Join us on a literary world trip!
Add this book to bookshelf
Grey
Write a new comment Default profile 50px
Grey
Subscribe to read the full book or read the first pages for free!
All characters reduced
Still Life With Octopus - cover

Still Life With Octopus

Tania Hershman

Publisher: Nine Arches Press

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Summary

Tania Hershman's Still Life With Octopus is an exquisitely-attuned second collection, a philosophical and poetic interrogation of the boundaries of animal and human worlds and the intimate nature of time, being and joy. Exploring the slippage between the life of the mind and the life of the body - in particular, those belonging to women – Hershman wonders what might happen if we let go of our preconceptions of both reality and language, taking nothing for granted and starting again from first principles, with fresh eyes.
While trying to fathom our physical and metaphysical existence, Hershman doesn't ignore the other forms of intelligent life we share our planet with; her octopus is envisioned both as a creature within and alongside us and as a way to consider our place as humans within a greater chain of co-existence. Still Life With Octopus is a precisely observed and open-hearted gift of a book.
Available since: 07/07/2022.
Print length: 72 pages.

Other books that might interest you

  • 100 Plays to Save the World (NHB Modern Plays) - cover

    100 Plays to Save the World (NHB...

    Jeanie O'Hare, Elizabeth Freestone

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    A guide to one hundred brilliant plays addressing the most urgent and important issue of our time: the climate crisis.
    The plays – drawn from around the world, written by one hundred different writers, and demonstrating a vast span of styles, genres and cast sizes – all speak to an aspect of the climate emergency. Encompassing both famous plays and lesser-known works, the selection includes recent writing that explicitly wrestles with these issues, as well as classic texts in which these resonances now ring out clearly.
    Each play is explored in a concise essay illuminating key themes, and highlighting its contribution to our understanding of climate issues, with sections including Resources, Energy, Migration, Responsibility, Fightback and Hope.
    100 Plays to Save the World is a book to provoke as well as inspire – to start conversations, to inform debate, to challenge our thinking, and to be a launch pad for future productions. It is also an empowering resource for theatre directors, producers, teachers, youth leaders and writers looking for plays that speak to our present moment.
    Above all, it is a call to arms, to step up, think big, and unleash theatre's power to imagine a better future into being.
    The book includes a foreword by Daze Aghaji, a leading youth climate justice activist.
    'This book is a kind of miracle, a thrilling compendium of plays that speak to the enormous environmental crisis of our time. Freestone and O'Hare have exquisite taste and brilliant analysis, illuminating plays I've never heard of, as well as plays I thought I knew. 100 Plays to Save the World should be required reading for everyone who believes in the power of theatre to move the world; I will certainly never plan a season again without referring to it.' Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director, The Public Theater, New York
    'This book is dynamite. Through lively play analysis and accessible environmental know-how, it will galvanise theatre-makers to step up and artists to be heard. Theatre must play its part in the climate fight and this book shows us how.' Kwame Kwei-Armah, Artistic Director, Young Vic Theatre, London
    Show book
  • Mastering the French Accent and Pronunciation - Professional Techniques for Actors for Stage and Screen Performance - cover

    Mastering the French Accent and...

    Oscar Stanley

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    Are you an actor preparing for a role that requires a convincing French accent? Do you need to refine your pronunciation, rhythm, and intonation for an audition? Mastering the French Accent and Pronunciation: Professional Techniques for Actors is the ultimate audio course designed to help performers perfect their French-accented English for stage and screen.
     
    This immersive training program, created specifically for English-speaking actors, provides expert guidance on the nuances of French phonetics, vowel and consonant shifts, speech rhythm, and intonation patterns. You'll learn how to soften consonant clusters, pronounce the signature uvular 'R,' and master the melodic cadence of a true French accent. The course also includes in-depth pronunciation drills, practical exercises, dialogue practice, and listening exercises modeled after authentic French-accented English.
     
    Beyond speech training, this course explores non-verbal communication, including body language and gestures essential for embodying a French-speaking character. You’ll also gain insight into regional variations—from the refined Parisian accent to the lyrical southern tones of Provence—allowing you to adapt your accent to different characters and settings.
     
    By the end of this course, you’ll have the confidence and precision needed to deliver a natural, compelling French-accented performance. Whether you're preparing for a major film role, a theatrical production, or a voice-over gig, this training will enhance your range and credibility as an actor.
     
    Perfect your French accent today—immerse yourself in expert training and bring authenticity to every performance!
    Show book
  • The Elk in the Glade - The World of Pioneer and Painter Jennie Hicks - cover

    The Elk in the Glade - The World...

    Bruce E. Whitacre

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    “Bruce E. Whitacre’s ability to capture this support network and the extraordinary efforts of Jennie Hicks in a manner that reaches beyond the usual literary or arts reader makes her story appealing to a much wider audience” —Diane Donovan, Midwest Book Review 
    “Side by side with the paintings, Whitacre’s book serves as a deeply personal yet relatable account of one woman’s life and turn-of-the-century lifestyle—and clearly demonstrates why this talented painter and pioneer stands as someone to remember.” —BookLife by Publishers Weekly 
    “Bruce E. Whitacre’s collection, The Elk in the Glade, is a lovely and loving celebration of his remarkable great grandmother, Jennie Hicks, life and art, and an inspiring example of how a woman's artistic discipline gave her the courage and insight to transcend the hardships of the Nebraska frontier.” —Ladette Randolph, Editor in Chief, Ploughshares 
    Based on personal memories and family oral history, Whitacre’s debut collection of sixteen poems traces the life and legacy of a family matriarch, his paternal great-grandmother, Jennie Hicks. The daughter of American pioneers, she marries a successful farmer, bearing him three girls, seeing them all married, only to outlive him and the farm. Once again alone and facing hardship, she transforms an almost forgotten hobby, her young girl dream, into a brilliant thirty-year career as a successful landscape painter, the future pride of her hometown, Farnam, Nebraska, and an important figure in American art. Lovers of American history, art, and strong female characters will enjoy these chronicles in verse.
    Show book
  • Martyr!: Book Summary and Analysis - cover

    Martyr!: Book Summary and Analysis

    Briefly Summaries

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    This is a concise summary and analysis of Martyr!, by Kaveh Akbar. It is not the original book and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Kaveh Akbar. Ideal for those seeking a quick and insightful overview.
     
    Martyr!  is a profound exploration of the complexities of faith, identity, and devotion. The poems delve into themes of sacrifice, religious ecstasy, and the paradoxes of martyrdom. Akbar's rich language and vivid imagery create a visceral experience that confronts the reader with questions about morality, spirituality, and human frailty. Through lyrical intensity, Akbar reflects on personal and collective histories, weaving together stories of devotion and resistance in the face of destruction.
    Show book
  • The Flame of Her Will - cover

    The Flame of Her Will

    Phoebe Reeves

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    The Flame of Her Will is an erasure of the Malleus Maleficarum, a text long used to justify witch-hunts. The poems in this collection invert and subvert the original text, paring away the misogyny and hatred until what is left is a lost woman's voice, challenging a history that requires her silence.
    Show book
  • Homer's The Iliad and The Odyssey - cover

    Homer's The Iliad and The Odyssey

    Homer Homer

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    "Ah how shameless – the way these mortals blame the gods. From us alone they say come all their miseries yes but they themselves with their own reckless ways compound their pains beyond their proper share.” – The OdysseyExperience the stunning Greek poetry of Homer in this collection of his two major works: The Iliad and The Odyssey. These epic poems are beloved for their presentation of Greek history and belief systems, their strong theming and lessons on Greek virtues, and their continued influence on the literary canon.The Iliad –In the final days of the long-fought Trojan War, the Greek gods begin to interfere with the events of the war. When plagues strike the Achaean army, the fierce leader Achilles uses his connections with the gods to further interfere, which begins a series of events that leads to death and destruction on both sides of the war. This dramatic poem is a commentary on human folly and hubris, while also an in-depth explanation of the warfare styles of the time and a representation of the Greek views on the interference of gods in major historical events.The Odyssey –Following the events of The Iliad, Odysseus begins a journey to return to his home of Ithaca after being away for a decade due to angering Poseidon, the god of the sea. After sneaking away from Poseidon, he embarks on a years-long voyage home during which he is captured and circumvented by earthly and godly foes alike. His journey home is slow and full of turmoil and adventure. Themes in this poem include hospitality, predetermined fate and omens, journeying home, and wandering as a test of faith and resilience.
    Show book