Personal Essay

In her journey to share these selected essays, Vivian A. Velasco has lived a life filled with possibilities. In these personal writings, her deepest thoughts come to the forefront to help others in trying times of need. As a cancer survivor, loss of twin boys and her sons unexpected passing during the writing of this book, Vivian hopes to help others on their paths through life by sharing her own.

"El hombre sufre tan terriblemente en el mundo que se ha visto obligado a inventar la risa". Friedrich Nietzsche. Pero... ¿es esto cierto? Dondequiera que miremos, parece haber una crisis, ya sea económica, climática, política o bélica. Muchas veces, al mismo tiempo. En este escenario, ¿hay espacio para el humor? SÍ, aunque no sea obvio, los tiempos de crisis son los más propicios para la risa. Es cuando se vuelve más necesaria y útil, porque, como dice Sergio de la Calle, "en medio del caos, el humor es la brújula para orientarse; en los accidentes emocionales, un airbag; y, en la oscuridad, un faro".

A few years ago, Erica Heller realized how universal the longing is for one more moment with a lost loved one. It could be a parent, a sibling, a mentor, or a friend, but who wouldn't love the opportunity to sit down, break bread, and just talk? Who wouldn't jump at the chance to ask those unasked questions, or share those unvoiced feelings?

Embracing the possibilities and impossibilities of language, Kim rejoices in the similes of Korean, her mother tongue, and draws inspiration from K-dramas and writers across cultures who sustain her. As borders close in and nations enter lockdown, the journey that Kim traces is fraught-and at once illuminates that the act of remaining present has its own power, allowing boundless hope.

Hilty draws on timeless biblical wisdom and presents a refreshing perspective on happiness that is still relevant today. His writing is clear, concise, and thought-provoking, and he emphasizes the importance of personal responsibility, self-awareness, and cultivating a positive mindset. This audiobook reminds us that true happiness comes from within and is not dependent on external circumstances.

Netting the Sun offers a carefully crafted diversity of natural and human stories from a landscape seemingly empty and forlorn to passing casual travelers. This surprising interpretation of south central Oregon's botany, geology, wildlife, ethnography, and history reveals what a truly special place the high desert is.

Angosciati dalle nuove metriche del successo, i ragazzi sono più fragili che mai: se un tempo si confrontavano con lo spettro della colpa, oggi vivono quello dell’inadeguatezza, con conseguenze che talora lasciano sconcertati. Un audiolibro delicato e profondo per sopravvivere all’adolescenza e uscirne rafforzati. Stefano Rossi, uno dei maggiori esperti di infanzia e adolescenza in Italia, vi scorterà lungo i sentieri tortuosi di un’età difficile e disorientante. Le tappe di questo viaggio si tradurranno in 16 lezioni d’amore, perché possiate insegnare ai giovani l’arte più importante della loro esistenza: imparare a volersi bene.

In this anthology of creative nonfiction, 28 writers set out to discover what they know, and don't know, about the person they call Mother. Celebrated writers Samia Serageldin and Lee Smith have curated a diverse and insightful collection that challenges stereotypes about mothers and expands our notions of motherhood in the South. The mothers in these essays were shaped, for good and bad, by the economic and political crosswinds of their time.

Jon Fosse said farewell to theory early in his career, choosing poetry, fiction, and drama as his mediums of choice. Here, however, in a selection from his two books of essays, we see just how incisive a critic and memoirist he can be. Not only including a generous portion of Fosse's writing on literature and theater—including the irresistible "Thomas Bernhard and His Grandfather"—this collection also includes such personal essays such as "My Dear New Norwegian," "Old Houses," and "He Who Didn't Want to Become a Teacher."

Jessica McCann has woven together a collection of personal essays and writing tips that offer a unique glimpse into her writing journey and process. She is an award-winning historical novelist and has worked as a professional freelance writer and editor for magazines, universities, corporations, and nonprofits for more than 30 years. In Words, McCann shares her passion for books as well as research that shows how reading improves our lives. With a philosophy that is equally pragmatic and optimistic, Words will appeal to readers and writers alike.

Codependence: Coping with Addiction, Sadism and Abuse is based on a white paper the author drafted for a drug rehabilitation center in the United States. The study is basically divided in three parts, dealing with different manifestations of parent-child codependence and the resulting lacking autonomy and self-reliance of the later adolescent and young adult, who, as a result of his early entanglement with a parent gets into a negative growth spiral by a rather queer sexual development (sadism), and dependency patterns in all spheres of life.

Rediscover the power of perspective with heartfelt stories from people who went through unthinkable circumstances - but came out ahead. This book will motivate you, inspire you, and help you see life from a fresh new lens. Each carefully worded story lets you peer into someone's soul and see how they came out of tough times with their head held high. You're sure to find a story that resonates with you; you owe it to yourself.

What songs have made up your life's soundtrack? Which have captured your every mood and deepest sentiments? Pop music, like no other form of entertainment or art, is capable of articulating our feelings, desires, joy, and pain. In a few soul-grabbing minutes, artists from every genre - from Little Richard to Lou Reed, Willie Nelson to Wu-Tang Clan, Sly and the Family Stone to the Rolling Stones - can help us understand our place in our own lives.

In his new collection of stories and essays, acclaimed author and humorist Matt Geiger seeks to de-familiarize us from the world, from the smallest detail to the most cosmic mythology, in order to see it all as if for the first time. Turning his philosopher's vision to his own abundant Neanderthal DNA, parenting, competitive axe throwing, old age, and much more, he sets out in search of comic profundity.

Our very first collection of award-winning essays submitted by authors like you. Learn about the struggles of being a girl in a massive multiplayer online game, about how to build a computer (or not), or about how to properly budget your life (or not). Humor, triumphs, and defeats all to be found in this winning collection....

David Bain offers ten essays on writing, with an eye toward helping new writers gain their footing and keeping the more seasoned scribe motivated. It also includes his essay "Basic E-Book Self-Publishing Advice for Newbies" which has already helped hundreds of beginning indie authors. A longtime college English prof and former newspaper bureau chief, Bain infuses these essays on the writing life with years of teaching, editing, and indie publishing experience, using an easygoing yet incisive style.

Jiordan's family was never quite like everyone else's, with her father's mood swings, her mother's attempts at normalcy, and her two older sisters with a different last name. But on the surface, they fit in. Until the day the FBI came knocking on the door. After that, her father's mood plunged to a dangerous new low. After that, there was an investigation into his business and a sentencing in court. Soon Jiordan's father would have to leave home, and her family would change forever.

Ein Plädoyer gegen das Verzagen und für die Heiterkeit "Ernst ist das Leben, heiter ist die Kunst", schrieb Friedrich Schiller. Doch was ist Heiterkeit eigentlich? Und wie bekommen wir sie in unser ernstes Leben zurück? In Zeiten, in denen uns im Angesicht globaler Krisen intuitiv erst einmal anders zumute ist, macht sich Axel Hacke auf die Suche nach einem fast vergessenen Gemütszustand, nach einer Haltung dem Leben gegenüber, in der wir seltsam ungeübt geworden sind.

Metti insieme uno dei volti più noti del telegiornalismo italiano, un filosofo francese di successo e il simbolo del tennis internazionale. Il risultato? L'audiolibro "I silenzi di Federer" di André Scala edito da Volume Audiobooks. Un saggio raffinato e illuminante su Roger Federer scritto da un filosofo e scrittore francese, acuto nell'analisi e nella sua capacità di valorizzare del campione svizzero persino la comunicazione non verbale e quella intra-personale.

Acclaimed historian Stephen Ambrose begins his examination with a glance inward - he starts this book with his brothers, his first and forever friends, and the shared experiences that join them for a lifetime, overcoming distance and misunderstandings.