Mark Young Bücher

"Everything you need to know from first entering the water, to performing the four basic swimming strokes."

Big Snow, the largest chicken on record, weighed 23 pounds, 3 ounces. Sheena, a barnyard bantam, flew 630 feet, 2 inches for the longest known chicken flight. And at 25 years, Wil Cwac Cwac of Wales holds the title for world's oldest duck. It's astounding how much time one can waste with the Guinness Book of World Records, and how genuinely absorbing hitherto overlooked questions of trivia can be. Guinness covers more than paltry poultry profiles. The 1998 edition contains more than 10,000 records of hobbies and transportation, technology and humanity, sports, arts, commerce, and nature. Curious about the biggest severance check ($58.8 million), the longest snake (a 32-foot, 9.5-inch python), the greatest distance cycled in one calendar year (75,065 miles), or the most prolific mother (a Russian mom who gave birth to 69 children from 1725 to 1765)? Want to beat the record for heaviest ice-cream sandwich (you'll have to top 830 pounds) or most expensive wedding (the 1981 nuptials of Mohammed and Princess Salama in Dubai cost $44 million)? Whether you seek specific facts to back up an essay or support an argument, need backseat entertainment for cross-country car trips and squirrelly passengers, or wish to browse eclectic facts whilst seated on the throne, the Guinness Book of World Records is a ceaseless source of interest and diversion. --Stephanie Gold

The Sasquatch that walks among us has a wide-ranging wardrobe, ranging from the stylish to the stochastic. Poems about places that may never have existed, or if they did are described in a way that makes them unrecognizable. Poems about people who did exist, but never thought the thoughts that are ascribed to them here. Poems that the Sasquatch themself has inscribed on the walls of the modern-day forest they have come out in.

Michael Gottlieb writes in his introduction that, following on from his Songs to Come for the Salamander , and Sorties , Mark Young continues to share the poems he writes every day, nearly every day. And we are the better for it. These are poems about what he sees. What he wants to see. What – he knows – we, the readers, need to see. And now we do see. And John Geraets adds that the world seems intent on losing its sense of magic, but Mark Young is less than convinced. His irrepressibility as a poet means that he somehow manages to enter the door that others are in the process of leaving, and vice versa. He is master over poetic language as a reflexive tool, in which the world’s coming and going are free to spin round each other, tellingly, enthrallingly. Your order is now equipped for shipping continues to show that his poetry is as significant in the present day as any we have before us.

Some readers might assume that particular, highly pessimistic generalizations in Young's poems are actually Mark Young presenting his sense of doom. The little ditty "democracy" registers the claim that "no-one// knows the/ words to" the "song" (the concept of democracy) even though "every-/ one sings" it, and "since violence is learned" tells us that "tolerance is no/ longer available, is replaced by trauma." Although nothing in the poems-not even such affirmations of aesthetic transport as "Constant Craving," which speaks of music "that acts as/ axis to steady everything around"-makes one identify the poet as a bright-eyed optimist, various moments in the work display too much respect for the complexity of cause and effect, limitations of human perception, the transience of trends, and sudden appearances of the unexpected to place sustained credence in large generalizations and foregone conclusions. from the Introduction by Thomas Fink

The book emphasizes the vital role of youth within the church, highlighting their current contributions rather than viewing them solely as future leaders. It advocates for recognizing and celebrating the talents and gifts of young people, encouraging their active involvement in all areas of ministry. By doing so, it aims to foster a more inclusive and dynamic church community that values the input and creativity of its younger members.

Exploring the themes of perception and experience, the narrative delves into the unexpected disruptions in our focus and the transformative moments they create. Through vivid imagery of flying ostriches and other surreal elements, the story illustrates how these interruptions allow characters to break free from their constricting environments. The language shifts to a more instinctual form, revealing deeper connections and insights that challenge the confines of their defined "habitat."

The poetry explores the seamless connection between fleeting moments and the passage of time, emphasizing nature's role in shaping our consciousness. Through vivid imagery, such as shared experiences in the Botanical Gardens and the striking presence of black cockatoos and small white flowers, the work invites readers to reflect on the beauty and complexity of truth in a political context. Mark Young's masterful verses challenge artificial boundaries, revealing a deeper understanding of existence and interconnectedness.