May tells the absorbing story of the hopes and struggles of one high school basketball team, the Northeast High School Knights in Northeast, Georgia, and the powerful role that a basketball team can play in keeping young African American kids straight, away from street-life, focused on completing high school, and possibly even attending college.

“Brimming with inspiring and creative uses for the humble embroidery hoop . . . The projects are modern, fresh, and on trend.” —A Spoonful of Sugar There are endless practical and decorative uses for the embroidery hoop: from pretty wall art and hanging mobiles to functional pin boards, key racks, mirrors and storage. Kirsty Neale explores the numerous different ways to decorate your hoops with a range of techniques including applique, embroidery, crochet, papercraft, painting, stamping, cross stitch and patchwork. The one hundred projects offer a diverse range of ideas for using everything in your craft stash to create unique items for yourself or your friends and family, for every room of your home and for any occasion! “The designs range from simple to detailed, and from stylish to incredibly cute . . . There’s a really great mix of projects in this book! The designs themselves are lots of fun, and the techniques and ideas can also be easily adapted to make your own embroidery hoop projects.” —Bugs and Fishes “Wonderfully photographed and delightfully colorful . . . each [idea] is so inspired and delightful.” —Feeling Stitchy “So many projects! . . . a great book for someone who likes to dabble in a variety of techniques . . . and use for crafternoons with your favorite people.” —Gnome Angel

Ten-year-old James tries to hold his own and prove himself on the basketball court when the older boys finally ask him to join them in a game. Full color. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.

"The book examines a series of practical goldsmithing projects, each of which has been successfully completed by student goldsmiths using its instructions ... The creation of rings, chains, bracelets, earrings, and clasps, the use of specialized tools, as well as hand positions, movements, and technical data are described in lucid text and demonstrated with an abundance of detailed color photos"--Cover.

From its storied invention in 1891 by Dr. James Naismith as a recreational activity for "incorrigible" youth, to its current multibillion-dollar industry of franchises, stars, and merchandise, basketball has captured America's--and stolen North Carolina's--heart. To the Hoop is the exhibition catalog for the Weatherspoon Art Museum's spring 2020 exhibit featuring portrayals of basketball in contemporary art, which coincides with Greensboro hosting both ACC and NCAA tournament games. The book includes scholarly writing about the artworks by Curator Emily Stamey, and a personal reflection on the game by Coach Wes Miller. Embedded in basketball's history are many of the topics fueling current social concerns. Divisions between rural and urban cultures can be considered in the distinctions between the sport's development in farming town gymnasiums and city playgrounds. Increasing commercialization can be traced through its intersections with fashion, franchising, and pop music. Issues of racial equity reverberate through the NBA and NCAA. And, the advancement of women's roles can likewise be considered through the early adaptations of rules for female athletes, the passing of Title IX, and the successes of the WNBA. The game's golden era of the 1980s and 1990s coincided with an explosion of the contemporary art market, and the sport's celebrated players and signature orange ball appear in the work of many art world stars. That moment also corresponded with an artistic shift towards work that addresses so many of the social issues--race, gender, economics--that readily surface in basketball's widespread popularity. The game also has distinct visual qualities that make it an apt subject for artists: unlike a baseball concealed in a glove or a football buried under a pileup, a basketball is readily seen, and athletes wear relatively minimal uniforms on an indoor field where cameras easily capture their expressions as they soar towards elevated goals. Last, but not least, artists have seen the star power of so many players and the nearly religious devotion of fans to their teams as compelling markers of social values and aspirations. To the Hoop explores these myriad facets of basketball's intersection with contemporary art and culture. Featuring the work of both internationally recognized and emerging artists, it offers an opportunity to consider the world in which we live through the overlapping lenses of sport and art. Dr. Emily Stamey is curator of exhibitions at the Weatherspoon Art Museum at UNC Greensboro. She is a specialist in American art and popular culture.

The Tao of Hoop is a philosophical memoir about how the humble hula-hoop transformed one woman's life...but, seriously, though! Ann Humphreys was not aware that she didn't understand how to feel--something we don't learn about in school--until she very randomly (through crushing on a hot dude) found the hula-hoop at age 35. Having endured a life-altering loss as a teenager, Ann had learned to handle grief and pain through the time-honored Southern traditions of denial and repression. The hula-hoop broke those old patterns, allowing her to meet a new wave of challenges with a clear mind and an open heart. Part story, part treatise, part inquiry, part self-help guide--The Tao of Hoop is a raw, poetic, and captivating read you will have a hard time putting down. 

"Beautifully illustrated and sharply written, SprawlBall is both a celebration and a critique of the 3-point shot. If you want to understand how the modern NBA came to be, you'll need to read this book." --Nate Silver, editor of fivethirtyeight.com From the leading expert in the exploding field of basketball analytics, a stunning infographic decoding of the modern NBA: who shoots where, and how. The field of basketball analytics has leaped to overdrive thanks to Kirk Goldsberry, whose visual maps of players, teams, and positions have helped teams understand who really is the most valuable player at any position. SprawlBall combines stunning visuals, in-depth analysis, fun, behind-the-scenes stories and gee-whiz facts to chart a modern revolution. From the introduction of the 3-point line to today, the game has changed drastically . . . Now, players like Steph Curry and Draymond Green are leading the charge. In chapters like "The Geography of the NBA," "The Interior Minister (Lebron James)," "The Evolution of Steph Curry," and "The Investor (James Harden)," Goldsberry explains why today's on-court product--with its emphasis on shooting, passing, and spacing--has never been prettier or more democratic. And it's never been more popular. For fans of Bill Simmons and FreeDarko, SprawlBall is a bold new vision of the game, presenting an innovative, cutting-edge look at the sport based on the latest research, as well as a visual and infographic feast for fans.