Bøger udgivet af Atmosphere Press

The Pretend Life channels the lure of the past and a sense of foreboding about the unknowable future. The poems document the mundane landscape of contemporary life -- a world in which Jimmy Carter speaks of a spiritual malaise, a landscape littered with dying retail stories, chain restaurants, and malls, one of trash-strewn streets lined with liquor stores and pawn shops. In this neon-lit darkness, the poems perform a peculiar alchemy that transforms the background noise of American life, one of billboards, advertising slogans, and the detritus of popular culture -- into a strange sort of beauty. They serve as a guide to what has been lost and the palimpsest that remains.The Pretend Life suggests that readers look closer by providing a variety of lenses that express the loneliness, isolation, loveliness, and the ways people preserver. A mash-up of the timeless juxtaposed with all that is fleeting, it challenges the reader to consider a variety of perspectives. Like candid photographs of strangers, these poems force you to stop and consider these glimpses into worlds that exist in memory and in objects from those worlds. They also serve as a mirror into our own lives as seen from the future -- an elegy for the living.

THERE’S WEIRD! THERE’S WILD!AND THEN THERE’S THE QUINTESSENTS!Get ready for the ride of your life! And all of your other lives – Past, Parallel, and Future.This story defies description. Fast-paced, tightly written, genre-jumping, gender-bending, lexicon-enhancing and rife with puns, prayers, poetry, vulgarity, ethereal somersaults, a relentless demon, and large dollops of romantic and Spiritual questing, this offbeat smorgasbord of character-driven angst and quirky subplots boondoggles into an over-the-top climax and a hopelessly romantic epilogue.Brought to you by author Clem Fiorentino, a career journalist and lifetime Seeker, this raucous tweak-fest is aimed – lovingly – at today’s “New” New Agers. This uproarious saga has “someone for everyone,” including five of the most formidable female protagonists in all of American Literature, and one of the most outrageous casts of characters ever assembled.And that’s your algorithm for a hilarious – yet poignant – rocket ride to the outer reaches of the “Soular” System. So, kick back and quest with the characters as they test their belief systems, purge their demons, and achieve Soular Solidarity.

Hans Krichels came to Maine almost fifty years ago. He once asked an oldtimer if he’d lived here all his life. “Not yet,” the oldtimer had drawled. When Hans asked him if his own kids, born in Bangor, Maine, might be considered real Mainers, the oldtimer pointed out, “Iff’n my cat has kittens in the oven, that don’t make them muffins, now, do it?”Up there in Maine (and elsewhere, no doubt), a distinct outback way of life persists, a certain do-it-yourself approach, a certain caginess around the code enforcers from town. Over the years, Hans has scribbled down random notes – glimpses and snatches of that life as he has witnessed it.In this book, Hans has gathered together a small collection of stories, many of them tongue-in-cheek, poking fun at himself and his neighbors. In later chapters, he shares more serious material, some tributes to the folks out back, even some story-poems, as he likes to call them, written from the vantage point of a little hideaway he’s built for himself, looking out over the rivers and valleys of Maine – and the people with their neverending stories.A conservationist and holder of advanced degrees in literature and linguistics, Hans Krichels is a former jouranalist and field worker for The Dictionary of American Regional English. He currently lives with his partner Nancy in Bucksport, Maine.

Evelio’s Garden is a lyrical meditation on cultural values, friendship, aging, loss, and, ultimately, the healing power of the natural world.“The conversational prose is rich in detail about the wide variety of trees, flowers, fruits, and vegetables that blanket the area, and there are some wonderful stories about various wildlife that Homer has encountered. . . .A remembrance that effectively captures one woman’s connection with nature in Central America”-- Kirkus ReviewsIn the enchanting world of the of Costa Rican highlands, the author begins a memoir, tracing the seasons and closely observing the natural riches around her. But Evelio, who helped build their house, interrupts with an idea to plant an organic garden on their property. Over the course of a challenging year full of unpredictable weather, wild animals and toxic chemicals, their friendship grows as Evelio teaches her about the rural sustainability of Costa Rica in decades past. Pulling her into the daily ups and downs of his project, he creates an often funny, always frustrating, and ultimately rewarding counterpoint to her own work, such that the two intertwine on the page...and lead her to confront a difficult past and open up to profound personal change.Sandra Shaw Homer has lived in Costa Rica for 29 years, where she has taught languages and worked as an interpreter/translator and environmental activist. In addition to a column in the local press, her creative nonfiction, fiction and poetry have appeared in a variety of print and online literary and travel journals, as well as on her own blog, writingfromtheheart.net. Her travel memoir, Letters from the Pacific: 49 Days on a Cargo Ship, received excellent Kirkus and Publishers Weekly reviews. Go tohttps://www.facebook.com/writingfromtheheart.net/?ref=bookmarks for more information. 

Nelson expresses the emotions of a man who travels far from home without losing the tug of his roots. Carefully centered on the page, these poems mold memories into graceful figurines, as they share pivotal moments in train stations, war zones, and foreign cities. Enhanced by illustration, this collection offers observations on life from many angles, including the family pet, in the delightful poem, “To Dogs From a Human.”–Jacqueline Jules, author of Itzhak Perlman’s Broken String.Dan’s spare poems leave you searching for the rest of the story: context, history, and future. His poetry provides an eagle’s view of what seems like a Minnesota winter landscape, but on further examination often draws you in with observations of the fullness of living never quite realized, or intimacy lost. His cool eye highlights the random and ludicrous aspects of a life which we often take for granted. His eye for details is sharp, as in, “a family of four in military camouflage chewing in unison.” Intriguing are his poems about assignments in foreign places, where he and other people pass through a landscape of temporary agency. His are poems that, once read, do not let go of you easily.–Eric Forsbergh, author of Imagine MorningMinnesota and Other Poems begins, ends and is interspersed with thoughts about the Upper Midwest – its people, culture, and environment – and filled with trenchant observations of experiences thereafter. In this eclectic collection, Nelson builds a vision of life lived strenuously and globally; one deeply etched by that which he has encountered and endured. Here we meet many individuals both named and anonymous who have made existence worthy, intriguing, frightening, sorrowful. We also see the situations that bring elements of love, absurdity and humor to one experiencing them.This collection builds upon Nelson’s monograph of verse, Performance (Wolfville, Nova Scotia: Wombat Press, 1993), and includes work drawn from the past twenty years. Cover art and illustrations are by the artist Jarett Walen. 

Ivory Tower is a campus thriller about Margolis Santos, a charismatic film professor in her prime, who risks her career and life to uncover sexual corruption inside her university’s football program where rich boosters pay sorority girls to have sex with star recruits. When we find Margolis, she’s embroiled in a sex scandal of her own that sends her life into a tailspin. She unthinkingly sleeps with a student from another school, and when the parents find out, they threaten to sue her university. To protect its reputation, the ambitious university president, Art ‘Lightning’ Lane, decides to fire her. As she fights for her job, Margolis slowly learns from her 17-year-old daughter, Brie, and crackerjack senior, Emma Barnes, what is happening in the Theta sorority house. Billionaire football donor, Chet Orchard, is orchestrating there a new recruiting scheme where Theta sisters ‘date’ potential players with the expectation of sexual favors. Margolis is desperate to put a stop to the sexual exploitation and violence. The trouble is, her husband, Frank Sinoro, is the head football coach, while her daughter loves the sorority, so she has to make a choice. Margolis has to find a way to protect her family, while also saving the women on campus and, eventually, her own soul.

Can Adroegen save his friends, the only family he has left?Adroegen was but a lonely drifter in a world of dragons, wizards, fairies, and countless other creatures. He had lost all of his family as a child, under the evil lord Vyroun and his servant, the goblin chief. Thus, Adroegen did not believe that a higher power named Enilundar, the world’s creator, watched over him. Among his discoveries while drifting about was a hidden village that Adroegen found by chance some years back, where he made some friends there that were alike to him, also without their true families.However, one day when he visits, Adroegen is followed by the goblin chief and his pack, who raze the village and leave none alive except for his friends. Adroegen learns that Vyroun, after a mysterious decade long absence in the north, has returned and seeks his head. First, however, the goblin chief orders Adroegen to return the Night’s Jewel to him, a jewel said to rally foul creatures of the night to Vyroun, which Adroegen took from the goblin chief years ago. If Adroegen does not return it, the goblin chief will hunt and slay his friends… 

The Yoga Sutras through a Child's Eyes…Mind is a monster! Just ask Young Yogi, who knows that a troubled mind can keep you up at night and haunt you all day long. But thanks to the wisdom of Patanjali and his Yoga Sutras, there is a way to end the turmoil. Join the adventures of Young Yogi as he learns to tame the Mind Monsters, and find the peace available to us all. Disguised as a whimsical story, Young Yogi and the Mind Monsters is a gift for readers looking to understand the rich, ancient, and mind-bending philosophy of Patanjali.

"He hated his vagina." Thus begins the story of Officer Sam Munroe, a trans-gendered man, the head and lone member of the San Felipe Police Department Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit.Harboring his own doubts about his relatively new-found masculinity, and barely tolerated, much less acknowledged, in his new job, Munroe is one day handed a follow up to domestic dispute, given to him because it involves two lesbians, Gloria and Grace.Munroe's follow up leads to not only a murder investigation that other officers in the force don't want to deal with because of the deceased's sexual practices, but also leads to his first time ever relationship with a female.Between taking care of his chronically ill sister Elizabeth, keeping his own Obsessive Compulsive Disorder under control, and having to endure being referred to as GLLU Boy by his fellow officers, Munroe unwittingly becomes part of a story of revenge murder and mayhem that ultimately finds its way to his own living room.GLLU BOY AND THE ONE SAVING GRACE is a story of love and redemption. While it will find immense appeal with the LGBTQ community, it will likewise find great acceptance by all those trying to find their place in an intolerant society. --- William H. Waxman has had an extensive career as an actor, director, playwright, and educator. He has worked for the last decade with the Dijo Productions Theatre Company, a company committed to promoting the public interest by culturally enriching the people, places, and organizations of California's Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, and surrounding counties through the presentation of theatrical performances. His recent playwriting credits include The Sorrow Cart, a musical about homelessness; Fighting the Invisible, a play with music about fibromyalgia; Timmons' Retreat, an American College Theatre Festival Finalist; and The Most Famous Man in America. He lives in southern California, and GLLU BOY AND THE ONE SAVING GRACE is his first novel.

On a Lark (The Fidelia McCord Series, Book 2) ¿In¿On a Lark, Fidelia McCord has become the only surviving child of John and Mariah McCord of Pond Springs. After having borne great loss and hardship in mid-nineteenth century Texas - where moments of jubilation and jeopardy carry a girl to womanhood - Fidelia knows the weight of her choices. At the same time, far away in North Carolina, the Maloney brothers, cooking mash into whiskey in the Appalachian mountains, are making their own life-changing decisions, with Miles Maloney trying to keep his brother Jackson in check and away from the gallows. But, as Fidelia and Miles each forge their own path to a future, destiny has plans of its own. ¿¿ "A riveting and realistic novel of the westward expansion, inspired by real people. Life on the trail and on the Texas frontier was not easy for anyone, much less a seven-year old girl whose faith was tested…but those who persevered and survived would find new joys."-Miles O'Neal, author of¿The Dragon Lord Chronicles "Ms. Murphy develops the powerful characters of this story in such a way that they come alive and you feel that you know each one of them personally. On a Lark will linger long after reading it."-Jane Caraway, author of Baby in a Mailbox*******Sandra Fox Murphy is the author of the novels¿That Beautiful Season and¿A Thousand Stars, as well as the Fidelia McCord Series, including¿Let the Little Birds Sing. Her collection of poems,¿Aging Without Grace, was released in July 2019. Originally from Glasgow, Delaware, she lives in central Texas where she hunts down small-town history.

The surviving son of a germophobic mother, Cecil Reitmeister embraces all forms of bacteria and formulates an elaborate plan to lead humanity out of the Anthropocene and into a new era of interspecies harmony. His idiosyncratic plan requires years of experimentation and precise manipulation of his microbiome, the totality of microorganisms present in or on the human body. His mad-scientist mission leads to extreme social isolation, with the memory of his dead mother becoming his most frequent visitor. Cecil's quest to save the world comes to a screeching halt when his social worker and the police show up to condemn the only home he has ever known. Thrown in jail for assaulting the police, Cecil soon finds himself homeless and struggles to adjust to life on the streets. When he meets a group of Freegans (people who reject consumerism and seek to reduce waste by collecting discarded food) led by a magnetic red-headed woman, Cecil is forced to confront demons from his past and to reassess his self-imposed alienation, the rigidity of his worldview, and, ultimately, his plan to save humanity.

During their annual vacation, Caitlyn and her family sightsee and relax around the various Florida attractions. But when Caitlyn visits Gator World, she learns that Florida is more than just sunshine and butterflies. She is about to find out that deep in the southern swamps, off the beaten path, living among the flora and fauna are hungry creatures that are as old as dinosaurs and just as unpredictable. She's about to discover firsthand how intimidating those creatures can be, as she is introduced to somebody who isn't afraid to interact with them, safely of course, and have a little fun at the same time.The Girls Can Do Anything book series was written to inspire young girls to explore how women can impact the everyday world around them. These stories aren't about competing with boys, or how much money they can make doing a certain job. Instead, these stories are about empowering young girls to think outside the box about their future and realize they possess within themselves the power, imagination, and potential to control their own destiny.Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and at girlscandoanything.com.

George Fairbanks is certain God is dead, a stillborn of the clouds. He has been poisoned to death by our indifference and gluttony. George discovers his conjecture in middle age, but develops the theory throughout his life. He was an infinitely curious boy, his interest in the meaning of life piqued by the house he grew up in. George remains an ardent student and proponent of religion throughout his life though he has trouble believing it despite his desire to and worse still is the sense of forsakenness he feels from God. Because he cannot so easily accept what is being presented to him based solely on blind faith, George can no longer believe in a greater being and what's more, can no longer justify the barbarity of the Bible. George must examine and evaluate his own existence in the realization there is no great orchestrator, no benevolent vigilant; he is alone in this world. What now are the implications of this discovery? Is life worth continuing if it will end sooner or later? Where does our moral code come from and what force governs those around us? Is the love of a good woman enough to revive him?

Native American folklore told by a Kiowa tribal member Magpie and Turtle haven't always got along. Magpie thinks Turtle is too slow, and Turtle sees Magpie as a weak creature that isn't special at all. But then one day comes along a tricky snake who tries to pit them against each other even more than they already are. Will Magpie and Turtle fall for Snake's tricks, or will there be a surprising change of heart? The Magpie and The Turtle reminds us of the importance of every living creature, teaches how our actions play a role to hurt or help someone else, and gives insight into American Indian tradition and culture.

A desperate mother embarks on a chaotic, crime-laden road trip in search of her missing transgendered son…A frustrated woman discovers a problematic shortcut to physical perfection in the bowels of her gym locker...A working man finds himself at severe odds with the cult-like popularity of his lazy roommate’s magical bellybutton... Come Kill Me! is an absurd, satirical, and often searing debut collection from Mackinley Greenlaw, author of Pushcart Prize nominated “A Fresh Dog.” Confident and relentless, these voice-driven stories rip into modern themes of identity, gender, and body image with a serrated, socially conscious edge. As his characters bumble from one extremity to the next, Greenlaw constructs a stark, funny, violent world in which no one is safe from the ultimate pitfall—their own ego.

With an offbeat sense of humor, Garrett Socol delves into the lives of seemingly ordinary women and the secrets that lurk beneath their pristine surfaces. Whether it’s a neglected wife seeking revenge on her cheating husband or a female electrician who deliberately causes power failures or an attorney confronting her childhood rapist thirty years later, each story is charged with vivid language, heartbreaking truth, and a touch of quirky, sometimes macabre humor.The stories range from the deeply unsettling (“Looking For Last Year”) to the absurdly humorous (“Island Envy”) to everything in between. There’s a wonderfully warped yet entirely honest portrayal of the human condition on display. The female protagonists are anxiety-ridden, unpredictable and flawed, but they refuse to give in or give up. In her chaotic universe, each woman faces challenges that are fierce, funny and often traumatic. And yes, you’ll find a couple of male protagonists along for the ride, too.

Caterpillar dreams of one day soaring through the sky. She doesn't know how or when, but she knows it's coming.That is...if she makes it out of Spider's web. J.P. Hostetler, (Jake) is an explorer of the worlds, big and small. He is fascinated most by unanswerable questions, undiscovered words, and the overlooked extra-ordinaries of the every day.A native of the USA, Jake currently resides in Europe, where he writes, travels, and plays music.“The Sky Belongs to the Dreamers” is his first illustrated fiction story. You can find out more of his other and upcoming publications at jphostetler.com

George Martian is a child prodigy on the cusp of greatness.  Despite his immense promise, he is deeply conflicted as he weighs the burden of being a child-star with that of having a normal childhood.   At an existential crossroad, his life-altering decision to sabotage his chance at greatness has dire consequences not only for him, but his entire family.  As George pulls himself from the wreckage of what remains of his life, he has to reconcile his newfound place in the world against numerous personal demons, all the while dealing with an increasingly challenging family structure. What follows is a series of turbulent events that run the gamut of both the comic and tragic.  The George Stories explores themes of identify, regret and the fragility of life But it is most chiefly, the story of a man laid bare.Christopher Gould is a graduate of Nazareth College of Rochester where he earned a degree in Writing.  His fiction and poetry have appeared in several literary magazines and anthologies.  Gould is a  teacher in upstate New York where he lives with his wife and daughter.  The George Stories is his first novel.

Magic is, and always has been, all around us. At least, Innes has always believed so. Kahrin? She's more skeptical. After all, she's never seen proof. That doesn't stop her from supporting her best friend in his belief, as in all things in their lives.One accident and a near-miss later, the pair are forced to grapple with the realities of the world of magic, whether they believe in it or not. Innes is sure that the mysterious Yelena is more than just a beautiful girl with amnesia and a prickly brother. Kahrin is sure she's going to regret going along with it. Still, she does, because she trusts him, and that has always been the foundation upon which their love and friendship is built.The Hole in the World is a story of love, friendship, and knowing that sometimes that is all you need to have trust.