From the international bestselling author of The Element, Ken Robinson is one of the world's most influential voices in education. In this inspiring, empowering book, he sets out a new vision for how education can be transformed to enable all young people to flourish.

Filled with practical examples and groundbreaking research, it will inspire the change our children urgently need.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER Joseph, a man in his late thirties, awakens disoriented and uneasy in a place he doesn't recognize. He doesn't know where he is and he has no way to contact his wife. He sets out on a journey to find his home with no sense of where he's going and only the precious, indelible vision of the woman he loves to guide him. Antoinette is an elderly woman in an assisted living facility. In recent months, her friends seem different to her and the world seems increasingly confusing. So she retreats inside her head. There, her body and mind haven't betrayed her. There, she's a young newlywed with a husband who dotes on her and an entire life of dreams to live. There, she is truly home. Warren, Antoinette's son, is a man in his early forties going through the toughest year of his life. His marriage ended, he lost his job, and in the past few months, his mother has gone from hale to increasingly hazy. With far too much time on his hands, he decides to try to recreate his memories of home by attempting to cook his mother's greatest dishes and eat them with her. Joseph, Antoinette, and Warren are three people on different searches for home. How they find it, and how they connect with each another at this critical stage in their lives, is the foundation for the kind of profound and deeply moving story we've come to expect from Lou Aronica. PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED AS MICHAEL BARON

NATIONAL BESTSELLER Only a few months ago, Gerry Rubato had everything he thought he needed from life. He was passionately in love with his college sweetheart after nearly twenty years of marriage, he had a bright, independent-minded daughter, and he had the surprising addition of a new child on the way. Then everything changed with stunning rapidity. With little explanation, his daughter ran away with her older boyfriend. Then, only a month after giving birth to their son, his wife died suddenly. Now, Gerry needs to be everything to his infant child while he contends with two losses he can barely comprehend. And when a woman walks into his life as a friend and their relationship verges on something more, Gerry must redefine all that he knows about himself, about love, about loyalty, and about his dreams. An emotionally charged story filled with warmth, humor, wisdom, and unforgettable characters, WHEN YOU WENT AWAY is a novel you will take to your heart. PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED AS MICHAEL BARON

The New York Times bestselling author of The Element gives readers an inspirational and practical guide to self-improvement, happiness, creativity, and personal transformation. You, Your Child, and School is forthcoming from Viking. Sir Ken Robinson's TED talk video and groundbreaking book, The Element, introduced readers to a new concept of self-fulfillment through the convergence of natural talents and personal passions. The Element has inspired readers all over the world and has created for Robinson an intensely devoted following. Now comes the long-awaited companion, the practical guide that helps people find their own Element. Among the questions that this new book answers are: * How do I find out what my talents and passions are? * What if I love something I'm not good at? * What if I'm good at something I don't love? * What if I can't make a living from my Element? * How do I do help my children find their Element? Finding Your Element comes at a critical time as concerns about the economy, education and the environment continue to grow. The need to connect to our personal talents and passions has never been greater. As Robinson writes in his introduction, wherever you are, whatever you do, and no matter how old you are, if you're searching for your Element, this book is for you.

A "New York Times-"bestselling breakthrough book about talent, passion, and achievement from the one of the world's leading thinkers on creativity and self-fulfillment.
The Element is the point at which natural talent meets personal passion. When people arrive at the Element, they feel most themselves and most inspired and achieve at their highest levels. With a wry sense of humor, Ken Robinson looks at the conditions that enable us to find ourselves in the Element and those that stifle that possibility. Drawing on the stories of a wide range of people, including Paul McCartney, Matt Groening, Richard Branson, Arianna Huffington, and Bart Conner, he shows that age and occupation are no barrier and that this is the essential strategy for transform-ing education, business, and communities in the twenty-first century.
Also available from Ken Robinson is "Finding Your Element," the practical guide to achieving your highest potential.

A revolutionary reappraisal of how to educate our children and young people by Ken Robinson, the New York Times bestselling author of The Element and Finding Your Element. Ken Robinson is one of the world's most influential voices in education, and his 2006 TED Talk on the subject is the most viewed in the organization's history. Now, the internationally recognized leader on creativity and human potential focuses on one of the most critical issues of our time: how to transform the nation's troubled educational system. At a time when standardized testing businesses are raking in huge profits, when many schools are struggling, and students and educators everywhere are suffering under the strain, Robinson points the way forward. He argues for an end to our outmoded industrial educational system and proposes a highly personalized, organic approach that draws on today's unprecedented technological and professional resources to engage all students, develop their love of learning, and enable them to face the real challenges of the twenty-first century. Filled with anecdotes, observations and recommendations from professionals on the front line of transformative education, case histories, and groundbreaking research-and written with Robinson's trademark wit and engaging style-Creative Schools will inspire teachers, parents, and policy makers alike to rethink the real nature and purpose of education.

The groundbreaking international bestseller that will help you fulfil your true potential. The Element is the point at which natural talent meets personal passion. In this hugely influential book, world-renowned creativity expert Ken Robinson considers the child bored in class, the disillusioned employee and those of us who feel frustrated but can't quite explain why - and shows how we all need to reach our Element. Through the stories of people like Vidal Sassoon, Arianna Huffington and Matt Groening, who have recognized their unique talents and made a successful living doing what they love, Robinson explains how every one of us can find ourselves in our Element, and achieve everything we're capable of. With a wry sense of humour, Ken Robinson shows the urgent need to enhance creativity and innovation by thinking differently about ourselves. Above all, he inspires us to reconnect with our true self - it could just change everything. 'The Element offers life-altering insights about the discovery of your true best self' Stephen R. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People 'A book that lightens and lifts the minds and hearts of all who read it' Susan Jeffers, author of Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway

International bestselling authors of The Element As a parent, what should you look for in your children's education? How can you tell if their school is right for them, and what can you do if it isn't? In this important new book, Sir Ken Robinson, one of the world's most influential voices in education, offers clear principles and practical advice on how to support your child through the education system, or outside it. Dispelling myths, tackling controversies and weighing up the main choices, You, Your Child, and School is a key book for parents to learn about the kind of education their children really need and what they can do to make sure they get it.

The 2014 AuthorsFirst writing contests brought submissions from a wide range of profound and wildly entertaining talent. From this group of nearly a thousand entrants, we have chosen seventeen works of short fiction that will dazzle the imagination and thrill the heart. What happens when the most remarkable woman you've ever met disappears for weeks at a time leaving only magic and mystery in her wake? What happens when a hostel worker slowly loses his sense of identity? What happens when a woman's reinvention leads her away from her husband and children? What happens when a veteran rocker meets the inspiration for one of his biggest hits -- his long-estranged daughter? You'd be surprised. PORTABLE MAGIC is a rich anthology of rewarding stories from names you're going to want to remember. ABOUT AUTHORS FIRST We believe in authors, and we understand that building a community for authors to explore and improve their craft is key to a vibrant future for books. To support this belief, in 2013 The Story Plant launched the website Authors First to provide a home for writers created by writers who understand all of the iterations of the writing life.

Doug Sirius is a developer who is ready to tear down a building in the Tenderloin of San Francisco to put up a high-rise but there is an Historical proposal in Sacramento that stands in his way. A woman on the phone berates Doug for things he has done in the past, actions that he actually is quite proud about, and urges him to correct his ways. She warns him of the consequences of his future actions making it sound like she can see the future. And how does she know what he is doing when he is behind closed doors? Doug is very protective of his privacy to the point of an obsession. He knows he is naturally paranoid but that doesn't seem to relieve it. A beautiful Asian woman drops by his office and gives him a gift from her mother, neither of whom does Doug know. After the woman leaves he opens the package only to find an empty box. What could it mean? Yet what's most on Doug's mind is will he ever see her again. There is a prank or maybe even a conspiracy going on. So many people close to him are lying about things that have happened. Over and over again he is confronted by these incongruities. Why is everyone doing this to him? Even the Mayor of San Francisco, whom Doug solicits to help getting his building permit, seems to be involved. As Doug tries to find the father of a homeless friend of his fifteen-year-old niece, his own world begins to make less and less sense. Yet, somehow he sees hope in the homeless he meets on the streets of San Francisco, a hope that is very fragile. This young homeless teenager may just be Doug's salvation.

the final book of The Verona Trilogy A QUEST FOR LOST LOVE. AN ADVENTURE OF MANY LIFETIMES. Hansum, Shamira and Lincoln are three 24th-century time travelers desperate to return to 14th-century Verona and reclaim their medieval family's shattered lives. It is a mission fraught with danger and the risk of unexpected consequences for themselves and their worlds. For all three, it is a matter of the heart. For one, though, it is truly the only thing that matters, as the fate of his eternal love and the life of their unborn child is the prize to be won - or lost forever. In this, the final book of The Verona Trilogy, our three time travelers go on the boldest adventure of their lives. They will face hardship, tragedy, and threats from sources they couldn't have imagined - all in an effort to wrestle a future from the steely grip of an unforgiving past. *** As the above blurb says, our much matured characters are back home in their 24th century. But now their only thoughts are to go back and save their adopted family from the terrible fate which befell them. That means that many of the scenes in the book have both the older and younger protagonists in them.

Book #2 of the Verona Trilogy What could go wrong in the 14th-century for three time-traveling teens? How about - EVERYTHING Hansum, Shamira and Lincoln, three teens from the 24th-century, are trapped in 14th-century Verona, Italy. They've survived many deadly experiences by keeping their wits about them and by introducing futuristic technology into the past. Principal among these inventions is the telescope, which brought them to the attention of the rich and powerful. But standing out can get you into unexpected - situations. The nobles of Verona now believe Hansum is a savant, a genius inventor, especially after he brings them plans for advanced cannons and black powder. Being the center of attention is great, but the potential for trouble is now exponentially greater because people are watching Hansum's every move. Meanwhile, artistic genius Shamira has fallen for a Florentine artist with bloody and disastrous consequences. Lincoln, considered an incompetent back home in the 24th-century, has blossomed - at least until he's shot in the head with an arrow. And Hansum, after secretly marrying his new master's beautiful daughter, Guilietta, is offered the hand in marriage of lady Beatrice, daughter of the ruler of Verona. To refuse could mean calamity for all the teens. Amazingly, none of this is their biggest challenge. Because a rash illness is spreading across Verona - and it is threatening to consume everyone. Do they have a future in this past?

BOOK #1 of The Verona Trilogy: Young Adult, Post-Dystopian Fiction It's the 24th century and humans, with the help of artificial intelligences (A.I.s), have finally created the perfect post-dystopian society. To make equally perfect citizens for this world, the elders have created History Camps, full sized recreations of cities from Earth's distant pasts. Here teens live the way their ancestors did, doing the same dirty jobs and experiencing the same degradations. History Camps teach youths not to repeat the mistakes that almost caused the planet to die. But not everything goes to plan. In this first of a trilogy, we meet three spoiled teens in the year 2347. Hansum almost 17, is good looking and athletic. Shamira, 15, is sassy, independent and an artistic genius. Lincoln, 14, is the smart-aleck. But you don't have to scratch too far beneath the surface to find his insecurities. These three "hard cases" refuse the valuable lessons History Camps teach. But when they are kidnapped and taken back in time to 1347 Verona, Italy, they only have two choices; adapt to the harsh medieval ways or die. The dangers are many, their enemies are powerful, and safety is a long way away. It's hardly the ideal environment to fall in love - but that's exactly what happens. In an attempt to survive, the trio risks introducing technology from the future. It could save them - or it could change history. Series Overview: The Lens and the Looker is the first book of The Verona Trilogy. It's followed by The Bronze and the Brimstone and The Loved and the Lost. The series takes readers along on the life-changing journey of three 24th century teens. While the three protagonists appear quite immature in the first half of The Lens and the Looker, this is not a series aimed exclusively at young teens. Lory Kaufman says he writes for readers 13 to 113, (and precocious 12-year-olds) This is borne out by the fact that about half the readership of the series is adult. What many readers say they love about this series is its wonderful mix of science fiction (the future) and historical fiction (the past). While there's time travel, there are also sword fights, and while there are detailed descriptions of ancient technologies, the story also includes many colorful characters who just happen to be artificial intelligences. There's allusions to a Romeo and Juliet love story and also characters who have murderous intentions toward the lovers. And the setting? Many readers are praising the accurately described historical setting of 14th century Verona Italy, where much of the story takes place.