Devin M L Andrews

Imagine living during a time when your entire world is turned upside down. Imagine everything being taken away from you within a matter of months: your livelihood, your freedom, and even your friends and family, simply because of your ethnic heritage. This is the story of Nelli. Nelli, though being Ukrainian and born in Poltava, grew up in Krak w, Poland, with her parents and her brother, Maksym. They were simple, working people with strong Orthodox Christian faith. They always tried to make the most out of every hardship, even when Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union invaded Poland in 1939. In addition to losing her job and being allowed very little food by the Nazi's ration system, she witnessed the humiliation and persecution of those she loved. Just when one would think that things could not get worse for Nelli or her family, she received a summons to report for transit to a labor camp. Though frightened to leave her family and go somewhere she had never been, she followed her parents' advice and held firmly onto her faith and her Ukrainian identity. Life in the labor camp, where she is labeled an Ostarbeiter (eastern worker) was very difficult. She was forced to work several hours a day and six days a week in return for food that provided almost no sustenance and a straw bed that was never free from fleas and other bugs. Even the hardest workers were not protected from the brutality of their angry and sadistic German masters or from the lust of German soldiers. Each day for her was a struggle for survival and to uphold her dignity, virtue, and faith. Will she be able to persevere until war's end, or will she give in?

Martin Anderson became a mental health social worker with high expectations and aspirations. He hoped to make a difference and to help the vulnerable improve their life circumstances. He worked diligently in school and obtained his Master's Degree in Social Work--a career that pays considerably less than what the average Master's level career would pay. Nevertheless, he sacrificed much to become a social worker, knowing the rewards he would receive for so noble a position. Though he was prepared for the difficulty of working with clients with many needs and challenges, nothing prepared him for the many barriers, disappointments, and lack of support he would get from others--even those with whom he worked. Still, he always made the welfare of the clients his top priority, no matter what the risks because he truly believed in what he did. His story is his testimony to all social work and psychology students.

Greenwood, the African-American section of Tulsa, Oklahoma, was nicknamed Black Wall Street because it was one of the richest African American communities in the United States. Being separated from the rest of Tulsa by segregation, and not having any opportunities to advance elsewhere, the residents of Greenwood owned the land that they built on, and they created their own businesses and only patronized their own businesses. This was the source of their wealth; since no one else would do for them, they did for themselves. This vibrant and affluent community met its demise and destruction in less than a day's time by angry White supremacists who were envious of the wealth of Greenwood and desperate to protect their belief that African Americans were inferior. As tragic as the events that occurred were, they educated the world how far hate can go and what anyone can accomplish through hard work, sacrifice, and cohesiveness.

Poetry is the world's oldest universal form of literature. Every nation and every culture has some form of poetry. Poems are usually the first stepping stone in songs and even fiction. In fact, before there was ink and papyrus to write the first books of the Bible, Passages where made into poems that fathers sang regularly to their sons, word for word, for dozens of generations. There are those who have dared to create strict guidelines to determine what is poetry and what is not. Such individuals would denigrate the beautiful art of poets like William Carlos Williams, Vladimir Mayakovsky, and myself. As long as a work has meaning and comes from the heart, the mind, or even the stomach, it is poetry. Even if it is four lines with blunt language or 10 pages with flowery language, it is poetry--something to appreciate, to share, and to write.

Imagine a world where princes fly, cruel dragons run away frightened, and little villages show courage against big empires. In such a world, even the very rich learn to be friendly to the very poor, and a regular teen stands up for what is right-even when it is dangerous to do so. Visit a kingdom where you can learn that a lady or a gentleman is more than a title but a way to behave while your imagination can lift you to the sky-where love, bravery, and hope are worth more than diamonds and gold. You can find all of these adventures and more-in The Royal Storybook.

A collection of hymns written within 15 years for the Lutheran Church.

How would you feel if you were told that you could not be friends with someone for reasons you could not understand? What if most of the people you knew did not like your friend and said mean things about him or her? For Lincoln Reilly and Tobar Nany, friendship comes at high costs: bullying, mistrust, and secrecy--all because Tobar belongs to an ethnic group that is disliked and misunderstood. Can they remain friends even when their classmates and families seem to be against them?

In the public eye, the Laurent family looks like a formal, solid family bound by faith, tradition, and unchallenged hierarchy. Within the house of Grand'Mere, the matriarch, there is resentment, dissension, and many elephants roaming freely. David Kleindienst, a concerned son, grandson, and nephew, believes in the possibilities of his inwardly wayward family, and he struggles desperately to make his family more cohesive and forgiving. Hence, he wants them to notice and pursue their potential. Will his efforts succeed--in spite of everyone's hurt feelings and pride? Will they succeed in spite of Grand'Mere's thirst for control?