Showing results by narrator "Christopher Ragland" in All Categories

Sherwood Anderson was born on 13th September 1876 in Camden, Ohio. In 1916 his first book, ‘Windy McPherson’s Son’, was released and in 1919, his most famous book, ‘Winesburg, Ohio’, a collection of short stories about life in an Ohio town was released. Anderson continued to write short stories, novels and non-fiction but his only true bestseller came with ‘Dark Laughter’. His influence on writers that followed, from Faulkner to Hemingway, was immense.

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was born on 24th June 1842 at Horse Cave Creek in Meigs County, Ohio. His parents were poor but they introduced him to literature at an early age, instilling in him a deep appreciation of books, the written word and the elegance of language. In 1891 Bierce wrote and published the collection of 26 short stories which included ‘An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge’. Success and further works including poetry followed.

Edward Everett Hale was born on April 3rd, 1822, in Boston, Massachusetts. He was a prodigy, gifted with extraordinary literary skills. At only 13 he graduated from Boston Latin School and enrolled at Harvard College. There, he settled in with the literary set, won two Bowdoin prizes and was elected Class Poet. He graduated in 1839. His literary career started quite late. It wasn’t until 1859 that he was first published in the Atlantic with his short story "My Double and How He Undid Me." In 1863 the Atlantic published perhaps his best-known work "The Man Without a Country."

Christmas may come but once a year but human emotions, the driving force of our characters, are with us every day. Yet, somehow these same emotions when they happen at Christmas seem amplified; we seem more tender to their touch, their words. In this volume we take the verse and poems of our classic poets and put them alongside our short story masters to reveal a Christmas that everyone remembers and that everyone wants to be part of.

Alan Seeger was born on 22nd June 1888 in New York. After attending several elite preparatory schools, he enrolled at Harvard in 1906, where he also edited and wrote for the Harvard Monthly. War’s looming dark shadow was to have a transformative effect on the young poet and on 24th August 24th, 1914, he joined the French Foreign Legion so he could fight for the Allies. On American Independence day, 4th July 1917, whilst urging on his fellow soldiers in a successful charge at Belloy-en-Santerrem he was hit several times by machine gun fire and died.

John Griffith Chaney was born on January 12th, 1876, in San Francisco. In late 1876 his mother married John London and the young child was brought to live with them as they moved around the Bay area, eventually settling in Oakland where now, calling himself Jack, he completed grade school. In the Klondike Jack began to gather material for his writing. During the late 1890s Jack was regularly publishing short stories and by the turn of the century full-blown novels.

O Henry is perhaps the master of the American short story across his 600 works. Slices of life, vignettes of narrative are told with verve and poise and words that simply flow as he wanders through society revealing characters and stories of instant appeal.

As the commercialization of American higher education accelerates, more and more students are coming to college with the narrow aim of obtaining a preprofessional credential. The traditional four-year college experience—an exploratory time for students to discover their passions and test ideas and values with the help of teachers and peers—is in danger of becoming a thing of the past. In College, prominent cultural critic Andrew Delbanco offers a trenchant defense of such an education, and warns that it is becoming a privilege reserved for the relatively rich.

This Is Wildfire offers everything you need to know about fire in one useful volume. Nick Mott and Justin Angle reflect on the history of humanity’s connection to flames, analyze how our society arrived at this perilous moment, and recount stories of those fighting fire and trying to change our relationship with it. Throughout, they give practical advice, from choosing your insurance and making your home resilient to burns, to packing an emergency go-bag and rebuilding after a fire.

The Field Guide for Small Group Leaders provides basic training and support to help small group leaders succeed in the critical mission of leading others toward spiritual growth and transformation. The premise of serving as a small group leader sounds simple: Invite people to join you in...

How close can we get to Jesus? How close do you want to get? Six circles of relationship formed around Jesus in his time on earth. In the outermost circle, the Crowds who were curious. Next, the Five Thousand who were needy, while the Seventy worked and served in Jesus’ ministry; then came the...

Tessa Cade has gone from masked outlaw to palace advisor, but even with her newfound power, she can’t stop the sickness still raging and the kingdom’s supply of Moonflower elixir is dwindling. Prince Corrick is trying to find a new way to lead, but it isn’t easy to repair the rift between the royals and the people—or the one growing between himself and Tessa. When an emissary from the a neighboring kingdom of Ostriary arrives with an intriguing offer, Tessa and Corrick set out on an risky uncertain journey to find a new source of the lifesaving elixir.

In Am I Making Myself Clear?, business leader and author Terry Felber shares the secrets of the world's greatest communicators, equipping readers to do everything from participating in a meaningful conversation to successfully consummating a business discussion. Through ten essential skills...

Daily Guideposts, America’s bestselling annual devotional, is a 365-day devotional from the Editors of Guideposts that will help readers grow in their faith every day of the year. Daily Guideposts 2018 centers on the theme “Unfailing Love” from Psalm 33:22, and is filled with brand-new...

Literary Critters is a truly unique book, introducing young readers to classic literary figures and encouraging them to use their imaginations. As William Shakesbear visits his fellow Literary Critter Guild members, he’s greeted with lots of advice from his author friends and has some...

A Comprehensive Christian Resource for Treating Sexual Addiction and Problematic Sexual Behavior An estimated three to five percent of the U.S. population meet the criteria for sexual addiction, and many more engage in problematic sexual behavior or have been harmed by it. The statistics are...

In today’s competitive business landscape, the art of communication is more important than ever. It’s essential to develop a deep awareness of not only what we say, but also how we deliver it, resulting in a message that is both credible and incredibly impactful. In this era of digital communication and information overload, clear messaging has never been more vital - and personal credibility has never been more valuable.

An examination of the practice of worship that provides a practical perspective through the eyes of the worship leader and the congregation. The most effective approach to worship is one that blends historical and traditional practices with contemporary elements. Worship Old and New is a...

Alva, a widow, states a preference for plain ordinary pleasures—only to get drunk and flirtatious and pass out in a strange bed when she is asked out for the evening. Sadie, a spinster, goes to a holiday resort complete with pine groves, marshmallows and respectable clientele—to bring her nervous sister home, but she instead comes to an eerie end herself.

Welcome to your 20s: the land of in-between. It's a decade of transition and change that carries an expectation of figuring it all out by 30. Many of us launch into this season of life feeling woefully unprepared and anxious, wondering how we can already feel so lost. Adulting 101 Book 2: #liveyourbestlife provides you with a clear vision of what a healthy adult looks like, equips you with the necessary tools to begin a meaningful adulthood, and offers critical resources to fulfill your purpose.