Dramatic Testimonies of Near-death Experiences and VisionsVoices from the Edge of Eternity is a compilation of the words and experiences of people both famous and obscure just before their deaths. Young and old, great and small, saint and sinner—these testimonies confirm the biblical doctrines of life after death, judgment for the nonbeliever, and eternal life for those who have accepted Christ as Savior. Included are the experiences of a formidable array of witnesses, such as Martin Luther, Voltaire, John Wesley, Joan of Arc, Thomas Paine, Charles Darwin, Queen Elizabeth I, John Calvin, Napoleon Bonaparte, Peter the Great, and many more. The agreement among the accounts is remarkable in this fascinating collection of thoughts and experiences that shed light on the life that awaits us after death.

"The essays in this book think through and with Deleuzian concepts in the educational field. The resultant encounters between concepts such as multiplicity, becoming, habit and affect and Multiple Literacies Theory exemplify philosophically inspired and productive thinking. "—Paul Patton, Professor of Philosophy, University of New South Wales

PAPER VOICES From the pages of my varied experiences, I speak to you, Ladies, not from the heart of a bosom but from the heart of my seasoned soul. Hence, the title, Paper Voices, accurately reflects my mode of sharing life, life with its dueling dynamics of simplicity versus complexity, life as it presents itself to us, as women. In Paper Voices we will share the good, the bad, the not so good and the downright ridiculous. We will laugh together and cry together. We will be Sisters in the most refined sense of the word. Some of you may wonder why Marilyn; why read from her pages; why listen to her voice? I ask, Ladies, why not me? Why not from a baby boomer who is gingerly sprinting into her sixth decade of life? Why not reap the benefits of seeds sown by a seasoned Sister who has mastered the art of listening, a woman wise enough to listen to God first, foremost and always? Ive been a child and an adult/a mother and a wife/a loyal lover, a faithful friend/ and a helping and watchful neighbor. Ive been victim and victor/suffered ups and downs/Ive run cold and hot/and Ive been right and Ive been wrong. I have a style of humor that can only be described as unique. Again, Ladies, why not me? Ive tried to accentuate the positive and minimize the negative. Im far from perfect; Im a multi-flawed me. And, although I have affected some bad choices, I made the good decision to live a humble and Godly life, a life in which I believe God is pleased. Why me, Ladies? Because the favor of the Lord says so. It was with favor that I received the words for Paper Voices, and it is with confidence in their truths and wisdom that I believe its Gods Will that you too will be blessed. Now, Ladies, lets have at it. Paper Voices: From the page to the heart unabashedly saying this, that, the other and more. Paper Voices: Its all about us, all about the commonalities of our richly diverse lives. Well meet again at the end of the journey.

Despite progress in recent years, Oklahoma hardly ranks as woman-friendly. The state holds the highest incarceration rate of women in the nation. It offers women no legal protection against being fired due to sexual orientation or gender identity. Its Native American and immigrant populations struggle for access to community resources. And Oklahoma is still governed largely by men, leaving women without adequate political representation. In 2007, the highly acclaimed anthology Voices from the Heartland provided a much-needed platform for Oklahoma women—prominent and unknown—to tell their stories. This timely sequel reflects an even broader cross-section of women’s experiences. Just like its predecessor, Voices from the Heartland: Volume II offers memorable accounts of struggle and transformation. It does not sugarcoat the problems that women face in contemporary Oklahoma—and in many parts of underprivileged America: racism, sexism, homophobia, poverty, addiction. The 38 contributions gathered here are honest and, at times, raw. They cover such varied topics as girlhood, trauma, the workplace, parenting, politics, and religious beliefs. Taken together, the essays comprise a living artifact of women’s history, accessible and, as an anthology, ideally suited for classroom use. In the wake of the #MeToo movement, it is more important than ever to listen to what women have to say about their own lives, including—and perhaps especially—women from flyover states like Oklahoma. As Sara N. Beam states so eloquently in her preface, “You’ll read their stories here as they want them told: in a mix of poetry and prose, in the voice of a relative, in the voice of a tired person across the breakroom table, in a secret hush, or in a voice not unlike that of your best friend or mother.” These voices from the heartland inspire us to pause, to listen, to understand, to evolve, and to make a difference.

The literature of the antebellum South has often been described in literary histories as little more than glorified propaganda for the aristocratic, slave-owning class. While this might pertain to the region’s historical romances that feature a dashing, resolute hero committed to upholding the dearly held institutions of slave-holding society and that relegate women and African Americans to roles as meek supporters or loyal comic sideshows, this view does not describe all of the South’s literature from this period.In Unwelcome Voices: Subversive Fiction in the Antebellum South, Paul C. Jones argues that there was a subversive group of voices that dared challenge cherished southern traditions and raised questions about the issues facing the South in the years leading up to the Civil War, including slavery, democracy, and women’s rights.Jones examines the work of five southern writers from that era: James Heath, Frederick Douglass, Edgar Allan Poe, John Pendleton Kennedy, and E.D.E.N. Southworth. Each author was subversive in different ways: Heath featured a progressive hero who ignored the aristocratic assumptions of the South; Douglass presented a rebellious slave hero and made the slave-owning class his villains; Poe used horror to highlight the South’s hidden anxieties; Kennedy challenged the romantic visions of the South by opposing them with realistic depictions of the region; and Southworth employed abolitionist rhetoric to undermine traditionalist discourse. Jones clearly shows that the fiction of these writers diverged sharply from the South’s dominant literary formula.Unwelcome Voices represents a major turning point in the study of the literature of the antebellum South. It recognizes those authors who produced the counterweight to the writing meant to prop up the region’s elite class and slaveholding way of life. Unwelcome Voices will be a welcome and needed addition to the libraries of anyone interested in Southern history or the literature of the antebellum period.