Positive Stories For Negative Times, Volume Two

Positive Stories For Negative Times, Volume Two
Author: Wonder Fools
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 378
Release: 2022-01-13
Genre: Drama
ISBN: 1350276103

Seven exciting new plays for young people written specifically in response to a world in the midst of a pandemic, accompanied by a handbook from Wonder Fools with guidance for staging the plays, and other creative responses, either online or live in the space. Commissioned as part of Wonder Fools' national participatory project Positive Stories for Negative Times: Season 2, these plays offer a variety of stories, styles and forms for ages between 6 and 25. Spyrates 2 (Spies vs Pirates): Journey to the Forbidden Island by Robbie Gordon & Jack Nuse Featuring spies, pirates, robots, talking animals and everything in between, 'Spyrates' is an interactive, playful and imaginative adventure story. Ages 6+ At First I Was Afraid... (I Was Petrified!) by Douglas Maxwell A feel-good comedy drama about a girl who keeps a diary of all her anxieties; but as she moves from Primary School to Secondary, from normal life to Lockdown, all of her worries appear to come true. Ages 11 + The Raven by Hannah Lavery A play full of adventure and an exploration of what shapes and what divides us, exploring issues of blended families, bullying, overeating, depression and isolation. Ages 11 + Thanks For Nothing by The PappyShow This not a play, but a process. It explores what it means to be thankful in this world we live in today. It's a mix of games, challenges and exercises for you to tell your own stories, in your own way. Ages 11 + Revolting by Bryony Kimmings A series of tasks and actions that make a narrative to be performed with props. We are agents of the revolution. How do we revolt? How do we not get into trouble? Where do we get power, and then how do we use it for good? Ages 13 + The Skirt by Ellen Bannerman An absurdist feminist fable for the next generation of feminists. Ages 16+ Write To Rave: Step Pon by Debris Stevenson A play about the political power of a rave. Who has the right to rave, to dance and move freely? What is it to feel truly free in your own skin? It tells the story a queer group of humans trying their best to rave whilst the world tries it's best to stop them. Ages 18 + The accompanying handbook includes an exploration of Wonder Fools' theatre-making process, step-by-step guidance in how to produce the plays either online or live in the space, and bespoke exercises and instructions in how to approach directing each play.

Positive Stories For Negative Times

Positive Stories For Negative Times
Author: Sabrina Mahfouz
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 202
Release: 2021-02-04
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1350233382

Five exciting new plays for young people written specifically in response to a world in the midst of a pandemic, accompanied by a handbook from Wonder Fools theatre company with guidance for staging the plays either online or live in the space. Commissioned as part of Wonder Fools' national participatory project Positive Stories for Negative Times, these five plays offer a variety of stories, styles and forms for ages 8-25. These original and innovative plays are: Is This A Fairytale? by Bea Websater A new play that rips apart the traditional fairy tale canon and turns it on its head in a surprising, inventive and unconventional way. Ages 8+ Hold Out Your Hand by Chris Thorpe A dynamic text asking questions about place, where we are now and the moment we are living through. Ages 13+ The Pack by Stef Smith A playful and poetic exploration about getting lost in the loneliness of your living room and trying to find your way home. Ages 13+ Ozymandias by Robbie Gordon and Jack Nurse A contemporary story inspired by Percy Shelley's 19th century poem of the same name, exploring power, oppression and racism through the eyes of young people. Ages 16+ Bad Bored Women of the Rooms by Sabrina Mahfouz A storytelling adventure through the centuries of women and girls who have spent a lot of time stuck in a room. Ages 18+ The accompanying handbook includes step-by-step guidance on how to produce the plays either online or live in the space, and bespoke exercises and instructions on how to approach directing each play.

Math with Bad Drawings

Math with Bad Drawings
Author: Ben Orlin
Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal
Total Pages: 556
Release: 2018-09-18
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 0316509027

A hilarious reeducation in mathematics-full of joy, jokes, and stick figures-that sheds light on the countless practical and wonderful ways that math structures and shapes our world. In Math With Bad Drawings, Ben Orlin reveals to us what math actually is; its myriad uses, its strange symbols, and the wild leaps of logic and faith that define the usually impenetrable work of the mathematician. Truth and knowledge come in multiple forms: colorful drawings, encouraging jokes, and the stories and insights of an empathetic teacher who believes that math should belong to everyone. Orlin shows us how to think like a mathematician by teaching us a brand-new game of tic-tac-toe, how to understand an economic crises by rolling a pair of dice, and the mathematical headache that ensues when attempting to build a spherical Death Star. Every discussion in the book is illustrated with Orlin's trademark "bad drawings," which convey his message and insights with perfect pitch and clarity. With 24 chapters covering topics from the electoral college to human genetics to the reasons not to trust statistics, Math with Bad Drawings is a life-changing book for the math-estranged and math-enamored alike.

Nora Webster

Nora Webster
Author: Colm Toibin
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 400
Release: 2014-10-07
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1439149852

From one of contemporary literature’s bestselling, critically acclaimed, and beloved authors: a “luminous” novel (Jennifer Egan, The New York Times Book Review) about a fiercely compelling young widow navigating grief, fear, and longing, and finding her own voice—“heartrendingly transcendant” (The New York Times, Janet Maslin). Set in Wexford, Ireland, Colm Tóibín’s magnificent seventh novel introduces the formidable, memorable, and deeply moving Nora Webster. Widowed at forty, with four children and not enough money, Nora has lost the love of her life, Maurice, the man who rescued her from the stifling world to which she was born. And now she fears she may be sucked back into it. Wounded, selfish, strong-willed, clinging to secrecy in a tiny community where everyone knows your business, Nora is drowning in her own sorrow and blind to the suffering of her young sons, who have lost their father. Yet she has moments of stunning insight and empathy, and when she begins to sing again, after decades, she finds solace, engagement, a haven—herself. Nora Webster “may actually be a perfect work of fiction” (Los Angeles Times), by a “beautiful and daring” writer (The New York Times Book Review) at the zenith of his career, able to “sneak up on readers and capture their imaginations” (USA TODAY). “Miraculous...Tóibín portrays Nora with tremendous sympathy and understanding” (Ron Charles, The Washington Post).

Your Thoughts Matter

Your Thoughts Matter
Author: Esther Pia Cordova
Publisher:
Total Pages: 40
Release: 2019-12-02
Genre:
ISBN: 9783948298081

Your child's mindset matters, more than they realize. Help them understand the power of a growth mindset. Told in an engaging way that brings clarity to the subject of mindset, 'Your Thoughts Matter' gives concrete examples of what different mindsets sound like in our heads. 'This is too hard, I'll never learn it.' vs 'It's meant to be hard, we grow by challenging ourselves.' What a difference! Romy has two voices in her head; one that causes her to doubt herself, and one that encourages her to keep trying. At times it's confusing and hard to know which voice to listen to. With the help of her mother, she is able to understand that she has a choice, and that the choice she makes matters a great deal to her happiness. Which voice will Romy listen to? Which voice does your child listen to? GET IT NOW and show your child that there is no 'can't', there is only 'can't YET'!

Hyperbole and a Half

Hyperbole and a Half
Author: Allie Brosh
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 384
Release: 2013-10-29
Genre: Humor
ISBN: 1451666187

#1 New York Times Bestseller “Funny and smart as hell” (Bill Gates), Allie Brosh’s Hyperbole and a Half showcases her unique voice, leaping wit, and her ability to capture complex emotions with deceptively simple illustrations. FROM THE PUBLISHER: Every time Allie Brosh posts something new on her hugely popular blog Hyperbole and a Half the internet rejoices. This full-color, beautifully illustrated edition features more than fifty percent new content, with ten never-before-seen essays and one wholly revised and expanded piece as well as classics from the website like, “The God of Cake,” “Dogs Don’t Understand Basic Concepts Like Moving,” and her astonishing, “Adventures in Depression,” and “Depression Part Two,” which have been hailed as some of the most insightful meditations on the disease ever written. Brosh’s debut marks the launch of a major new American humorist who will surely make even the biggest scrooge or snob laugh. We dare you not to. FROM THE AUTHOR: This is a book I wrote. Because I wrote it, I had to figure out what to put on the back cover to explain what it is. I tried to write a long, third-person summary that would imply how great the book is and also sound vaguely authoritative—like maybe someone who isn’t me wrote it—but I soon discovered that I’m not sneaky enough to pull it off convincingly. So I decided to just make a list of things that are in the book: Pictures Words Stories about things that happened to me Stories about things that happened to other people because of me Eight billion dollars* Stories about dogs The secret to eternal happiness* *These are lies. Perhaps I have underestimated my sneakiness!