Thomas Curley

In this, his second volume of poetry, author Thomas Curley invites us as companions on a journey into his most intimate reflections and contemplations of spiritual life. Culled from journals kept since 1979, the 23 works selected for inclusion herein date from 1991 - 2000, a period of deep introspection when the author sought the balance of maintaining a relationship with God while assuming the responsibilities of secular adult life. "There had been some dark, soul-searching moments in my youth" Curley writes, "but, privately, the close kinship with God through prayer that I maintained was what always got me through."Curley's poetry enables us to reacquaint ourselves with the fundamental values that define the best potential versions of ourselves as individuals, a society and species: compassion, gratitude, forgiveness, acceptance, love, and kindness.

How did Mark Twain, a child of slave owning parents, ultimately marry the daughter of leading abolitionists and Underground Railroad conductors, transforming himself from an inherently racist youth and one-time Confederate militia man into one of the leading advocates of racial equality and inclusiveness in American History? What can be learned that might help in today's climate of racial polarity? In this loving tribute to the author's late father, what begins as a free-spirited journal of road trips and memories in an effort to recapture a lost bond between a father and son, evolves after recollections of growing up in a racially-torn Philadelphia neighborhood in the 1960s and '70s inspire a powerful awakening about the current state of racial divisiveness in the United States, and how the life of celebrated author Mark Twain offers what actor Hal Holbrook once described as "the clear path to the soul of America." "It had taken my own travels to arrive at a deepened understanding and reinvigorated appreciation for the genius of Mark Twain" writes author Thomas Curley. "Huckleberry Finn was more than just a nostalgic reflection on the innocence of boyhood...it was boyhood in the midst of the most overtly racist eras of our nation's history. There was more, I was learning, than I had allowed myself to perceive...racial discrimination had dominated our history, and, incredulously, remains a conversation today that still hasn't fully concluded." Filled with anecdotes about historic and contemporary figures from Frederick Douglas to John Denver, THE ELEPHANT ON THE RAFT takes us on an uplifting journey from South Philadelphia to Twain landmarks from Hannibal to Hartford, with stops at Hollywood, Gettysburg, Ireland, Haiti and elsewhere, sharing revelations about film, fatherhood, the evolution of American life, and a potential path to healing of a national wound.

"Having grown up in South Philadelphia" the author writes, "I found inspiration in what might be otherwise considered wretched places filled with broken glass, rusted fences, decaying factories, and trash-strewn neighborhoods. I remember, at 5 or 6 years old, being fascinated with a dandelion that grew from a crevice in concrete. There were few flowers or trees in South Philadelphia then. Discovering hidden beauty in a coarse environment set the stage for a lifetime of seeking it." In this collection of poetry by writer Thomas Curley, the author uses the street where he lives as an analogous metaphor for a changing and evolving 21st Century American social landscape.Curley's street that looks like America is our own street, and the poem is a work for all of us. It serves as a snapshot of 21st Century America as a place in the midst of change and redefinition of itself.

Gene A. Budig tells the personalized stories of nine exceptional Americans—people who knew what they wanted in life and followed difficult paths to achieve admirable ends. In this sequel to his earlier book, Grasping the Ring, Budig profiles Rachel Robinson, widow of baseball's Jackie Robinson and a remarkable woman in her own right; Bill Veeck, a showman and owner of three baseball teams who helped teach fans how to laugh and have fun at the ballpark; Bob Costas, the longtime sports announcer and commentator; Gene Autry, the "Singing Cowboy," former owner of the California Angels, and noted philanthropist; Bob Gibson, a Hall-of-Fame pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals known as a fierce competitor; Billy Beane, a well-known baseball insider made famous in the Michael Lewis book Moneyball; Jerry West, one of professional basketball's all-time finest players; Stan Kasten, one of the great minds in baseball and current president of the Washington Nationals; and Bud Selig, the current commissioner of Major League Baseball. What emerges in Budig's engaging narrative is that these individuals were ahead of their time, and these essays paint a vivid and sometimes troubling picture of what they endured to become leaders of stature.