Other books that might interest you

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  The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

  Washington Irving

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  "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is an 1820 short story by American author Washington Irving, contained in his collection of 34 essays and short stories titled The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. Irving wrote the story while living in Birmingham, England. "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is among the earliest examples of American fiction with enduring popularity, especially during Halloween because of a character known as the Headless Horseman believed to be a Hessian soldier who was decapitated by a cannonball in battle. The story is set in 1790 in the countryside around the Dutch settlement of Tarry Town (historical Tarrytown, New York), in a secluded glen known as Sleepy Hollow. Sleepy Hollow is renowned for its ghosts and the haunting atmosphere that pervades the imaginations of its inhabitants and visitors. Some residents say this town was bewitched during the early days of the Dutch settlement, while others claim that the mysterious atmosphere was caused by an old Native American chief, the "wizard of his tribe ... before the country was discovered by Master Hendrik Hudson." Residents of the town are seemingly subjected to various supernatural and mysterious occurrences. They are subjected to trance-like visions and frequented by strange sights, music, and voices "in the air." The inhabitants of Sleepy Hollow are fascinated by the "local tales, haunted spots, and twilight superstitions" on account of the mysterious occurrences and haunting atmosphere.

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  Icarus and Aria

  Kirk Wood Bromley

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  In early 2019, when playwright Kirk Wood Bromley was diagnosed with cancer, his fans and collaborators came together to fund and record three of his plays, one of which was Icarus and Aria, an "upgraded Romeo and Juliet" that was originally performed under the dramatory of Aaron Beall at the first NY International Fringe Festival in 1997. This full cast performance was directed by Joshua Spafford and recorded by Kevin Blackler. 
  By riffing off its source, Icarus and Aria is thrillingly situated in the present. Icarus Alzaro is a rookie football star just signed to a high profile contract with the Arizona Aztechs. Jimmy Jones, the Aztechs owner, has a daughter named Aria. The two meet at a party to celebrate Icarus's joining the team, fall in love, and run away to the Superstition Mountains. By morning, their disappearance is a media storm. The two young lovers are eventually brought down by the inexorable forces that surround them. The play includes a cast of characters ranging from Dina, Aria's smart-mouthed best friend, and Primalo, Icarus's brother and head of El Imaginero, a crime ring linked to drug-dealing and a spate of murders, to the Channel One News Team, Aria's spunky stepmom Cindy, her trigger-happy brother Jimmy Junior, Medicine Woman, officers Barcaiolo and Junkfood, and more. Full cast info is at inversetheater.org 
  The world's foremost living verse playwright, Bromley has been compared to Shakespeare and Stoppard, is a member of New Dramatists, and was declared "the verse play champion" by Michael Feingold (Village Voice) in 2005. Bromley and Inverse have won numerous awards, including Best Downtown Theater Company (NY Press 2001), The Berrilla Kerr Foundation Playwriting Award (2001), Best Music/Lyrics (NY Int’l Fringe Festival 2002), Excellence in Playwriting (NY Int’l Fringe Festival 2003), the first Caffe Cino Award (NY Innovative Theater Awards 2005), and Outstanding Solo Show (NY Int’l Fringe Festival 2009). 

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  Primers Volume Six

  Kym Deyn, Estelle Price, Fathima...

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  In 2021, Nine Arches Press launched their nationwide Primers scheme for a sixth time, in search of exciting new voices in poetry, with Rishi Dastidar and Jane Commane as selecting editors. After reading through hundreds of anonymous entries, and narrowing down the choices from longlist to shortlist, three poets emerged as clear choices: Kym Deyn, Estelle Price and Fathima Zahra.
  Primers: Volume Six now brings together a showcase from each of the three poets. Startling, original and packed with flair, Deyn, Price and Zahra explore everything from magic and mourning, cross-examinations of power and patriarchy, and the intimate secrets and 'Parent cuts' of growing up. These are poems of becoming and being, of difference and defiance, of other worlds, hard lessons and leaps of faith. Primers is proud to present these bold and dynamic poems from three of contemporary poetry's most exciting new voices.
  Praise for Primers: Volume Six
  "There is of course nothing more exciting in reading poetry than finding a voice new to you, and feeling that feeling – where the brain says 'oh hello, what have we here?', as the skin responds with a tingle and your face starts smiling as you realise, there is something special in these words. That, roughly described, was our initial sensation on seeing the work of Kym Deyn, Estelle Price and Fathima Zahra. Each, in their unique ways, have that uncanny ability to recast what you thought you knew, as they make you look then look again at who we are, how we live, and what we might be."
  – Rishi Dastidar

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  A Ballad of Death - A poetic...

  Algernon Charles Swinburne

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  Algernon Charles Swinburne was born on April 5th, 1837, in London, into a wealthy Northumbrian family.  He was educated at Eton and at Balliol College, Oxford, but did not complete a degree.  
  In 1860 Swinburne published two verse dramas but achieved his first literary success in 1865 with Atalanta in Calydon, written in the form of classical Greek tragedy. The following year "Poems and Ballads" brought him instant notoriety. He was now identified with "indecent" themes and the precept of art for art's sake.  
  Although he produced much after this success in general his popularity and critical reputation declined. The most important qualities of Swinburne's work are an intense lyricism, his intricately extended and evocative imagery, metrical virtuosity, rich use of assonance and alliteration, and bold, complex rhythms.  
  Swinburne's physical appearance was small, frail, and plagued by several other oddities of physique and temperament. Throughout the 1860s and 1870s he drank excessively and was prone to accidents that often left him bruised, bloody, or unconscious. Until his forties he suffered intermittent physical collapses that necessitated removal to his parents' home while he recovered.  
  Throughout his career Swinburne also published literary criticism of great worth. His deep knowledge of world literatures contributed to a critical style rich in quotation, allusion, and comparison. He is particularly noted for discerning studies of Elizabethan dramatists and of many English and French poets and novelists. As well he was a noted essayist and wrote two novels. 
  In 1879, Swinburne's friend and literary agent, Theodore Watts-Dunton, intervened during a time when Swinburne was dangerously ill. Watts-Dunton isolated Swinburne at a suburban home in Putney and gradually weaned him from alcohol, former companions and many other habits as well.  
  Much of his poetry in this period may be inferior but some individual poems are exceptional; "By the North Sea," "Evening on the Broads," "A Nympholept," "The Lake of Gaube," and "Neap-Tide."  
  Swinburne lived another thirty years with Watts-Dunton. He denied Swinburne's friends access to him, controlled the poet's money, and restricted his activities. It is often quoted that 'he saved the man but killed the poet'.  
  Swinburne died on April 10th, 1909 at the age of seventy-two.

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  Prima Facie: Special Edition

  Suzie Miller

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  This special edition of the international hit play Prima Facie features the definitive version of the award-winning script, together with colour photos and exclusive additional content, giving you a fascinating behind-the-scenes insight into the making of the production and the issues it explores.
  In the play, Tessa is a young, brilliant barrister who has worked her way up from working-class origins to the top of her game: defending, cross-examining and winning. But when an unexpected event forces her to confront the patriarchal power of the law – where the burden of proof and morality diverge – she finds herself in a world where emotion and integrity are in conflict with the rules of the game.
  After acclaimed productions in Australia and winning the Australian Writers' Guild Award for Drama, Prima Facie received its European premiere in a sold-out run at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London's West End in 2022 starring Jodie Comer in her West End debut. It was named Best New Play at both the 2023 Olivier and WhatsOnStage Awards. A filmed version, released in 2022, went on to become the highest-grossing event cinema release ever in the UK.
  This edition, published alongside Prima Facie's Broadway transfer in 2023, includes contributions from writer Suzie Miller, actor Jodie Comer, director Justin Martin, producer James Bierman and other key members of the creative team, letting you go deeper into the world of the play. There are also essays on the legal context and how the play has become a vehicle for change in attitudes towards the treatment of female victims of sexual assault.

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  Account of a Visit from Saint...

  Clement Clark Moore

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  "A Visit from St. Nicholas", routinely referred to as "The Night Before Christmas" and "Twas the Night Before Christmas" from its first line, is a poem first published anonymously under the title "Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas" in 1823. Authorship has been attributed to Clement Clarke Moore, who claimed authorship in 1837, but it has also been suggested that Henry Livingston Jr. may have written it. While the authorship may be questioned by some, the poem remains a favorite during the Christmas season and helps conjure up visions of sugarplums and secret gifts for children even to this day.

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