Lyco Art

In Paul Hartal’s Lyco Art, the act of creation inexorably interweaves the logic of passion with the passion of logic through the voyage of consciousness.

Paul Hartal, the originator of lyco art, or lyrical conceptualism, presents a stimulating and meaningful panorama of a new element on the periodic table of art. This book is a significant contribution to the development of contemporary art and the history of ideas.

Similar to his approach to poetry, Paul Hartal’s vision of paintings (views) identifies the heart of art as the art of the heart: Love is the most important journey of life and its final destination. We come to this world through love in order to love and to be loved.

Mamma and Me

Through the lives, history, and poetry of two extraordinary women, Mamma and Me: Our Poetry, Our Lives reveals African-American thought, culture, and progress from the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 to the 21st century.

Vesta Coleman was a teacher and a chaplain, poet laureate of Anniston, Alabama; Sunday School teacher and pianist; celebrated orator; oratorical contest trainer; mentor; and respected community leader.

Elizabeth Emily Coleman, her daughter, is an ordained Minister of the Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church, USA, has earned Master of Divinity and Master of Theology degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary, and has traveled the world.

The lives and writings of these two women span over a century of history. Their writing is musical, revealing, and resonates just as closely with a modern audience as they did when they were written.

Man, God, Religion, and State

Man, God, Religion, and State, is a reflection on our physical, philosophical, and political, past, present, and possible future. This book may challenge the religious views of some readers, but it is not my intention to cause offence to any religious believer. We are all living in a time of anxiety and insecurities, which may prevent us from embracing our humanity. But we should never allow either the pain and sorrow of the past or the threats and fears of the present to obscure our vision of what is just and truthful. Our present socioeconomic relationships are based on injustice and falsehood, which is unsustainable. We must therefore adjust our level and rates of consumption before we cross the line of no-return. In this sense, Man, God, Religion, and State is a warning to us all.

March Forth in Love

Do you believe…you don’t know what you don’t know? What if I told you the last harvest predicted by thousands of scientists was to be 2080, would you believe me? Would you believe today it is a scientific observational truth that the last harvest is 2080? Do you know what that means? It means that we will no longer be able to grow any crops because our soil will be dead. It also means that every single one of our future grandchildren’s lives will end in starvation by the time they are forty years young. The smartest men I have ever met in business have told me: “Terri…never underestimate how much money in marketing it takes to change human behavior.” In 2020, Mother Nature managed to change human behavior worldwide by creating the coronavirus. Mother Nature aka GOD will continue to change our behavior because our lives depend on it. Our future depends on humanity changing its selfish behavior. In order to survive the morass we have found ourselves in, we must ‘march forth in love.’

Me 'n' Clint

Called “One of the best horse stories you’ll read in a long time,” Me ’n’ Clint is less a “how to” than about the trade one young fellow unexpectedly fell into, fell in love with and bounced around in over much of a lifetime. Written with an authentic voice and wonderful balance of humor and expertise, this unusual telling, straight from the horseshoer’s mouth, offers the reader a window into the everyday trials and tribulations of a farrier that you will find both interesting and hard to put down whether you’ve ever had a horse or not.

Me, Myself & I Remember Decatur (and Beyond)

This fun, engaging memoir is about a clever, strong-willed, mischievous, creative gutsy gal who was always out of the box. She proclaims she never saw that silly box! She has always questioned societal norms and injustices, insisting life should make more sense. This resulted in interesting, amusing experiences with fascinating people from diverse walks of life and cultures. For seventy-seven years when the world said ‘No’ she persevered with a resounding ‘YES!’

She has retained a childlike wonder and delight for life that is bold and entertaining. She has tried to make her planet kinder, especially for the downtrodden. Difficult setbacks only made her more determined to enjoy life to the fullest with meaningful lifelong relationships. Often, she’s had to pick herself up and dust herself off! Shunning bitterness, clinging to faith, she has showed the world real love. An encourager gifted at teaching, she has quick wit and is great fun.

Meant for Each Other

In the ’30s and ’40s, and throughout the ’80s, our country depended on news sources with no political spin. Without social media, people spoke face-to-face or by telephone. These were kinder times when the values of honesty and integrity were expected. WWII was soon followed by the Korean and Vietnam wars and, with Selective Service, all eligible males were subject to serving. Running concurrently with these “hot” wars was the long Cold War, which affected millions of Americans and our loyal allies. The world seemed to be teetering on the brink of a devastating nuclear war. Former enemies became our trusted allies, and our Western allies remained close. Life became less localized, and people who never expected to travel beyond a few states were suddenly seeing the world. Times were rapidly changing, and the simple life was fast fading.

One thing did not change however—people still found ways to meet and fall in love.

In this entertaining story spanning eighty years, two people, in countries separated by 4,000 miles of land and ocean, could never have imagined God’s plan for the series of seemingly random events in their lives that would someday bring them together. They would meet, fall in love, and together overcome obstacles and share a life of growing faith and continuous adventure.

Memoirs of a Lost Child

While wetting the bed was normal for the other five-years-olds, my experience almost cost me my life. I was sleeping soundly at about 2:00 am when my foster sister began shouting, “Momma, she wet the bed!” In seconds, my foster mother stormed downstairs only to yank me out the bed. She was screaming at me to take off the sheets and put them in a tub of water to wash. I was exhausted and terrified. All I knew was I had to do what she said no matter how frightened I was. I pushed the sheets into the water, again and again, still half-asleep. I felt a firm grip on the back of my head, and in seconds she was thrashing my head in and out of the water like I did the sheets only moments ago. I had barely enough time to get a breath in. All I could hear was the splash of water and my foster mother yelling the words, “You will never pee in the bed again!” I truly thought I was going to die then, but like any other five-year-old, I was told to go back to bed afterward.

Men in Pink Collars

What is it like to work in a sometimes literal ‘no man’s land’?

For decades, countless books, theses, and articles have explored what happens when women bravely cross gender lines in employment, taking on roles as lawyers, firefighters, or coal miners. But what about men who venture into traditionally ‘pink collar’ jobs?

Inspired by Studs Terkel’s seminal oral history Working, Men in Pink Collars delves into the lives of men who have embraced so-called ‘women’s work.’ This fascinating collection of interviews features male nurses, social workers, librarians, flight attendants, early childhood educators, stay-at-home dads, office workers, dental hygienists, nannies, midwives, interior designers, and musicians who play stereotypically ‘feminine’ instruments. It also highlights male cheerleaders, baton twirlers, synchronized swimmers, and even two men who could only publish their romance novels under female pen names.

The book examines why these men chose their careers, how they navigate their professional spaces, and the challenges they face from stereotypes and assumptions, both on and off the job. It also explores the unique advantages and limitations their gender brings, offering a compelling look at the dynamics of gender, work, and identity.

Mettle and Metal

The Steel Orchestra is Trinidad and Tobago’s musical gift to the world. This is the story of how steelpan music was made possible out of the fire deep within the belly and bowels of those who lived it passionately. The whole world has now been gripped by the power of this distinctive and powerful musical form.

Mikey Speaks Out

On the day of my birth, my mother had already decided that she wanted to give me away. She had made this decision even though she had not yet known the extent of the problems that would confront me. As it turned out, there were many, including the fact that I was not born a beautiful baby.

Actually, I was considered to be quite ugly, disfigured by a cleft lip and palate that left a gaping hole in the middle of my face. In addition, I was born deaf, covered with bruises, and showed signs of haemophilia, an ancient life-threatening hereditary bleeding disorder.

I longed to be hugged, kissed, and cuddled in my mother’s arms, but that was not about to happen. Instead, I spent months in a hospital crib, as I recovered from complicated facial surgery. Following the surgery, I was placed in a dark room of a foster home, and left to languish in loneliness for several months.

On a dark snowy night, shortly before Christmas, a man and woman arrived at the home of my foster parents. They had driven five hundred miles through a blizzard, and requested to see me… see me! No one had ever before asked to see me! My only previous visits away from the foster home were trips to the hospital for painful medical procedures.

Mind of a Mixed State

Have you or anyone you’ve known suffered through the depth of depression or mania? What about both at the same time? Mind of a Mixed State follows the thoughts and emotional tribulations of a young woman riding the waves of a severe Bipolar mixed episode with psychotic features. Take a journey through the mind of someone struggling to find their voice as they navigate the nation-wide issues that plagues many of us: mental illness.