Long before the emergence of the printed word, human beings gathered to hear stories. These tales, carried in the head of the storyteller, ensured that a community remembered its history and its beliefs.Now our stories come from a range of sources, but there is still something magical about the spoken word. In this collection of stories and thoughts, Dan Yashinsky shares gems from his treasure trove of material. We travel from the neonatal ICU at Torontos Hospital for Sick Children to the ...

Dan Yashinsky's son Jacob died tragically in a car accident at the age of 26. Dan, Jacob and Jacob's best friend Effie were driving back to Toronto after a magical trip to Montreal when Dan fell asleep at the wheel and crashed. Dan and Effie survived, but Jacob did not. When the unimaginable happens--a parent is still somehow here but their child is gone--all that's left are stories. In the process of grieving his son, Dan realized that he was now Jacob's storykeeper, and I Am Full

Jack may be good at following recipes, but he’s not very good at following directions. When his two older brothers fail to find the golden bird that made off with their father’s prized golden apples, Jack steps up for the job. But there are many challenges to be faced along the way; without the help of a fast and friendly fox, Jack just might not make it. With a smart princess who loves grunge rock, angry kings, magic animals, conniving siblings, and tempting casinos, this delightful re-mi...

Tales for an Unknown City is a vibrant selection of almost fifty stories from among the many told at One Thousand and One Friday Nights of Storytelling, a weekly open gathering in Toronto begun by Dan Yashinsky in 1978 and still going strong. There are tales from Canada and many other parts of the world; each followed by a brief word from the teller, giving us the flavour of the “Friday Nights.”

This is perhaps the most famous of Kenji's short stories and one of his personal favorites, as it was the title story of his one and only self-published collection of short stories. Two hunters go on a hunting trip in the country and end up completely lost. Luckily they come across what appears to be an extremely popular restaurant…but everything is not as it seems.Kenji Miyazawa is one of Japan's best known and well-loved writers and poets. He was born in what is now Hanamaki City...

There are hundreds of online companies that will do your homework for you at a price. But will they write ANY essay you request? Only the WORST of these horrible companies were employed in the composition of Mindsploitation. A GREAT DEAL of money was wasted ACROSS THE GLOBE to commission what may be the dumbest collection of ridiculous assignments in HUMAN HISTORY.What does it say about our society that we can buy a quick custom eulogy for our grandmother, or pay to have a love p...

A collection of original monologues, exploring the issues around suicide from multiple viewpoints. Grouped into four sections, for use individually (for class, performance, auditions, etc.) or as a complete production.

Linda Goodman is the world's best-known astrologer. Her three books, Sun Signs, Love Signs, and Star Signs have sold over 40 million copies in many languagaes. Known to her friends as both a poet and a romantic, Linda Goodman's view of the world was influencd by the astrology she understood so well. That unique combination of talents produced this charming and profound book.These poems about love and loss, death and reincarnation, beauty and romance, all seen thro...

Nalo Hopkinson has been busily (and wonderfully) “subverting the genre” since her first novel, Brown Girl in the Ring, won a Locus Award for SF and Fantasy in 1999. Since then she has acquired a prestigious World Fantasy Award, a legion of adventurous and aware fans, a reputation for intellect seasoned with humor, and a place of honor in the short list of SF writers who are tearing down the walls of category and transporting readers to previously unimagined planets and realms....

Hello teachers! We know you work hard. Besides ninjas, you have the hardest job in the world. Between the teaching, the testing, the grading, and the nurturing it’s difficult to seek out new materials for your classroom. We are here to help. As poets and teachers, we know the power of the spoken word in the classroom. All you have to do is attend a youth slam or find a clip of one online and you will see the positive impact modern poetry has on our young people. It is able to engage studen...

A crackling, moving new collection from one of America's greatest living poets.In over twenty-six original books, the poems of John Ashbery have long served as signposts guiding us through the delights, woes, hypocrisies, and uncertainties of living in the modern world. With language harvested from everyday speech, fragments of pop culture, objects and figures borrowed from art and literature, his work makes light out of darkness, playing with tone and style to show how even the se...

From his first book, The Visible Man ("as fine a first volume of poetry as one is ever likely to read" - the Dalhousie Review ), to his most recent, Resurrection In the Cartoon ("passionate, humourous, worldly-wise, kick-ass poetry" - The Vancouver Sun ), Robert Priest's poetry has been the delight of critics and readers alike. Blue Pyramids: New and Selected Poems brings together the best of Robert Priest's six books of lyric poems, spells, psalms, aphorisms, koans, diatribes, and prose p...