From the nuts and bolts of craft to the sources of inspiration, this book is for anyone who wants to write poetry--and do it well. In this fortuitous collaboration, two spirited poets, themselves teachers of poetry, offer guidance to aspiring beginners and those who have already published. Brief essays on the elements of poetry, technique, and suggested subjects for writing are each followed by distinctive writing exercises.

What makes a poem a poem? is it simply a matter of taking words and writing them out in verse form and making them rhyme? Or is it actually much more than that-the use of rules about meter, form, and rhyme to create a framework for the expression of special observations and ideas

POEM-MAKING is a handbook of the mechanics of writing poetry. In a clear, understandable tone it introduces children to the different voices of poetry; types of rhyme and other elements of sound, rhythm, and metrics; and some of the most common forms of poetry.

Myra Cohn Livingston is a well known author, anthologist, poet, and teacher. She has used all her experiences in these fields to make POEM MAKING a useful, accessible, and unique guide for children to use in creating poems of their own.

Do you get tongue-tied at the mere thought of speaking in public? Would you rather swim with sharks or undergo a tax audit than face an audience? Well, you’re not alone. According to the Book of Lists’ list of humans’ greatest fears, the fear of death is our fourth greatest fear, while fear of public speaking commands a solid first place.
Now from Roger E. Axtell, one of America’s most accomplished public speakers, here’s a book guaranteed to turn even the most stage-shy mumbler into a great communicator.
Geared primarily, but not exclusively, for business people, this amusing and informative guide can show you how to possess the powers of public persuasion you’ve always dreamed of having. Whether it’s making a pitch to the board of directors, or prepping the sales force, stating your case to the town council, or being interviewed on live TV, Do’s and Taboos of Public Speaking can help you to be an intelligent, articulate, confident, and likable presence in front of any audience you’ll ever face.

• Surefire techniques for controlling fear, preparing for and organizing a business presentation or speech, using body language and humor, getting the most out of audio and audio/visual equipment, speaking in front of the camera, and much, much more
• Helpful hints from successful business speakers and such greats as Winston Churchill, Lee Iacocca, Red Barber, Roger Ailes, and Charles Osgood
• Special chapters on humor and roasts, speaking internationally, and even how to become a professional speaker

Dramatically updating and extending the first edition, published in 1995, the second edition of The Handbook of Brain Theory and Neural Networks presents the enormous progress made in recent years in the many subfields related to the two great questions: How does the brain work? and, How can we build intelligent machines?
Once again, the heart of the book is a set of almost 300 articles covering the whole spectrum of topics in brain theory and neural networks. The first two parts of the book, prepared by Michael Arbib, are designed to help readers orient themselves in this wealth of material. Part I provides general background on brain modeling and on both biological and artificial neural networks. Part II consists of "Road Maps" to help readers steer through articles in part III on specific topics of interest. The articles in part III are written so as to be accessible to readers of diverse backgrounds. They are cross-referenced and provide lists of pointers to Road Maps, background material, and related reading.
The second edition greatly increases the coverage of models of fundamental neurobiology, cognitive neuroscience, and neural network approaches to language. It contains 287 articles, compared to the 266 in the first edition. Articles on topics from the first edition have been updated by the original authors or written anew by new authors, and there are 106 articles on new topics.
Comprehensive text charts the progress made in recent years in answering the questions 'How does the brain work?' and 'How can we build intelligent machines?' Articles are presented in alphabetical order by title. Part one covers background, part two, brain theory and neural networks, and part three includes the articles. Previous edition: c1995.

Describes the history, geography, government, economy, people, and culture of Italy.