At first glance, contemporary popular culture, filled with bleak images of the future, seems to have given up on the possibility of positive collective change. Below the surface, however, alternative culture is rife with artist-led projects, activist movements, and subcultural communities of interest that seek to spark the collective imagination and to encourage hunger for alternatives. More playfully self-conscious than past utopian movements, today's are often whimsical or ironic, but are still entirely earnest. Artists invite us to re-author city maps, or archive individual ideas for the future, while maker collectives urge us to rethink our relationship to consumer goods. All seem to have grown out of a similar do-it-yourself ethos and alternative culture. One of the central conflicts informing these case studies is that while it remains immensely difficult to envision anything outside of the current system of consumer capitalism, there is nevertheless a powerful desire to take it apart in piecemeal ways. We see the longing for new social and political narratives, new forms of communion and sociability, and new imaginings of the possible, longings that are currently unmet by mainstream culture, but that are taking expression in myriad ways at the local level. Taken as a whole, this collection examines what our grand ideals and playful daydreams tell us about ourselves.

In an age when Jon Stewart frequently tops lists of most-trusted newscasters, the films of Michael Moore become a dominant topic of political campaign analysis, and activists adopt ironic, fake personas to attract attention the satiric register has attained renewed and urgent prominence in political discourse. Amber Day focuses on the parodist news show, the satiric documentary, and ironic activism to examine the techniques of performance across media, highlighting their shared objective of bypassing standard media outlets and the highly choreographed nature of current political debate."

Color your way to calm and purpose while cooking delicious food-all with one book! Drawing inspiration from her beautiful blog A Cozy Kitchen, cookbook author and food blogger Adrianna Adarme has created an adult coloring cookbook with 40 happy, cozy, and tasty recipes and illustrations-including pizza for breakfast and kaleidoscope ratatouille tarts-resulting in a color-as-you-cook pattern extravaganza, garnished with sprinkles. The simple-to-make, delicious-to-eat recipes are accompanied by charming drawings by illustrator Amber Day, who encourages you to be creative with your color choices-make your strawberries green and your latte blue if you like! Make this book as vibrant as the farmers' market and as fun to play with as an unchartered weekend day. As a bonus, Adarme's adorable pet Corgi, Amelia, prances through the pages, beckoning you to color her as she tries to steal cakes off the counter and dreams about doggie treats.