Seashells reveal as much about their former owners as abandoned homes do about theirs. Some clues may be garnered by the shell shape. But to the layperson, the creators of these remnants remain a mystery. Despite a few of the hardier... Read More

Becoming an author is often serendipitous and circuitous, and for Nash Candelaria, one of Chicano literature’s prominent novelists, tracing his discovery of writing quickly led to the realization that it was “something that sneaked... Read More

“I thought about when I was twelve years old, lying awake at night in the top bunk above my fast-asleep brother, and how I would stare at the ceiling and whisper aloud, I wish I were black… I wish I were black…” writes Michael... Read More

In his excellent book How Fiction Works, critic James Wood says, “The ideal of writing is a procession of strung details, a necklace of noticings.” He distinguishes between the real world—what the writer sees—and the noticed... Read More

"Destiny’s Purpose" is a picture book that admirably uses the story of an outsider animal to educate readers about alpacas and an auto-immune condition in order to elicit their empathy for those who are different. Alpacas are prized... Read More

Christine Sunderland deftly illustrates universal truths about love, healing, culture, and family as she whisks readers away to the exotic setting of Hana, Hawaii, in her poignant new novel, "Hana-lani", her fourth book from OakTara.... Read More

Twelve-year-old Jewel is at a crossroads. The end of times has come, and both demons and angels battle for her eternal soul. The Tapeworm Emails and the Gloria Airmails: The Flip Side of Temptation is structured as two books in one. The... Read More

“You should never, ever increase your bets to chase losses.” While this may seem like common sense for any game where chance is involved, author John McWhinnie has seen countless blackjack players fall into this trap. A key principle... Read More