Artists today are at a crossroads. With funding for the arts and humanities endowments perpetually under attack, and school districts all over the United States scrapping their art curricula altogether, the place of the arts in our civic future is uncertain to say the least. At the same time, faced with the problems of the modern world—from water shortages and grave health concerns to global climate change and the now constant threat of terrorism—one might question the urgency of this wani...

From her modest home surrounded by great old trees in the small river town of Ophelia, Indiana, Birdie hears the language of the birds and believes they are talking to her. Whatever they are trying to communicate increases in intensity over her life. Born in 1900, for many years she works in the local telephone exchange and so is privy to conversations—and secrets—in Ophelia. But when she says the birds have told her something, the townspeople do not believe her; they just assume she mishe...

In 1821, Wolfgang Amadé Mozart reflects on his brushes with death, including the one that nearly killed him in 1791. Now settled into a sylvan old age in America with his wife, two sons, and grandchildren, the world-famous composer gives testament to his life and career.In the thirty years of extra time he was granted, he not only wrote more operas—including one that changed the course of history—but also he engaged with key people of his times: composers like Haydn and Beethoven, ...

Many people are burdened with too much unoccupied time, and they quickly fall into anxiety, loneliness, and all kinds of frustrating behaviors. I am the opposite: I feel the constant pull of never having time to either do or reflect upon doing, and I obsess and worry more about time than any other aspect of living. Though it shouldn't, time imprisons me except when I'm writing. These poems combine various strands of my heart's passions: music, travel, lost loves, the almosts, moments froze...

In 1821, Wolfgang Amadé Mozart reflects on his brushes with death, including the one that nearly killed him in 1791. Now settled into a sylvan old age in America with his wife, two sons, and grandchildren, the world-famous composer gives testament to his life and career.In the thirty years of extra time he was granted, he not only wrote more operas—including one that changed the course of history—but also he engaged with key people of his times: composers like Haydn and Beethoven, ...

My father is a serial killer.No big deal. I promise. Me? Upset? No. Never. In fact, it would be really easy to pretend that the man never existed in the first place… if it wasn't for the bodies. What bodies? Only about 200 of them. Like I said. No big deal. What is even worse? He has had a dual purpose for killing them, and it isn't just because he's a sadistic monster. No. It is far worse than that. And if all of this wasn't enough to deal with… I had eight men in...

Descendant of Chaos. Daughter of Magic.Two titles that I had been called time and time again, but neither of them truly fit. As I had found in the God realm, I was so much more than that—an anomaly.And because of who I was and how I came to be, I was now part of a prophecy—one with world-ending aspects I wasn't a fan of. Unfortunately, I couldn't avoid the situation forever, and while the Horde was an amazing place to do exactly that… I quickly found there ...

She wasn't just a mission. Finding his teammates sister was now his only focus. Even in his dreams.Former SEAL Mako Wright didn't know the moment it happened, but somehow the Erika had gotten under his skin. The worn photo of Erika he carried for in his pocket for over a year was a part of him now.Brining her home safe wasn't just a job. It was shockingly personal. But he had to find her before his worst nightmare happened and she would be lost forever....

I lost it all . . . but I won't lose him. I'll make sure of it.All it took was one wrong step and my life came crumbling down. I'll forever remember what my husband said to me before I lost consciousness from the fall . . . It's over.When I wake up in the hospital, Noah is a changed man—caring, kind, and loving. So I do what I have to do . . . and pretend I have amnesia.But I'll also find out the real reason he wanted to leave me. ...

After serving in the Rifles regiment of the British Army, I focused my civilian career on becoming a bodyguard to the rich and famous. I never imagined a twist of fate landing me a position in the United States Secret Service and protecting the President’s son. But then my boss made an unexpected request: leave my current placement to move in with his only daughter. I’d never lived with a woman who was off-limits to me. But the longer we’re in such close quarters together, the greater the ...

Joey was one of the most accomplished pianists in the world during classical music’s last grand heyday at the end of the 20th century. He lived a luxurious life, and his performances in the great concert halls were globally televised. He was known even to people who do not follow music. But at the height of his career, before age 50, he suddenly and without explanation retired from playing. This set off a chain of press speculation as to why this consummate artist fell silent.Joey’...

A collection of sonnets by the Artistic and Music Director of the Houston Grand opera, who set himself the discipline of composing one sonnet every Sunday for one year. Each sonnet—a fourteen-line verse form in specific meter and rhyming schemes—captures the uniqueness of that week, at the same time expressing broader and more universal thoughts about our shared experience in the first quarter of the twenty-first century.