You ve spent an entire career working hard, and now it s time to retire. But what exactly does that mean?

Author Michael Bivona was unsure about what to do with his life when retiring, but he didn t let that stop him from finding ways to enjoy it. In this memoir and guidebook, he describes his retirement experiences and considers how to overcome challenging physical times that most retirees face; enjoy new hobbies without getting ripped off; find activities to enjoy with your significant other; and stretch a retirement budget.

He looks back on the great vacations and places he s enjoyed with his wife, Barbara, during retirement. Learn from his mistakes and follow in his footsteps to live some great experiences of your own.

You ve worked hard to get to this point, and you don t want to mess things up now. Get the information, tools, and strategies you need to live your life to the fullest in retirement.

Retired? What's Next? by Michael Bivona CPA, published by IUniverse, was a finalist in the Annual Eric Hoffer Awards for Short Prose & Independent Books. After a rigorous first round of judging, less than 10% of over 1,000 entrants were privileged to have the "2013 Eric Hoffer Award FINALIST-Excellence in Independent Publishing" assigned to their books and digital presentations.

The US Review of Books

"Before retiring, it's wise to begin building bridges to things you are passionate about, so that when the time comes, you have a choice of which bridges you can comfortably take into the next phase of your life."

Some people transition seamlessly into their "golden years," while others have a tougher time entering into retirement, wondering what's next? In Retired? What's Next?, retired accountant, Michael Bivona shares his answer. Part memoir, part retirement guide, this is both informative and inspirational. Touching on essential aspects of retirement like remaining healthy, financial matters, preparing a will, finding part-time and or volunteer work, Bivona delivers practical, real-life advice and insightful reflections.

"I realized after a friend's demise that many of the possessions that he had accumulated over his lifetime and were so dear to him, were of no interest to his heirs or friends, and were disposed of like pieces of junk."

Staking his own territory in the popular and compelling category of memoir writing, Bivona writes in a genuine narrative tone about how to manage the freedom, new opportunities and choices of retirement by focusing on what he knows and enjoys traveling, dancing, boating, fishing, tennis, golf, writing, reading, and collecting books. And showing by example, Bivona frames his real-life tips on planning for a rewarding retirement around his reflections and recounting of the collective highlights and significant moments and events of his life and retirement journey with his wife, Barbara.

Clearly, the Bivonas have a winning strategy for living life to the fullest in retirement. By learning not merely how to cope, but to thrive by crafting a retirement path that is focused on personal fulfillment and joyful meaning, as evidenced by their successful post-retirement journey. In Retired? What's Next?, retired readers, or those thinking of or planning for retirement, will gain insight from Bivona's shared personal wisdom and learn by example the guidance of his inner and outer retirement journeys, which can be applied to their own retirement goals for staying happy, healthy, and active.

The first authorised biography of eternal legend Elizabeth Taylor.

Known for her glamorous beauty, soap-opera personal life and magnetic screen presence, Elizabeth Taylor was the twentieth century's most famous film star. Including unseen photographs and unread private reflections, this authorised biography is a fascinating and complete portrait worthy of the legend and her legacy.

Elizabeth Taylor captures this intelligent, empathetic, tenacious, volatile and complex woman as never before, from her rise to massive fame at the age of twelve in National Velvet to becoming the first actor to negotiate a million-dollar salary for a film, from her eight marriages and enduring love affair with Richard Burton to her lifelong battle with addiction and her courageous efforts as an AIDS activist.

Using Elizabeth's unpublished letters, diary entries and off-the-record interview transcripts as well as interviews with 250 of her closest friends and family, Kate Andersen Brower tells the full, unvarnished story of the classic Hollywood star who continues to captivate audiences the world over.

Wilfrid Brambell was one of Britain's most loved and complex character actors. As Albert Ladysmith Steptoe, the unscrupulous rag-and-bone man with questionable habits in Ray Galton and Alan Simpson's long-running Steptoe & Son, he quickly became a household name with co-star Harry H. Corbett. But despite scores of other successes in roles on stage, TV and film, Brambell died a sad and lonely man. Alongside fame and fortune, 'You Dirty Old Man!' reveals how Brambell suffered unbelievable personal heartache, battling an inner turmoil that eventually drove him to drink as his marriage collapsed in the most deceitful circumstances imaginable. His torment led to a secretive life off camera where he did everything possible to stay out of the public eye. Featuring original interviews with film directors Richard Lester, Terence Davies and Tony Palmer, as well as recollections from his own family members, the family of Harry H. Corbett and those who worked alongside him, author David Clayton seeks to re-examine the legacy of a man whose loyal fanbase remains undiminished sixty years on from his heyday.

At a growth rate of baby chick to full adult in less than two months, chickens are one of the fastest growing food source known to man. It seems that chickens were put on earth to supply the world's population with eggs and meat. This book tells the story of Albert Okura's belief that his destiny in life is to sell more chickens than anyone else in the world. Although sounding preposterous at first glance, it needs to be noted that Colonel Sanders did not sell his first franchise until he was 60 years old. Albert was born in 1951 and grew up with the fledgling fast food industry. His first full time job was working at Burger King as a hamburger cook. Recognizing that mental toughness as well as the ability to train, develop, and motivate others was critical for long term success, Albert gravitated to those who inspired him. Lessons learned from life experiences helped him realize his destiny. In 1984, at the age of 32, Albert opened a rotisserie chicken restaurant with help from his uncle. Albert has become Southern California's foremost expert on mass producing, tender and moist rotisserie chickens. Juan Pollo is now poised to go into the bigtime. This is their story.

How can actors bridge the gap between themselves and the text and action of a script, integrating fully their learned vocal skills? How do we make an imaginary world real, create the life of a role, and fully embody it vocally and physically so that voice and acting become one? Christina Gutekunst and John Gillett unite their depth of experience in voice training and acting to create an integrated and comprehensive approach informed by Stanislavski and his successors - the acting approach widely taught to actors in drama schools throughout the world. This updated edition contains: a new chapter on vocal embodiment of actions, new findings from neuroscience supporting the approach, more exercises, warm-up routines for training, rehearsal and performance, and a completely new glossary of terms. The authors create a step-by-step guide to explore how voice can: - Respond to our thoughts, senses, feelings, imagination and will - Fully express language in content and form - Communicate imaginary circumstances and human experience - Transform to adapt to different roles - Connect to a variety of audiences and spaces Featuring 55 illustrations by German artist, Dany Heck, Voice into Acting is an essential manual for the actor seeking full vocal identity in characterization, and for the voice teacher open to new techniques or an alternative approach to harmonize with the actor's process.

"The writing of 'The Courage Machine, ' which covers ten years, was retarded by illness. For a long time I lived beside death. But I had a presentiment that something essential -- something foreseen in New York -- would develop for me during these last years. I was not mistaken.

"This book follows an evolution which, for me, is not a curve but an ascending line. There is a beginning and an end; a new beginning, an advance, and a new search; then again an advance -- but this time on an essential plane, where the great events are inner ones."

Georgette Leblanc's first encounter with the celebrated mystic, teacher and philosopher, George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff, was the turning point of her life. Impressed by his vast knowledge and "unknown doctrine," she attended his Institute at the Chateau du Prieure in Fontainebleau-Avon for two years. From then on, she continued to live according to his principles, absorbing his doctrine more and more deeply. Her effort to incorporate what she had assimilated during her years with Gurdjieff is recorded in the last part of the book.

The book covers my life growing up as a child in a poor neighborhood helping my single parent mom raise six sisters and brothers. I never lost sight of the challenges facing my family and doing whatever was necessary to help. Working after school was mandatory for our existence. I later went on to earn a BS in Electrical Engineering from Tennessee State University and and a Masters degree in Industrial Engineering from the University Of Toledo. I handled the opportunities as they presented them selves. The Corvette was suffering from poor quality and low customer satisfaction when I arrived and at my retirement we had achieved the highest quality and customer satisfaction ever experienced. August 29, 2013, I am being inducted into the Corvette Hall Of Fame of the National Corvette Museum.

Audiences everywhere fell in love with Marlee Matlin as the deaf student-turned-custodian in Children of a Lesser God, a role for which she became the youngest woman ever to win a Best Actress Oscar. Since then, she has become an inspirational force of nature - as a mother, activist and role model - in addition to playing memorable roles on popular television shows, such as Seinfeld, The West Wingand The L Word, and competing on Dancing with the Stars.Now, in I'll Scream Later, Marlee shares the story of her life. Marlee takes readers on a journey of her life, from the frightening loss of her hearing at eighteen months old to the highs and lows of Hollywood, her battles with addiction, and the unexpected challenges of being thrust into the spotlight as an emissary for the deaf community. She candidly shares for the first time the troubles of her youth, the passionate and tumultuous two-year relationship with Oscar winner William Hurt that led to a stint in rehab, and her subsequent romances with heartthrobs like Rob Lowe, Richard Dean Anderson, and David E. Kelley. Written with uncompromising honesty and humour, Matlin's story is an unforgettable lesson in having the courage to follow your dreams.

As a handsome and popular romantic actor with a fan club rivalling that of Ivor Novello, John Stuart was frequently mobbed by his adoring fans. He starred in films by Alfred Hitchcock and G.W. Pabst, played opposite British stars such as Madeleine Carroll, Fay Compton, Gracie Fields, and German actor Conrad Veidt, and was also the first actor to ever speak on screen in Britain. Yet despite a film career lasting six decades and comprising 172 films, his name and achievement are little known today. With access to Stuart's private archive, his surviving films, press cuttings, film reviews, interviews, profiles, features, and gossip columns, his son Jonathan Croall presents a detailed account of an actor who made a significant contribution to the British film industry of the 20th century.

The National Theatre's years at the Old Vic were the most Shakespearean period in its history, one which included Laurence Olivier's Othello and Shylock, a radical all-male As You Like It, the Berliner Ensemble's Coriolanus and Tom Stoppard's classic offshoot, Rosencrantz and Guildernstern are Dead. Drawing extensively upon the company archives, this book tells the interlinked stories of the National's relationship with Shakespeare through a series of production case studies. Between them these illuminate Olivier's significance as actor and director, the National's pioneering accommodation of European theatre practitioners, and its ways of engaging Shakespeare with the contemporary.

This is a biography of Dan Levenson, an old-time banjo and fiddle player from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Between 1987 and 1991, Dan worked for Goose Acres Folk Music Center in Cleveland, Ohio, where he dove deeply into old-time music. In the late 1980s, he formed the Boiled Buzzards; they recorded four albums between 1989 and 1994 and were a consistently active presence at old-time music festivals. During that time, he also played with Bob Frank as one-half of the Hotfoot Duo. In 1995, he teamed up with Kim Murley and recorded New Frontier: Instrumentals from China and America. Levenson undertook his first cross-country trip as a solo performer in 1996. His traveling program, "Meet the Banjo," ran as a workshop with the sponsorship of Deering Banjos from the late 1990s to the early 2000s. Dan recorded three projects in the first five years of the 2000s and began editing the quarterly "Old Time Way" section for Banjo Newsletter in 2005. He continues performing old-time music, teaching fiddle and banjo, writing instructional and repertoire books featuring banjo and fiddle tunes for Mel Bay, and making plans for more old-time music projects.

Other early 'stand-out' roles came in the premieres of Caryl Churchill's Cloud Nine (1979) and Mike Leigh's Goose Pimples (1981). He was Malcolm Bradbury's History Man on TV (1981) before joining the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1982, where he has played a huge variety of leading role in modern plays such as David Edgar's Maydays (1983) and Peter Flannery's Singer (1989) but chiefly in Shakespeare. He was the Fool to Michael Gambon's Lear, a famous Richard III, Shylock, Malvolio, Leontes, Macbeth with Harriet Walter, and, currently, Iago. For the RSC he was also Cyrano and Tamburlaine and the Malcontent. Interspersed with these were appearances at the National Theatre - as Astrov to Ian McKellen's Uncle Vanya, as Stanley Spencer in Pam Gems's play and as Titus Andronicus, which he originated at the Market Theatre, Johannesburg. In October 2004 he will appear at the National again in his own play based on Primo Levi's This was a Man. Following his debut as a writer with Year of the King, he has written four novels - Middlepost, Indoor Boy, Cheap Lives and The Feast - as well as an autobiography, Beside Myself (2001), and a play, I.D. (premiered at the Almeida, 2003).

"Stories of Oprah" is a collection of essays that explores Oprah Winfrey's broad reach as an industry and media brand. Contributors analyze a number of topics touching on the ways in which her cultural output shapes contemporary America. The volume examines how Oprah has fashioned a persona--which emphasizes her rural, poverty-stricken roots over other factors--that helps her popularize her unique blend of New Age spirituality, neoliberal politics, and African American preaching. She packages New Age spirituality through the rhetoric of race, gender, and the black preacher tradition. Oprah's Book Club has reshaped literary publishing, bringing Toni Morrison, William Faulkner, and Cormac McCarthy to a broad number of readers. Her brand extends worldwide through the internet. In this volume writers analyze her positions on teen sexuality, gender, race, and politics, and the impact of Winfrey's confessional mode on mainstream television news.

The book also addresses twenty-first-century issues, showing Winfrey's influence on how Americans and Europeans responded to 9/11, and how Harpo Productions created a deracialized film adaptation of Zora Neale Hurston's classic novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God" in 2005. Throughout, "Stories of Oprah" challenges readers to reflect on how Oprah the Industry has reshaped America's culture, history, and politics.

Bernard Shaw on the American Stage is the first comprehensive study of the production of Bernard Shaw's plays in America. During his lifetime (1856-1950), Shaw was America's most popular living playwright; productions of his plays were outnumbered only by Shakespeare. Forty-four of Shaw's plays were staged in America before his death, eight more posthumously. Eleven of the productions were world premieres. Bernard Shaw on the American Stage tells the story of the fifty-two premieres, which, apart from a few fragments, is his total dramatic oeuvre. The book also includes, again for the first time, production data and concise overviews of dozens of the most notable American revivals of the plays, from the 1890s to the beginning of the 2020 pandemic. Illustrations-production photographs, programmes, theatre buildings, playbills, actors' studio portraits- inform the study throughout.

'Coveney is the only writer who could get under Smith's skin, capturing her steeliness and vulnerability' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY From her days as a star of West End comedy and revue, Dame Maggie's path has led to international renown and numerous accolades including two Academy Awards. Recently she has been as prominent on our screens as ever, with high-profile roles as the formidable Dowager Countess of Grantham in DOWNTON ABBEY, as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the HARRY POTTER movie franchise and as the eccentric Miss Shepherd in the film version of THE LADY IN THE VAN by Alan Bennett. Paradoxically she remains an enigmatic figure, rarely appearing in public and carefully guarding her considerable talent. Drawing on personal archives, interviews and encounters with the actress, as well as conversations with immediate family and dear friends, Michael Coveney's biography is a captivating portrait of the real Maggie Smith.

This is a woman's survival story that begins with life in Europe, loss of her father convicted of being a spy and sent to Siberia, her flight to Poland, where she becomes a prisoner of the Germans. She survives labor farms, a concentration camp and an abusive relationship in the U.S.

The cinephile community knows Abbas Kiarostami (1940-2016) as one of the most important filmmakers of the previous decades. This volume illustrates why the Iranian filmmaker achieved critical acclaim around the globe and details his many contributions to the art of filmmaking. Kiarostami began his illustrious career in his native Iran in the 1970s, although European and American audiences did not begin to take notice until he released his 1987 feature Where's the Friend's House? His films defy established conventions, placing audiences as active viewers who must make decisions about actions and characters while watching the narratives unfold. He asks viewers to question the genre construct (Close-Up) and challenges them to determine how to watch and imagine a narrative (Ten and Shirin). In recognition for his approach to the craft, Kiarostami was awarded many honors during his lifetime, including the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997 for Taste of Cherry. In Abbas Kiarostami: Interviews, editor Monika Raesch collects eighteen interviews (several translated into English for the first time), lectures, and other materials that span Kiarostami's career in the film industry. In addition to exploring his expertise, the texts provide insight into his life philosophy. This volume offers a well-rounded picture of the filmmaker through his conversations with journalists, film scholars, critics, students, and audience members.

For over a decade, Tyler Perry has been a lightning rod for both criticism and praise. To some he is most widely known for his drag performances as Madea, a self-proclaimed ""mad black woman,"" not afraid to brandish a gun or a scalding pot of grits. But to others who watch the film industry, he is the businessman who by age thirty-six had sold more than $100 million in tickets, $30 million in videos, $20 million in merchandise, and was producing 300 projects each year viewed by 35,000 every week. Is the commercially successful African American actor, director, screenwriter, playwright, and producer ""malt liquor for the masses,"" an ""embarrassment to the race!,"" or is he a genius who has directed the most culturally significant American melodramas since Douglas Sirk? Are his films and television shows even melodramas, or are they conservative Christian diatribes, cheeky camp, or social satires? Do Perry's flattened narratives and character tropes irresponsibly collapse important social discourses into one-dimensional tales that affirm the notion of a ""post-racial"" society?In light of these debates, From Madea to Media Mogul makes the argument that Tyler Perry must be understood as a figure at the nexus of converging factors, cultural events, and historical traditions. Contributors demonstrate how a critical engagement with Perry's work and media practices highlights a need for studies to grapple with developing theories and methods on disreputable media. These essays challenge value-judgment criticisms and offer new insights on the industrial and formal qualities of Perry's work.

Ermanno Olmi is one of cinema's great, unsung filmmakers. With no formal filmmaking education, he drew upon his documentary roots to emerge onto the Italian art film scene, just as the last canonical neo-realist movies were released in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Though his films--including Il Posto (1961), The Tree of Wooden Clogs (1978) and The Legend of the Holy Drinker (1988) won top prizes at Cannes and Venice, the majority of his work has remained unappreciated in academic and cinephile circles, especially outside of Italy. This first English language book on Olmi explores the director's style and evolving environmentalism, from his early, institutional short films, made while working at an Italian energy company, to his 19 feature films.