Michael Dennis

There are no books that focus on the unique artistic characteristics of the Venetian facade and its potential relevance to contemporary architectural and urban issues, as this book intends. This book is about architecture. It is not about history, although a bit of history is necessary to set the context. It is not about theory, although, again, a bit is necessary to connect the facade with urbanism. It is also not about structure and technology. And, most definitely, it is not about the plan. All of these topics are well-covered elsewhere. This book is about the facade. It explores the art and typology of the Venetian facade, not only as a high point of architectural literacy and achievement, but as a potentially useful contemporary stimulant.

This book traces the historic evolution of urban form, principles, and design; it serves as a compendium, or reference, of city design; and is a polemic about the necessity for the recovery of the city and a contemporary urban architecture. It begins with the planned cities of Greece and the Roman Empire from about 500 BC, through the late-medieval Bastides, the Ideal Renaissance cities, and Baroque new towns, to the urban planning strategies of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It covers anti-urban modernist architecture and the resulting disintegration of the city. It concludes with late-twentieth-century efforts to recover the city, a contemporary urban architecture, and urbanism’s potential contribution to the contemporary ecological crisis. The book is project oriented and extensively illustrated. It may be read graphically, textually, or both. As such, it falls into the long tradition of illustrated treatises in which theory is embedded in the projects, with only occasional assistance or clarification from the text. Architecture and urban design are physical arts, not verbal arts, and they are best understood from graphic representations.

Through moments of social protest, policy debate, and popular mobilization, this book follows the campaign for economic democracy and the fight for full employment in the United States. Starting in the 1930s, Dennis explores its intellectual and philosophical underpinnings, the class struggle that determined the fate of legislation and the role of left-wing civil rights activists in its revival. Demonstrating how the campaign for full employment intersected with movements for women's liberation and civil rights, it explores how social groups and oppressed minorities interpreted and appropriated the promise of full employment. For many, full employment provided an indispensable path to racial and gender emancipation. In this book, Dennis uncovers the class dimensions and the resistance to full employment in the US. He demonstrates how the recurring debates over full employment consistently exposed the contradictions inherent in a capitalist society and challenged the assertion that an allegedly free enterprise system automatically generated employment for all.

Through moments of social protest, policy debate, and popular mobilization, this book follows the campaign for economic democracy and the fight for full employment in the United States. Starting in the 1930s, Dennis explores its intellectual and philosophical underpinnings, the class struggle that determined the fate of legislation and the role of left-wing civil rights activists in its revival. Demonstrating how the campaign for full employment intersected with movements for women's liberation and civil rights, it explores how social groups and oppressed minorities interpreted and appropriated the promise of full employment. For many, full employment provided an indispensable path to racial and gender emancipation. In this book, Dennis uncovers the class dimensions and the resistance to full employment in the US. He demonstrates how the recurring debates over full employment consistently exposed the contradictions inherent in a capitalist society and challenged the assertion that an allegedly free enterprise system automatically generated employment for all.

Low Centre of Gravity finds Michael Dennis in familiar territory. You'll laugh. You'll cry. Dennis' poems continue to be the narratives of movies you'd like to someday see. These poems ask the questions you'd really like answered, sauntering into the room and staking claim. The story-telling continues, the good, the bad and the sadly tragic. With Low Centre of Gravity Dennis remains "direct, curious, pissed off and honest".

The neon waves crash over me, pummelling this body of mine into the earth that has mocked me for the lifetime I have been begrudgingly granted.Within this destructive water are stories that feature people like me, lost, lonely and afraid of what lies ahead."I was 27 when I first told the woman of my dreams that I loved her. It was the one regret that has haunted me for so long..."The voice the water channels is of someone much like me, love-struck. Love broke me; leaving me to wonder why I can never be loved in the same way that I loved.Does this change the feelings I hold for her?No...It just makes me realise what I knew all along.As much as I want to save them from ruin, I finally understand that's not my purpose...They'll have to save themselves.

Low-life ad executive and part-time drunk Chris Van Zandt is on an existential conquest to find love any way he can. Single and Loathing It is a razor-sharp and intensely funny depiction of the desperate days and nights on the dating circuit as a millennial. With nothing but optimism, pharmaceuticals, copious amounts of alcohol, and an array of smartass comments to aide him in his mission, Van Zandt's life spirals into a series of bizarre escapades, including getting catfished, dating a born-again virgin, attending an upscale orgy while on MDMA, and just about anything involving his unforgettably eccentric friend and co-worker, Greg. Overflowing with satire, mediocre sex, and mindless drinking, Van Zandt learns the bitter reality of text etiquette, the awkward consequences of dating in the workplace, the constant hilarity of the advertising world, and even uncovers a few hidden truths about himself. Will Chris rediscover his sense of morality and find the love of his life? Or will he stumble further down Desolation Row? Sure to appeal to anyone who has ever found him- or herself single without a clue about what they're doing, Single and Loathing It is a laugh-out-loud odyssey that only a hardened veteran of the dating frontline could write.

A play about joy and heartbreak, quarries and transmat beams. When Oli arrives at now-forgotten sci-fi icon Marianne's door, he's looking for an autograph – and maybe a friend. Marianne's hoping for the phone to ring, for her best friend to see her differently, for her turn at something more substantial than a half-remembered role on a cult TV show. As they start to explore each other's worlds, they begin to discover what every good relationship needs: time and space. Exploring the complexities of connection, especially in the LGBTQ+ community, and the contrast in lived experiences across generations, Dark Sublime is a love-letter to British sci-fi television – those that make it and those that adore it. Michael Dennis's debut play premiered at Trafalgar Studios in London's West End in 2019, directed by Andrew Keates and starring Marina Sirtis, best known for appearing in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

This book is everything a parent needs to know to help their children growing up to be successful in school and life. This is advice from a teacher of 30 years to parents about their children that they need to know. The advice is realistic and practical and easy to use. This book will give parents information about how to prepare their children for today's schools as well as how to get alone with others students. As well as which students to stay away from. The book is written in English and Spanish and shows the common experiences both the African American and Latino cultures share. The lessons taught, shared and learned are for the benefit of all parents and their children

"Real Talk" for mothers tells every mother what they need to know about the way their sons are growing up in the neighborhoods in which they live. The books tells of the pitfalls their sons face and how to help their sons steer clear of them. This book literally place in the hands of mothers a 'how to" guide they can help to save their sons' lives.

"Real Talk" is the real deal. Find out what's really going on from some who has "walked the walk" and not from those who have just "talked the talked". From the streets of Chicago to the streets of Compton, the rules are all the same. "Don't start none, won't be none." In the hood what you don't know could cost you your life. The knowledge in this book comes from those "real ones" out there. Its a survival guide. Don't get caught slippin'.

"Love Poems to Celebrate the Beauty of Black Women" is a masterpiece befitting all "women of color" For far to long these amazing women have been overlooked and under-appreciated for their beauty and kindness. This wonderfully written book has changed that. Both romantic and spiritual. The words of this book capture the true essence of the deep connection and relationship between these women and the men who love them. Additionally, the book includes "The 10 Secrets to Winning the heart of the Black Man". But these are time-tested secrets that can win the heart of any man. And these amazing love poems are for all those who still believe in "the miracle and magic" called love.

Want to know what guys to stay away from, and why? Want to know how to know if a guy is really a good guy? Want to know who your true friends really are? Want to know how to survive the pitfalls of life? Then "Real Talk for Girls - A Life Guide" is the book for you. Read "the secrets" given from the heart of a loving father to save the daughter he loves. These secrets are guaranteed to to save you from the pain and heartache caused by bad relationships, friendships and choices. Why waste your time with drama you can avoid. Why waste your feelings on guys who don't deserve your love. Why waste time listening to "so - called" friends who behind your back are trying to hurt you or come between you and your guy. Why frustrate yourself by trying to "learn life the hard way." "Real Talk" will give you the answers. Above all..."Real Talk" can save your life (for real). There are dangers out there you need to know about, and avoid. There are "creepy guys" out there you should never let in your life. These "creeps" will place your life in danger. There are "situations" you should never let yourself get in. These "situations" (if not handled properly) can destroy your future. There are things you need to know, because not knowing isn't an option if you want to live a happy successful life. "Real Talk for Girls" will give you the answers. Hear the loving advice from a father to his daughter. Advice only a loving father will give to his "princess." "Boys" won't tell you the truth, but "Dads" will. Trust me. This book is honest, straight-forward and "real." Written in love to empower you to live a happy love filled life.

Selected and with an Introduction by Stuart Ross Michael Dennis has been hammering his love, his anger, his grief, and his awe into poems for over forty years. With seven books and nearly twenty chapbooks to his credit, Dennis isn't exactly a household name in Canadian poetry, but he is a natural heir to poets like Canadian icon Al Purdy and American legends Eileen Myles and Charles Bukowski. His poems are his life made into poems: direct, emphatic, honest. Bad Engine brings together mostly revised versions of about one hundred poems selected from Dennis's published work, along with several dozen new poems. This volume, introduced and edited by Dennis's long-time friend, the poet and editor Stuart Ross, marks a milestone in the career of a homegrown, no-bullshit, tells-it-likes-he-sees-it populist bard. Here the reader will find a rollicking tale of drinking with racists, poignant prayers for quiet nights with lovers, raw narratives of childhood abuse, defiant anthems of a body broken by sports injuries, a mindful meditation about a stoned dragonfly, and the not-quite resigned laughter of a man smashing away at a keyboard for four decades and becoming neither rich nor famous. Bad Engine is Michael Dennis being human.

Animals in the swampland invite friends to a party.

On Memorial Day 1937, thousands of steelworkers, middle-class supporters, and working-class activists gathered at Sam's Place on the Southeast Side of Chicago to protest Republic Steel's virulent opposition to union recognition and collective bargaining. By the end of the day, ten marchers had been mortally wounded and more than one hundred badly injured, victims of a terrifying police riot. Sam's Place, the headquarters for the steelworkers, was transformed into a bloody and frantic triage unit for treating heads split open by police batons, flesh torn by bullets, and limbs mangled badly enough to require amputation. While no one doubts the importance of the Memorial Day Massacre, Michael Dennis identifies it as a focal point in the larger effort to revitalize American equality during the New Deal. In Blood on Steel, Dennis shows how the incident-captured on film by Paramount newsreels-validated the claims of labor activists and catalyzed public opinion in their favor. In the aftermath of the massacre, Senate hearings laid bare patterns of anti-union aggression among management, ranging from blacklists to harassment and vigilante violence. Companies were determined to subvert the right to form a union, which Congress had finally recognized in 1935. Only in the following year would Congress pass the Fair Labor Standards Act, which established a minimum wage and a maximum work week, outlawed child labor, and regulated hazardous work. Like the Wagner Act that protected collective bargaining, this law aimed to protect workers who had suffered the worst of what the Great Depression had inflicted. Dennis' wide-angle perspective reveals the Memorial Day Massacre as not simply another bloody incident in the long story of labor-management tension in American history but as an illustration of the broad-based movement for social democracy which developed in the New Deal era.

On Memorial Day 1937, thousands of steelworkers, middle-class supporters, and working-class activists gathered at Sam's Place on the Southeast Side of Chicago to protest Republic Steel's virulent opposition to union recognition and collective bargaining. By the end of the day, ten marchers had been mortally wounded and more than one hundred badly injured, victims of a terrifying police riot. Sam's Place, the headquarters for the steelworkers, was transformed into a bloody and frantic triage unit for treating heads split open by police batons, flesh torn by bullets, and limbs mangled badly enough to require amputation. While no one doubts the importance of the Memorial Day Massacre, Michael Dennis identifies it as a focal point in the larger effort to revitalize American equality during the New Deal. In Blood on Steel, Dennis shows how the incident-captured on film by Paramount newsreels-validated the claims of labor activists and catalyzed public opinion in their favor. In the aftermath of the massacre, Senate hearings laid bare patterns of anti-union aggression among management, ranging from blacklists to harassment and vigilante violence. Companies were determined to subvert the right to form a union, which Congress had finally recognized in 1935. Only in the following year would Congress pass the Fair Labor Standards Act, which established a minimum wage and a maximum work week, outlawed child labor, and regulated hazardous work. Like the Wagner Act that protected collective bargaining, this law aimed to protect workers who had suffered the worst of what the Great Depression had inflicted. Dennis' wide-angle perspective reveals the Memorial Day Massacre as not simply another bloody incident in the long story of labor-management tension in American history but as an illustration of the broad-based movement for social democracy which developed in the New Deal era.

"It's Gonna Be OK" takes the reader on a journey. It explores the author's experiences as a spunky little girl, through turbulent teenage years, and finally emerging as a maturing young woman while living on the Seminole and Saint Louis, Oklahoma and Texas oil leases during the 1930's and '40's. Laugh and cry with the family as they move from boomshack to boomshack and finally "Toots" is sure Mama and Daddy are rich. Their latest boomshack has an inside bathroom! Share the adventures of "Toots" and all those gritty people who became "family" while living in the camps. This red-dirt experience molded their beings, and for many, will never leave their hearts.

Lessons in Progress provides a detailed look at how progressivism transformed higher education in the New South. Orchestrated by an alliance of northern philanthropists and southern intellectuals, modernizing universities focused on practical, utilitarian education aimed at reinvigorating the South through technological advancement. They also offered an institutional vehicle by which a new, urban middle class could impose order on a society in flux. Michael Dennis charts the emergence of the modern southern university through the administrations of four university presidents: Edwin Alderman (Virginia), Samuel C. Mitchell (South Carolina), Walter Barnard Hill (Georgia), and Charles Dabney (Tennessee). He shows how these administrative leaders worked to professionalize the university and to knit together university and state agencies, promoting a social service role in which university personnel would serve as expert advisors on everything from public health to highway construction. Dennis also explains how the programs of educational progressives perpetuated traditional divisions of race, sex, and class. The Tuskegee/Hampton model favored industrial education for blacks whose labor would support the South's expanding urban industrial complex, while education for women was careful not to disturb conventional notions of a woman's place. White workers found themselves subject to an increasingly centralized system of education that challenged their traditional independence. State universities in the New South were not isolated enclaves of classical learning but rather were inextricably tied to social reform initiatives. Seeking a more practical and socially responsible form of education, university modernizers succeeded in establishing the framework of a more modern, bureaucratic state. Despite their accomplishments, however, they failed to generate the kind of economic progress they had envisioned for the South.