Matthew Murphy

Using humour, sensitivity, and precise interventions, the American artist Brad Downey investigates the underlying structure of our cities, our landscapes, our sacred sites, as well as the forgotten peripheries and contested borders. In the process he weaves entirely new narratives with their chaotic patterns, obscuring the separation between art and everyday life. Slapstick Formalism presents a synopsis of his overall multifaceted oeuvre: sculptures, architecture, performances, installations, films, drawings, collages, and activism, each of which is inspired by the objects and activities of daily life.

This is a story about a boy who is struggling to make friends. With the help of his mom, and some fun new friends along the way, Tyler learns that making friends is not only easy but fun

Diamonds by the Yard is the story of Lexi Langdon, a beautiful young heiress from Houston, Texas, living in New York with her husband Ray Arthur - a record company executive with dangerous Mafia ties - and her affair with Lee Franklin, an ambitious and charismatic singer-songwriter. The setting is New York City and the East End of Long Island, The Hamptons, in 1975-76, a time when excessive and flamboyant behavior was the norm. The rich and famous interact with characters from all walks of life, from notorious mafia hoodlums and punk rock musicians to celebrities of all types. Told within the historical context of the time, Diamonds by the Yard is set against the backdrop of the end of the Vietnam War, New York City on the verge of bankruptcy, Philippe Petit tightrope walking across the World Trade Centers, the spectacular bicentennial July 4th celebration in New York harbor, the launch of Saturday Night Live and the cocaine drenched Discomania that enveloped the city. From the expansive lawns of East Hampton mansions to the formal dining rooms of 5th Avenue triplex apartments, from the punk palace CBGB to the multi-million dollar yacht The Yellow Rose, this intense and multi-layered novel recreates an era in American history which can only be compared in opulence and outrageousness to that found in The Great Gatsby.

At the beginning of the 20th Century Izzy Mitchell and her family leave the city for her father's new job in the out in the country. They arrive in Benson to find a dying town clinging to ghost stories about the nearby forest. It was those woods that Izzy's father was sent to cut down for the Greenway Company. It was not long after arriving in Benson that Izzy finds out that the woods are filled with spirits. These were the spirits of departed Native American souls who appear as animals during the day, then wandering ghosts at night. If the Greenway Company has their way those woods will be destroyed and all the spirits inside would be lost forever. Only Izzy can save them by finding the lost waterfall and path to the other side. The Woods is a fantasy story written the same vein as "Spirited Away" or "The Wizard of Oz." A strong young female heroine must do everything she can to save those spirits and herself. This story was written with readers of all ages in mind.