The Life and Times of “Arfer Teacake”


Book Description

Arfer Teacake was the cockney nickname given to the author when he was a boy. The book is an account of the most memorable episodes in the authors long life, from the aftermath of the 1914/18 war through the Great Depression of the thirties, the 1939/45 war and its aftermath to the financial crisis in the second millennium. It tells of his early memories of life in a sweetshop; as a schoolboy with a rifle; teenage thoughts and experiences; Fascism; the Territorial Army and the outbreak of war. During the war:- Dunkirk; the bombing of London and its effect on family life; being on a gun site; getting a Commission (Mess etiquette and the Brigadiers tea party) preparations for D Day. After the war:- married life, tragic death of son, Chairman of a District Council, a reception at Buckingham Palace and surprisingly varied career with travel to the out posts of the British Empire, Switzerland, Australia, Ceylon and Turkey. Retirement years:- too much alcohol, working in a in a factory environment; visiting South Africa after Apartheid; the trial and tribulations of old age.







Saturdays and Teacakes


Book Description

A lyrical picture book memoir of one boy and his beloved grandmother, from award-winning author Lester L. Laminack. Every Saturday, a young boy rides his bicycle up and down country roads, past farms and a filling station, until he reaches his Mammaw's house. She is waiting for him. There, the young boy helps her. She picks tomatoes and he pushes the lawnmower through the dew-wet grass. But the best part of the day is helping his Mammaw make teacakes from scratch and eating the hot, sweet cakes fresh from the oven. Lester L. Laminack's richly detailed prose perfectly portrays the special relationship of a young boy and his grandmother. Award-winning illustrator Chris Soentpiet's remarkably detailed watercolor images beautifully capture the setting.




Delia's Cakes


Book Description

Delia's Book of Cakes was first published in 1977, and such is the staying power of this 35-year-old phenomenon, it has never been out of print. Now, to celebrate its success, it has undergone a complete contemporary makeover. It still retains the much-loved favourites that have stood the test of time, but now alongside them there are new recipes, new ideas, new ingredients, and new and simpler methods. Over 90% of the recipes in the book have been tested gluten-free. From timeless classics like coffee and walnut sponge and old-fashioned cherry cake, to seasonal classice like Christmas and simnel cake, to exciting new recipes such as iced hidden strawberry cup cakes and chunky marmalade muffins, Delia brings her touch of baking magic to your kitchen. All this is as you would expect from Delia: easy accessible recipes, carefully tested, and utterly to be trusted. Quite simply - as then, so now - the only book of cakes you'll ever need is Delia's Cakes.




The Plot Whisperer


Book Description

Discover how to create stories that build suspense, reveal character, and engage your audience with this ultimate guide to writing. When it comes to writing bestsellers, it’s all about the plot. Trouble is, plot is where most writers fall down—but you don’t have to be one of them. With this book, you’ll learn how to create stories that build suspense, reveal character, and engage readers—one scene at a time. Celebrated writing teacher and author Martha Alderson has devised a plotting system that’s as innovative as it is easy to implement. With her foolproof blueprint, you’ll learn to devise a successful storyline for any genre. She shows how to: -Use the power of the Universal Story -Create plot lines and subplots that work together -Effectively use a scene tracker for maximum impact -Insert energetic markers at the right points in your story -Show character transformation at the book’s climax This is the ultimate guide for you to write page-turners that sell!




Sweat


Book Description

Now frequently anthologized, Zora Neale Hurston's short story "Sweat" was first published in Firell, a legendary literary magazine of the Harlem Renaissance, whose sole issue appeared in November 1926. Among contributions by Gwendolyn Bennett, Countee Cullen, Langston Hughes, and Wallace Thurman, "Sweat" stood out both for its artistic accomplishment and its exploration of rural Southern black life. In "Sweat" Hurston claimed the voice that animates her mature fiction, notably the 1937 novel Their Eyes Were Watching God; the themes of marital conflict and the development of spiritual consciousness were introduced as well. "Sweat" exemplifies Hurston's lifelong concern with women's relation to language and the literary possibilities of black vernacular. This casebook for the story includes an introduction by the editor, a chronology of the author's life, the authoritative text of "Sweat," and a second story, "The Gilded Six-Bits." Published in 1932, this second story was written after Hurston had spent years conducting fieldwork in the Southern United States. The volume also includes Hurston's groundbreaking 1934 essay, "Characteristics of Negro Expression," and excerpts from her autobiography, Dust Tracks on a Road. An article by folklorist Roger Abrahams provides additional cultural contexts for the story, as do selected blues and spirituals. Critical commentary comes from Alice Walker, who led the recovery of Hurston's work in the 1970s, Robert Hemenway, Henry Louis Gates, Gayl Jones, John Lowe, Kathryn Seidel, and Mary Helen Washington.




Flossie Teacakes' Guide to English Paper Piecing


Book Description

In a sea of quilting project books, Flossie Teacakes' Guide to English Paper Piecing stands alone. Drawing together many disparate strands, this comprehensive guide offers up a deeper exploration of this precision patchwork craft, providing everything quilters need to know on a practical level to begin navigating fussy cutting and English paper-piecing (EPP). • The most comprehensive guide to English paper piecing on the market today, including history of the craft, artist profiles, and more! • Patterns for original rosettes on which to learn the practicalities of EPP are shown step-by-step, covering everything from templates, paper choice, magic mirrors, how to mock up layouts, glue/thread basting, and more. • Finished examples exemplifying mastery of the skills learned in the book & unique secondary designs within the quilts that demonstrate the fussy cut and rosette piecing techniques. Flossie Teacakes' Guide to English Paper Piecing is not just a how-to text on English paper piecing. While any book on English paper piecing must cover the instructional aspects, Flossie Teacakes offers a softer, warmer approach, exploring the craft on a more tactile paper-and-fabric level and including stories and inspirations this wonderful craft. Author Florence Knapp explores of the craft over a series of interviews and a journey back in time. She captures the elements that make it so much more than a simple technique guide, giving meaning to the act of English paper piecing for those who are intrigued as well as to quilters who are already hooked. As if that isn't enough, there's icing on the teacakes in the form of original paper-pieced rosettes and show stopping quilt patterns included to practice and show off your EPP skills.




CliffsNotes on Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God


Book Description

The original CliffsNotes study guides offer expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, literary devices, and historical background. The latest generation of titles in this series also feature glossaries and visual elements that complement the classic, familiar format. In CliffsNotes on Their Eyes Were Watching God, you discover the work of one of the 20th century's first African-American female authors—Zora Neale Hurston. In the novel, Janie Crawford returns to her hometown in Florida and relates to her friend Pheoby the tragic story of her 40-year search for love and respect. Chapter summaries and commentaries take you through Janie's journey, and critical essays give you insight into the novel's themes and structure, as well as Hurston's use of figurative language and dialect. Other features that help you study include Character analyses of the main characters A character map that graphically illustrates the relationships among the characters A section on the life and background of Zora Neale Hurston A review section that tests your knowledge A Resource Center full of books, articles, films, and Internet sites Classic literature or modern-day treasure—you'll understand it all with expert information and insight from CliffsNotes study guides.




Critical Companion to Zora Neale Hurston


Book Description

Zora Neale Hurston, one the first great African-American novelists, was a major figure in the Harlem Renaissance and an inspiration for future generations of writers. Widely studied in high school literature courses, her novels are admired for their depiction of Southern black culture and their strong female characters. Critical Companion to Zora Neale Hurston is a reliable and up-to-date resource for high school and college-level students, providing reliable information on Hurston's life and work. This new volume covers all her writings, including Their Eyes Were Watching God; her landmark works of folklore and anthropology, such as Mules and Men; and shorter works, such as her story The Gilded Six-Bits.




African Spirituality in Black Women's Fiction


Book Description

African Spirituality in Black Women's Fiction: Threaded Visions of Memory, Community, Nature and Being is the nexus to scholarship on manifestations of Africanisms in black art and culture, particularly the scant critical works focusing on African metaphysical retentions. This study examines New World African spirituality as a syncretic dynamic of spiritual retentions and transformations that have played prominently in the literary imagination of black women writers. Beginning with the poetry of Phillis Wheatley, African Spirituality in Black Women's Fiction traces applications and transformations of African spirituality in black women's writings that culminate in the conscious and deliberate celebration of Africanity in Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God. The journey from Wheatley's veiled remembrances to Hurston's explicit gaze of continental Africa represents the literary journey of black women writers to represent Africa as not only a very real creative resource but also a liberating one. Hurston's icon of black female autonomy and self realization is woven from the thread work of African spiritual principles that date back to early black women's writings.