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  ballast

  Quenton Baker

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  A poetic sequence using the 1841 slave revolt aboard the brig Creole as a lens through which to view the vitality of Black lives and the afterlife of slavery.In 1841, the only successful, large-scale revolt of American-born enslaved people erupted on the ship Creole. 135 people escaped chattel slavery that day. The event was recounted in US Senate documents, including letters exchanged between US and British consulates in The Bahamas and depositions from the white crew on the ship. There is no known record or testimony from the 135 people who escaped. Their story has been lost to time and indifference. Quenton Baker’s ballast is an attempt at incomplete redress.With imagination, deep empathy, and skilled and compelling lyricism, Baker took a black marker to those Senate documents and culled a poetic recount of the Creole revolt. Layers of ink connect readers to Baker’s poetic process: (re)phrasing the narrative of the state through a dexterous process of hands-on redactions.ballast is a relentless, wrenching, and gorgeously written book, a defiant reclamation of one of the most important but overlooked events in US history, and an essential contribution to contemporary poetry.

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  Accordion Eulogies - A Memoir of...

  Noé Álvarez

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  Searching, propulsive, and deeply spiritual, Accordion Eulogies is an odyssey to repair a severed family lineage, told through the surprising history of a musical instrument 
   
   
   
  Growing up in Yakima, Washington, Noé Álvarez never knew his grandfather. Stories swirled around this mythologized, larger-than-life figure: That he had abandoned his family, and had possibly done something awful that put a curse on his descendants. About his grandfather, young Noé was sure of only one thing: That he had played the accordion. Now an adult, reckoning with the legacy of silence surrounding his family's migration from Mexico, Álvarez resolves both to take up the instrument and to journey into Mexico to discover the grandfather he never knew. 
   
   
   
  Álvarez travels across the US with his accordion, meeting makers and players in cities that range from San Antonio to Boston. He uncovers the story of an instrument that's been central to classic American genres, but also played a critical role in indigenous Mexican history. Like the accordion itself, Álvarez feels trapped between his roots in Mexico and the US. As he tries to make sense of his place in the world—as a father, a son, a musician—he gets closer to uncovering the mystery of his origins.

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  On the Purpose of Hating

  William Hazlitt

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  'I like solitude, when I give myself up to it, for the sake of solitude.'
  
  A deeply insightful take on how hate and insecurity can be intertwined, and an endearing love letter to the natural world, 'On the Purpose of Hating' is one of the most renowned essays from the brilliant mind of William Hazlitt.
  
  In 'On the Purpose of Hating', Hazlitt explores the complexities of hatred. He compellingly argues that hatred can have a self-destructive edge, and can do just as much harm to the person who harbours it as the subject of it. At its heart, hatred is merely a coping mechanism to manage our own shortcomings.
  William Hazlitt (1778 – 1830) was an English essayist, social commentator and literary critic. Largely considered one of the best essayists of his time, and having befriended other literary giants such as Samuel Taylor Coleridge, John Keats and Charles Lamb, Hazlitt was a prolific writer, penning articles and periodicals until his death.

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  Shentama

  The Prophet Tobias, Phil Moore

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  The philosphy of the Prophet Tobias 
  Companion book to the novel Return of the Prophet by Phil Moore 

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  Park Cruising - What Happens...

  Marcus McCann

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  An intimate look at one of culture's most enduring taboos: public sex. 
   
   
   
  Park Cruising takes a long look at the men who cruise for sex in urban parks. Human rights lawyer Marcus McCann uses park cruising as a point of departure for discussions of consent, empathy, public health, municipal planning, and our relationship to strangers. Prompted by his work opposing a police sting in a suburban park, McCann's ruminations go beyond targeted enforcement and police indifference to violence to examine cruising as a type of world-building. 
   
   
   
  The result is a series of insightful and poetic walks through history, law, literature, and popular representations of cruising in search of the social value of sex. What McCann ultimately reveals is a world of connection, care, and unexpected lessons about the value of pleasure. 
   
   
   
  Contains mature themes.

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  Zulu Kingdom - Shaka Zulu's...

  Rolf Hedger

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  Shaka Zulu was born in 1787 to Senzangakhona, a minor chief of the Zulu clan, and Nandi, a woman of the Langeni people. His birth was unconventional and shrouded in controversy. As a child born out of wedlock, Shaka and his mother faced rejection and humiliation from Senzangakhona’s family, leading to their exile from the Zulu kingdom. They found refuge among the Langeni and later with the Mthethwa, a powerful kingdom under the leadership of Chief Dingiswayo. These early experiences of hardship, resilience, and survival shaped Shaka’s character, instilling in him a determination to rise above adversity. 
  Growing up, Shaka displayed remarkable physical strength, intelligence, and leadership abilities. Among the Mthethwa, he trained as a warrior under Dingiswayo’s command, where he was exposed to innovative military tactics that later influenced his own strategies. He quickly gained recognition for his bravery and strategic mind, earning a place of prominence within the army. It was during this period that he began developing ideas to revolutionize warfare, questioning the effectiveness of traditional long-range throwing spears and loose battle formations. 
  The political landscape of the time was volatile. Various Nguni-speaking clans, including the Zulu, were engaged in constant skirmishes for power and resources. The Mthethwa, under Dingiswayo, sought to unify smaller groups to strengthen their influence against rival factions like the Ndwandwe, led by Zwide. Shaka’s abilities as a warrior and leader caught Dingiswayo’s attention, and he became a favored protégé. This mentorship provided Shaka with the opportunity to refine his tactical skills and forge alliances that would later aid his own rise to power.

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