Diaries & Memoirs

Sharing what he's learnt during half a century's creative work, John Greening gives us an insight into the life of a poet, playwright, editor, reviewer, teacher and performer. Eminently readable, amusing and informative, A High Calling is a rich resource for anyone with an interest in good writing.

In The City and the World Gregor Hens threads memoir with travelogue, philosophy, photography and references from a wide variety of writers and thinkers to consider the phenomenon of the contemporary city and our place within it.

A memoir about a tumultuous relationship in the late ' 60s in Sitges, the Spanish coastal town where the party never stops, the champagne flows and boundaries are pushed. When Penny encountered the adventurous bar owner Tom Corley she found herself drawn to him despite her lack of experience with men. Instantly falling for the charismatic ' man in black', she eagerly embraced his carefree lifestyle filled with gambling, drinking, and wild escapades in Sitges, a vibrant Mediterranean party hub. Tom was a former US Marine with a shady past and his money-making schemes bumped up against the law, but that didn't matter to Penny. He had captured her heart, leading to their hasty marriage after a chance meeting on a Spanish beach in the Mediterranean. After a spell in his hometown of Dublin, they settled back in Sitges, where they ran a succession of businesses that, boom or bust, never quite managed to keep Tom out of trouble. The unpredictability of their life together kept her hooked for a decade, during which time she had two sons, until a last dodgy deal went badly wrong, and a dark undercurrent of violence finally became too much to bear. Then, for the sake of her safety, and her

Portland, Oregon, is a queer city in the queerest state in the US. It's also a place where, like anywhere in this country, you can experience bigotry, violence, and discrimination. Out of these contradictions bursts this sparkling collection of first-person stories--a heady mix of fiction and fact--written by contributors from across the queer spectrum and beyond, serving vulnerability, humor, and realness. Immerse yourself in familiar scenes and landmarks like Washington Park, Caffe Mingo, the Silverado, Powell's City of Books, Umbra Penumbra, St. Mary's Academy, the Lloyd Center Mall, Hawthorne Boulevard, Food Front Co-op, Darcelle XV, a ghost bike installation, a backyard barbecue, a call center during third shift, and the many bridges over the Willamette River. Read Gabby Rivera's original story that became the hit novel Juliet Takes a Breath. Revel in David Ciminello's tale of a waiter who falls in love with a straight guy from the café next door. Learn Marc Acito's answer to the question "Where do you find hot men in Portland?" Elevate your vocabulary with Stevie Anntonym's "Lesbian Lexicon." Whatever your orientation, these accounts of queer and trans life in the Rose City will make you see the world and your place in it from a different angle. This new edition of the Lambda Literary Award-winning anthology includes a poem by Nastashia Minto and stories by Christa Orth and Kalimah Abioto.

The searing true story of the woman who took on Britain's secret police in court, and won

A searing indictment, full of fascinating real life stories, of how the law is fundamentally stacked against women by an award-winning barrister

"A memoir reflecting on heartbreak, perseverance, and life lessons learned from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, from the hosts of the hit podcast Buffering the Vampire Slayer. Kristin and Jenny's marriage started with an ultimatum: to further their relationship, Kristin must watch Jenny's favorite show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. With the terms set, they began a journey that has led them through seven seasons of the beloved genre show, a podcast rewatching the series with their newly minted listenership of "Scoobies," unexpected success, and a divorce. Through it all, their love for Buffy and their commitment to their community held them together against the odds. Slayers, Every One of Us is the story of how two queer women navigated divorce on a very public level and managed to stay in each other's lives through it all. While chock full of Buffy (and Buffering!) content for true fans, this is ultimately a memoir of queer love and chosen family. It's a heartwarming story for anyone who's experienced lost love, and a roadmap for staying close with your ex"--

'A very special book that I enjoyed enormously' Cees NooteboomSoon after Henk Pröpper moves from Amsterdam to Paris, both the world and his heart almost come to a full stop. He undergoes major surgery and awakes in an empty city during lockdown. Paris is transformed into an abandoned stage and to quicken his recovery, Pröpper begins walking. He combs his immediate surroundings, he hunts for the past, discovering countless commemorative plaques and monuments that honour well- and lesser-known Parisians and keep their histories alive. He reflects on his life and the literature that has shaped him, walking in the footsteps of literary heroes such as Victor Hugo, of Balzac and of Camus.27 Beats Per Minute is a moving ode to life, literature and Paris, a city that even in emptiness is always magnificent.'One of the most moving and most invigorating autobiographies ever written. This is a finely polished gem worthy of admiration' Knack'Philosophical, reflective, and with the pleasantly slow heartbeat of a writer who carries the reader through the city, European literature and history' het Parool

Broadcaster and abuse survivor Charlie Webster uses her own lived experience alongside advice from experts to create a companion for trauma survivors - a book that will help, explain, understand and navigate the impact of trauma on our lives.

A Byron biography like no other - published to mark the bicentennial of his death - it tells the remarkable life story of the celebrated Romantic poet through ten of his best, most resonant letters. Using Byron's correspondence, Stauffer relates a vivid and engaging story of creativity, fame, sexual transgression and scandal.

Go journeying and travelling with Collins Oppong-Kyekyeku in this smashing autobiography. Brought up in Ghana, Collins travelled far and wide and used all his resources to fully equip himself. Turning into a highly educated man who literally came from a very poor background, education meant the world to him. He is among the very few in the whole Gyinyase-Aduana clan to have had college/university education. His education and his will to fight and continue, despite what life was like for him, took him to places that others would only be able to dream of going. So where did Collins go? What drove him to strive so hard and fight to the top of his educational career and professional career as well? What made him try this hard when he had every reason to give up? Well, that, my reader, is for you to find out!

Writer Caroline Zilboorg tells the fascinating story of growing up in New York City in the 1950s as the daughter of the Russian-American psychoanalyst and medical historian Gregory Zilboorg, a pioneer of global psychoanalysis. This rich, evocative, and honest memoir, filled with private family photographs, brings a bygone era to li

From Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a road map for shattering the status quo and standing up for ourselves, our communities, and our country.AN OPEN FIELD BOOK FROM MARIA SHRIVERAs Michigan’s Secretary of State and chief election official, Jocelyn Benson has overseen several of the highest turnout, most secure elections in the state’s history. But her life changed one snowy evening in December 2020 when armed protesters descended onto her doorstep, threatening her family. Her only crime: certifying a fair and accurate Presidential election in which the protesters’ preferred candidate – Donald Trump – did not win. Benson refused to back down. She stood her ground, spoke out louder, and helped expose and defeat a coordinated national effort to overturn the election.In The Purposeful Warrior, Benson shows us how to turn fear and frustration into a fight for integrity and truth. She shares powerful stories from her rise in politics—investigating domestic terrorist cells, becoming the youngest woman in U.S. history to lead a top 100 law school, and running the Boston Marathon while more than eight months pregnant—as well as those of paradigm-shifters throughout history, to demonstrate how we can be warriors for ourselves and for each other. It starts when we stand up for others, call out bullies, raise our voices, and work with grace and grit to ensure truth, integrity, fairness and justice prevail – even when it is difficult, risky, and the stakes are high.In times of intense conflict and anxiety it’s easy to believe we are powerless to make a difference. But we’re not. We are purposeful warriors. And we all have the power to define a better world.

A Glass of Albarino and A Pillowcase of Bones: sixty-eight interlocking pieces about the puzzle of life. True stories or vignettes of a nomadic life. Born in Birmingham, a working class boy who started work with British Gas at only sixteen years old. A punk, and then a New Romantic he worked at the legendary Rumrunner nightclub. He moved to London and worked from The Marquee to The Wigmore Hall to Drury Lane Theatre, meeting the stars. He left for Luxembourg and a year later moved to Berlin, still with the wall. The night the wall collapsed and the crazy following years, whilst working for the British Military he started his own one man cabaret shows which he later took to seven countries. In 2004 he moved to Madrid. He became an English Teacher. In 2012 he toured as MC with Abba the show, in six countries. Next? Valencia.

This is not an inspirational memoir. This is not trauma porn. This is a memoir about the forces that impact our lives, both good and bad.

Pushing back against a system which feels designed to keep parents isolated and exhausted, Latched Mama founder, Melissa Wirt shows moms how to build a supportive "village" to bring joy and connection back to motherhood.Melissa Wirt thought she had everything-she'd built her own company and moved to a beautiful farm with her family. Then during a personal crisis, she realized: despite having created an online community reaching thousands of moms, she'd also somehow, become utterly isolated.In I Was Told There'd Be a Village, Melissa describes how she began making small changes-leaving behind a damaging Isolation Mindset and developing an advantageous Village Mindset. Using personal anecdotes and stories from moms across the country, this book provides specific, actionable steps to transform oppressive, solitary parenting into a connected, collective (even joyful) endeavor.