A fascinating tour through parts of geometry students are unlikely to see in the rest of their studies while, at the same time, anchoring their excursions to the well known parallel postulate of Euclid. The author shows how alternatives to Euclids fifth postulate lead to interesting and different patterns and symmetries, and, in the process of examining geometric objects, the author incorporates the algebra of complex and hypercomplex numbers, some graph theory, and some topology. Interesting problems are scattered throughout the text. Nevertheless, the book merely assumes a course in Euclidean geometry at high school level. While many concepts introduced are advanced, the mathematical techniques are not. Singers lively exposition and off-beat approach will greatly appeal both to students and mathematicians, and the contents of the book can be covered in a one-semester course, perhaps as a sequel to a Euclidean geometry course.

A fascinating tour through parts of geometry students are unlikely to see in the rest of their studies while, at the same time, anchoring their excursions to the well known parallel postulate of Euclid. The author shows how alternatives to Euclids fifth postulate lead to interesting and different patterns and symmetries, and, in the process of examining geometric objects, the author incorporates the algebra of complex and hypercomplex numbers, some graph theory, and some topology. Interesting problems are scattered throughout the text. Nevertheless, the book merely assumes a course in Euclidean geometry at high school level. While many concepts introduced are advanced, the mathematical techniques are not. Singers lively exposition and off-beat approach will greatly appeal both to students and mathematicians, and the contents of the book can be covered in a one-semester course, perhaps as a sequel to a Euclidean geometry course.

Port of Call describes a metaphysical journey at the dawn of the 3rd millennium. Time blurs, and unsettled relationships mirror a world of heightened disconnection and hope. In a spare and lyrical form, poet/performance artist Davida Singer creates the long breath of a journey to eight destinations: "millennium," "florida," "montreal," "dementia," "long island," "vermont," "new york" and "taos." Time blurs as we meet past and present lovers, a mother with dementia and revisit her roots and the loss of a father. Recent backdrops -- 9/11 and global warming -- mirror personal frailty; a fractured pelvis and unsettled relationships become metaphors for a world of heightened disconnection. Dreams are infused with a seer raven, the future is dicey and hope lies in ordinary moments captured and rekindled by the heart.
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"There's much to admire in Davida Singer's strong new book Port of Call--the staccato beat of New York City, the snowy fields of Vermont, where vertigo and the ephemeral live side by side in a flashback with 9/11, sequoias, and "cosmic rift/ kaleidoscopic." Language is a springboard, offering judgment and choice, and metaphor is both autobiographical and historic, all movingly bearing witness to her time and ours."
--Philip Schultz, Pulitzer Prize Winner in Poetry

"Singer's keen eye masterfully splits punctuated moments of love and loss, hovers above them, and gives wings and lightness to even the darkest of emotions. These poems are full of heart and hope. There is a sly wisdom here, and I am happily the wiser for having come to know her rich, incisive, generous words."
--Cusi Cram, Playright and Author of A Lifetime Burning

"Davida Singer's port of call is a delight. In her chronicles of one woman's life at the turn of the millennium, she includes us all."
--Jan Heller Levi, Poet, Author of Skyspeak