As a singer/songwriter, I've always viewed song lyrics as a form of poetry- poetry that has the potential to touch people's heart-felt feelings and emotions, with the help of a melody, voice and instruments. Here is my poetic collection of song lyrics to accompany my inspirational memoir Still Singing, Somehow. For those who have read my personal odyssey, these lyrics will add another dimension, and much insight, into many of the various stories and personal feelings expressed in the book.

Still Singing, Somehow will make you laugh, cry or maybe even angry at times. It is about one man's life as he fights through alcoholism, prison, traveling all around the world, married life and finely peace at the end. It is stranger than fiction; this book will take you beyond your imagination to faraway places and bizarre situations.

Joel Vernon Smith invites you to watch while life unfolds for entities we’ll never meet, in settings far from our day-to-day locales. Each character is someone we once loved. Or we wish we could have loved. Or perhaps we seek merely to understand her. A sensitive teen takes his dad’s memory for a ride in a new four-wheel-drive in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. A married couple shares a traumatic memory of a decaying barn. A passionate duo learns that their ship is doomed. A wealthy college student argues with his girlfriend when a draft notice arrives. A mentally-troubled elderly woman claims a friendship with a man of smoke. Frightful demons force a man to do a dark tunnel-dance in front of a stalled bus. The author of The Rapists bids you to explore the lives of mostly-gentle human beings as they deal with feelings of love or the arrival of unexpected horror. If it’s true (as a late-sixties song suggests) that words of love won’t win a girl’s heart anymore, perhaps the reader should open this book and take a journey to somewhere she’s never been before. The ride will be exciting.

Child abuse from the perspective of the child. When Anna, the narrator, is five years old, her mother marries a drunkard who takes a fancy to her daughters, repeatedly raping one. The mother turns a blind eye.

An extensive biographical and critical survey of more than 300 jazz and popular singers is comprised of provocative, opinionated essays that incorporate the views of peers, fans and critics while assessing key movements and genres.

The days are long, but the years are short. No matter if it’s your child’s first step, first day of school, or first night tucked away in a new dorm room away from home, there comes a moment when you realize just how quickly the years are flying by. Christian music artist Nichole Nordeman’s profound lyrics in her viral hit “Slow Down” struck a chord with moms everywhere, and now this beautiful four-color book will inspire you to celebrate the everyday moments of motherhood. Filled with thought-provoking writings from Nichole, as well as guest writings from friends including Shauna Niequist and Jen Hatmaker, practical tips, and journaling space for reflection, Slow Down will be a poignant gift for any mom, as well as a treasured keepsake. Take a few moments to reflect and celebrate the privilege of being a parent and getting to watch your little ones grow—and Slow Down. Nichole Nordeman has sold more than 1 million albums as a Christian music artist and has won 9 GMA Dove Awards, including two awards for Female Vocalist of the Year and Songwriter of the Year. Nichole released a lyric video for her song “Slow Down,” and it struck a chord with parents everywhere, amassing 14 million views in its first five days. She lives in Oklahoma with her two children.

The Singer and the Scribe brings together studies of the European ballad from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century by major authorities in the field and is of interest to students of European literature, popular traditions and folksong. It offers an original view of the development of the ballad by focusing on the interplay and interdependence of written and oral transmission, including studies of modern singers and their repertoires and of the role of the audience in generating a literary product which continues to live in performance. While using specific case studies the contributors systematically extend their reflections on the ballad as song and as poetry to draw broader conclusions. Covering the Hispanic world, including the Sephardic tradition, Scandinavia, The Netherlands, Greece, Russia, England and Scotland the essays also demonstrate the interconnections of a European tradition beyond national boundaries.