Of the five major Shakespearean tragedies-Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, King Lear, and Othello-Macbeth is in some ways the most accessible. For one it is the shortest. For another the witches continue to attract audiences just as they did during Elizabethan times. In addition he cinematographic approach of the last act-cutting easily from scene to scene-works as well as it did in Shakespeare's time. Thus, the play is a natural to introduce students to the Shakespeare canon. Probably it doesn't rival Romeo and Juliet in popularity with students or Julius Caesar with teachers, but nevertheless it is a finished, representative work of the best of William Shakespeare. In addition the main theme-ambition-one which is relevant to Americans today, can be witnessed again and again, especially during our quadrennial presidential elections. "I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent," Macbeth muses; there are those seeking to attract the public eye for whom this statement applies equally well. I cannot say I enjoyed reading Macbeth the first time. It was an assignment and, as do many students, I disliked having to read the play. However, over the years of teaching the play and re-reading it-by choice-I have come to regard the play with respect and simultaneously admiration for the playwright. The play communicates its own special numen. Macbeth is the most tightly unified of the Shakespearean tragedies, and it is filled with major themes-ambition, definition of character, allegiance to one's state and king- and some which may be regarded as minor-sleep, drink, and humor. None of them could be sacrificed as together they make a unity of approach meant to satisfy the general audience and the groundlings. As one who has a foot in both camps, I believe the play is a masterpiece.

In their edited volume Writing for Professional Development, Giulia Ortoleva, Mireille Betrancourt and Stephen Billett provide a range of contributions in which empirical research, instructional models and educational practice are used to explore and illuminate how the task and process of writing can be used as tools for professional development. Throughout the volume, two main perspectives are considered: learning to write professionally and writing to learn the profession, both for initial occupational preparation and ongoing development within them. The contributions consider a range of fields of professional practice, across sectors of education, starting from the premises that the role of writing as evolved in all occupational domains, becoming a key activity in most workplaces. Contributors are: Cecile M. Badenhorst, Elena Boldrini, Esther Breuer, Ines Cardoso, Alberto Cattaneo, Peter Czigler, Jessica Dehler, Pauline Glover, Terri Grant, Jean-Luc Gurtner, Jacqueline Hesson, Ashgar Iran-Nejad, Rhonda Joy, Ann Kelly, Merja Kurunsaari, Xumei Li, Laetitia Mauroux, Heather McLeod, Elisa Motta, Astrid Neumann, Julian Newman, Sigrid Newman, Sharon Penney, Luisa Alvares Pereira, Sarah Pickett, Iris Susana Pires Pereira, Anna Perreard Vite, Arja Piirainen, Elisa Redondi, Sabine Vanhulle, Ray Smith, Kirk P. H. Sullivan, Linda Sweet, Paivi Tynjala, Dorothy Vaandering, Rebecca Woodard, and Gabrielle Young.

As the most widely documented language in human history, English holds a unique key to unlocking some of the mysteries of the uniquely human endowment of language. Yet the field of World Englishes has remained somewhat marginal in linguistic theory. This collection heralds a more direct and mutually constructive engagement with current linguistic theories, questions, and methodologies. It achieves this through areal overviews, theoretical chapters, and case studies. The 36 articles are divided between four themes: Foundations, World Englishes and Linguistic Theory, Areal Profiles, and Case Studies. Part I sets out the complex history of the global spread of English. This is followed, in Part II, by chapters addressing the mutual relevance and importance of World Englishes and numerous theoretical subfields of Linguistics. Part III offers detailed accounts of the structure and social histories of specific varieties of English spoken across the globe, highlighting points of theoretical interest. The collection closes with a set of case studies that exemplify the type of analysis encouraged by the volume. As attention is focused on innovative work at the interface of dialect description and theoretical explanation, the book is more succinct in its treatment of applied themes, which are given complementary coverage in other works.

A Handful of Love is a book of Haiku poetry. The poems are not arranged in any particular order, yet, their individual and collective power, beauty and enlightenment are undaunted by their non-traditional arrangement. This book is perfect for individual, group and even classroom readings. Not only is it well suited for personal entertainment and enlightenment, but many of the short compositions found in it are perfect for group and/or class discussions. Unquestionably this book has the potential to revive the lost arts of reading, writing and simply enjoying Haiku poetry. Unique in its approach as well as in the topics it covers, this is a book that individuals of every age can read, enjoy, love and pass on.

THE BEST RESOURCE FOR GETTING YOUR FICTION PUBLISHED Novel & Short Story Writer's Market 2019 is the only resource you need to get your short stories, novellas, and novels published. The 38th edition of NSSWM features hundreds of updated listings for book publishers, literary agents, fiction publications, contests, and more. Each listing includes contact information, submission guidelines, and other essential tips. Novel & Short Story Writer's Market also offers valuable advice to elevate your fiction: Break down the anatomy of a great short story. Learn how to create an antagonistic setting and incorporate conflict into your fiction. Discover the important elements of complexity and how to use those elements to develop your story. Gain insight from best-selling and award-winning authors, including George Saunders, Kristin Hannah, Roxane Gay, and more. You will also receive a one-year subscription to WritersMarket.com's searchable online database of fiction publishers (NOTE: the subscription comes with the print version ONLY). + Includes access to the webinar "Pillars of Perfect Structure" hosted by bestselling author James Scott Bell

This book offers an interdisciplinary approach to the teaching of academic writing and information literacy in a new digital dimension, drawing on recent trends towards project-based writing, digital writing and multimodal writing in Education, and synthesising theory with practice to provide a handy toolkit for teachers and researchers. The author combines a practical orientation to teaching academic writing and information literacy with a grounding in current theories of writing instruction in the digitalized era, and argue that as digital environments become more universal in modern society - particularly in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic - the lines between traditional academic writing and multi-modal digital writing must necessary become blurred. This book will be of use to teachers and instructors of academic writing and information literacy, particularly within the context of English for Academic Purposes (EAP), as well as students and researchers in Applied Linguistics, Pedagogy and Digital Writing.

Fluency in English is a highly sought after skill in every sphere of life. It is the yardstick that could make or break a person's chances of making it in the competitive job market that has become global and where to communicate confidently and smartly seperates the achiever from the loser. The contents of the book, in the form of explanations and exercises, promises to be easy to understand and the activities fun to work out. What a great way to learn

"The Pleasures of Structure "starts from the premise that the ability to develop a well understood and articulated story structure is the most important skill a screenwriter can develop. For example, good structure requires a great premise and rigorous character development. Without clear character motivations and goals--which are themselves indicative of key structural beats--your story is going exactly nowhere. Using the simple and flexible 'W' model of screenplay structure developed in the prequel "Write What You Don't Know," Hoxter sets this out as its starting point. This model is tested against a range of examples which are chosen to explore the flexibility not only of that model but of movie storytelling more generally. Writers and students often worry that they are asked to work 'to formula'. This book will test that formula to breaking point. For example, the first case study will offer the example of a well written, professional, mainstream movie against which our later and more adventurous examples can be compared. So the lessons we learn examining the animated family adventure movie "How To Train Your Dragon "lead us directly to ask questions of our second case study, the acclaimed Swedish vampire movie "Lat den Ratte Komma In "("Let The Right One In"). Both movies have protagonists with the same basic problem, the same goal, and they use the same basic structure to tell their stories. Of course they are very different films and they work on their audiences in very different ways. Our linked case studies will expose how simple choices, like reversing the order of elements of the protagonist's transformational arc and shifting ownership of key story beats, has an enormous impact on how we respond to a structural model that is otherwise functionally identical.