book. With insouciance, humor, and first-rate story telling, Cynthia Mills provides a clarion call for a life that is truly worth living. While that would be more than enough, her book also provides a compelling workbook full of the experiential exercises that will turn your vocation into a way of life. If you are seeking a more meaningful life then read this book! August Turak, author of Business Secrets of the Trappist Monks, Forbes.com contributor, entrepreneur, and speaker, www.augustturak.com Whether you are uncertain about your faith or well along in your journey, the insights Cynthia shares will cause you to pause, sit a while, and stop the swirl of the world around you. Learn how silence can speak boldly and refresh your soul. Choose to walk up the porch steps, take your seat, and accept a hand to co-create the life you are truly meant to live! Barbara and Dave Zerfoss, authors of The Power of Nothing, Stress is a Choice, and Stress Less and Enjoy Each Day, www.TheZerfossGroup.com This is an eye-opening resource for Christians to evaluate their porch. In todays busy world, it is easy to lose focus of what is truly important. Take the time to sit with your soul, and design your porch to Porch plan. Cynthia is a shining light for the Holy Spirit. Chip Eichelberger, co-author of Smart Guide To Accomplishing Your Goals, former Tony Robbins international point man, and NSA-certified speaking professional, www.GetSwitchedOn.com

Getting Off the Porch

Getting Off the Porch PDF Author: Alicia Booker
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781948145992
Category : Divorce
Languages : en
Pages : 184

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Book Description
Getting off the Porch is an intimate portrayal of mastering self-love, managing unspoken expectations, and maneuvering the ups, downs, mess-ups, and clean ups of life. Each chapter exposes why and how Alicia almost lost herself and the courageous process she endured to not only turn things around, but live her life beyond the porch.