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  Born in the USA - The...

  Stephen Vincent Benet, Louisa...

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  Poetry. A form of words that seems so elegantly simple in one verse and so cleverly complex in another.  Each poet has a particular style, an individual and unique way with words and yet each of us seems to recognise the path and destination of where the verses lead, even if sometimes the full comprehension may be a little beyond us. 
   
  Through the centuries every culture has produced verse to symbolize and to describe everything from everyday life, natural wonders, the human condition and even in its more hubristic moments, the crushing triumph of an enemy. 
   
  In the volumes of this series we take a look through the prism of individual regions of the United States through the centuries and decades. 
   
  The United States may be many things: the world’s policeman, a bully, a shameless purveyor of mass market culture but it also, in its better moments, a standard bearer for truth, transparency, equality and the more positive qualities of democracy. 
   
  Little wonder that’s its poets are rightly acknowledged as wonders of their art.  Leading lights in the fight against slavery and for equality, even if the rest of the Nation is finding it problematic to catch up.   
   
  In this volume we have collected verse from poets born in Pennsylvania, one of the most famous states of the Union.  Its proud and illustrious history shines out through verse by such illustrious and venerated names as Stephen Vincent Benet, Louisa May Alcott, Wallace Stevens, Hilda Doolittle, Henry Van Dyke, and others as they explore its status, its nature and its role in shaping the world of verse.

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  Mary and the Hyenas

  Maureen Lennon

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  'I write. I demand. I ask.
  Not for women to have power over men but over themselves.'
  Trailblazing writer, feminist philosopher, and fearless campaigner for women's rights, Mary Wollstonecraft lived a life of courage and determination. She dared to defy the conventions of eighteenth-century Britain, and kept going when many wanted to bring her down.
  Maureen Lennon's play Mary and the Hyenas is a searing tribute to the spirit and resilience of a woman who fought for equality and justice – and an exhilarating dive into history and the birth of feminism. Be prepared for petticoats to be lifted, boots to be stamped, and voices raised in the pursuit of change.
  Featuring electrifying music by Billy Nomates and performed by a cast of six, Mary and the Hyenas was first produced by Hull Truck Theatre and Pilot Theatre, directed by Esther Richardson, and opened at Hull Truck Theatre in 2025 before a UK tour.
  This edition includes the full text of the play along with a range of teaching materials and resources designed to help educators bring the play to life for their students.

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  1984 (NHB Modern Plays)

  George Orwell

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  Winston Smith is in prison, found guilty of Thoughtcrimes against Big Brother. As part of his reconstruction, he must re-enact key moments from his past life, with the help of other thought criminals, so that everyone can learn from his mistakes. Including his biggest mistake of all: falling in love with Julia.
  George Orwell's classic dystopia 1984 is a still-resonant vision of the tolls of living under totalitarianism. Constructed almost entirely from dialogue taken from the original novel, this bold and powerful dramatisation restores the blazing heart of Orwell's work: a doomed love story, with the lovers at its centre.
  This pre-eminently stageable version, adapted with an eye on economy by Nick Hern for a cast of five or more, is ideal for any school, youth group or amateur company looking to bring Orwell's chilling vision to life on stage.

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  Contemplations - A spiritual...

  Anne Bradstreet

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  The bookshelves of British literature are incredible collections that have gathered together centuries of very talented authors.  From these Isles their fame spread and whilst among their number many are now forgotten or neglected, their talents endure.  Among them is one of the first published female poets, Anne Bradstreet. Born in England, she moved to America in her early years, and from there her poetic legacy spread to other conrinents.

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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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  Symbols Of Love - Authors...

  Richard Peacock

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  This audiobook is narrated by an AI Voice.   
  Symbols Of Love: Author’s Audiobook Edition is a collection of modern poetry, short poetic stories and song lyrics.  This edition is slightly "darker" edition from the original "Symbols of Love" new books in print, this edition includes newly added material; additional poetry, as well as a short story called "Fracture", which was not included within the previously released print edition. All poetry & music was written by English American poet/artist Richard Peacock. Inside you will find out much more about the English, Irish & Finnish blood that flows deep within his veins.

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