Magdalena Ball

Though she was only fourteen years old, like many other Jews in Eastern Europe's Pale of Settlement in 1907, Rebecca Lieberman gathered her few belongings and left for the United States. What follows is a unique and poetic story of history, war, mysticism, music, abuse, survival and transcendence against the backdrop of New York City in the '20s, '30s and '40s.

Earthquake, a National Disaster Area and a volcano are all here. Along with friendships, partings, love and estrangement--the gamut of the human experience. We meet an indigenous family fighting to learn the truth about a loved one's death while serving his country. A son remembers a war-weary father who marched the Kokoda Trail, and a mother shares the joy of her three children. We pay tribute to the Stolen Generation and warriors defending the gentle giants of the sea--our whales. We share the love of a wife requesting her husband's surgeon to take care of her lover's heart and a family's devotion to a disabled son, with a unique gift for poetry, and deep insights into life. We read about the innocent joys of childhood, the love of grandparents and the extended family. So, here we are to share the kitchen pots, the tools of trade, the building of homes, living with hardship and the experience of integrating with other cultures. We hope that you will enjoy these stories and the journey back along memory lane, and realise that we are all a part of life's 'living history'.

Two award-winning poets from two hemispheres collaborated on Sublime Planet, a book of poetry that honors life on earth and the universe. Part of the poets' Celebration Series, this one honors Earth Day. Writer Mary Guglielmo says, "they are poems about the human experience woven into the world we live in. This is a great read "Carolyn Howard-Johnson is listed on Poets & Writers' prestigious roster of poets and won the Franklin-Christoph prize for poetry and has been honored by Writer's Digest. Magdalena Ball's work is also widely published and is the owner of the esteemed Compulsive Reader review site.

As part of the Celebration Series of chapbooks, Carolyn Howard-Johnson and Magdalena Ball have produced a poetry chapbook focusing on fathers, husbands, and men in general." Imagining the Future: Ruminations on Fathers and Other Masculine Apparitions" makes a wonderful gift for Father's Day or any time you want to say something unique to a special male in your life as only poetry can. The authors coauthor the series of chapbooks from two different hemispheres. Magdalena Ball, an Aussie, runs The Compulsive Reader. Her short stories, editorials, poetry, reviews, and articles have appeared in a wide number of printed anthologies and journals, and have won local and international awards for poetry and fiction. Magdalena holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from CCNY (New York), an MBA from Charles Sturt University (NSW), and has studied literature on a postgraduate level at Oxford University (UK) and marketing at Newcastle University (NSW). She lives in on a rural property in New South Wales with her husband and three children. She is also the author of the critically acclaimed novels "Black Cow" and "Sleep Before Evening," a nonfiction book "The Art of Assessment," and two poetry books, "Repulsion Thrust" and "Quark Soup." Carolyn Howard-Johnson lives in California. Her first novel, "This Is the Place," won eight awards. Her book of creative nonfiction, "Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered," won three. She was an instructor for UCLA Extension's world-renown Writers' Program for nearly a decade and her HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers has been a staple for writers since the flagship book, "The Frugal Book Promoter," was published in 2004. A multi award-winner, the third edition is now published by Modern History Press and Bookbaby called it a "classic." Other titles in the series include "The Frugal Editor," "How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically," "The Great First Impression Book Proposal," and "Great Little Last Minute Edits for Writers." Her chapbook of poetry "Tracings" was named to the Compulsive Reader's Ten Best Reads list and was given the Military Writers' Society of America's Award of Excellence and her book of poetry, "Imperfect Echoes" was honored by Writer's Digest. Carolyn is the recipient of the California Legislature's Woman of the Year in Arts and Entertainment Award, Her community's Character and Ethics Committee awarded her work promoting tolerance with her writing and the Arts and Culture Commission gave her their coveted Diamond Award. She was named to Pasadena Weekly's list of fourteen "San Gabriel Valley women who make life happen," and she qualified as a published poet for Poets & Writers' distinguished list.