There is, beneath the surface of our lives, a greater significance, even hints of a greater reality. Some call this idea illumination; others, illusion. This is the world in which the stories of "Out of the Alley and Other Stories" are placed. Here the reader will find tales of deep despair and brilliant hope--but not always in the same story. Most of these stories take place in Manhattan, a place of chaotic energy, both creative and destructive. One character explores grimy alleys full of the discarded pieces of two lives. Elsewhere, a tortured man in crisis recreates the Tabernacle built by Moses out of abandoned furniture and bed sheets. A penny-ante cryptographer despairs of losing his sight in Bellevue Hospital, while an advertising executive receives advice in Central Park from a gondolier who may not be entirely real. Delinquent fathers, performance artists, punk rockers, ritual magicians, and living gods: these are some of the characters in this debut collection of nine short stories by Mark Koltko-Rivera. Each story is illustrated in black and white, * and the collection begins with maps showing locations mentioned in the stories. Several of these stories have appeared in online literary magazines. The stories include: . "Spiritual Practice" . "The Cryptographer" . "Out of the Alley" . "Art Form" . "The Gondolier of Bethesda Landing" . "The Death of Mozart" . "The Blueprints" . "The Lines" . "The Most Holy Place" *An edition of this book with full-color illustrations is also available.

In 1901, Margaretta Morris and Louise Buffum Congdon, two recent graduates of Bryn Mawr College, edited a collection of short stories written by then-current students and alumnae, all focused on life at the College during the M. Carey Thomas era.
One of the most striking aspects of these stories is the degree to which the student experience at the Bryn Mawr of a century ago resonates with that of 21st century Mawrters: the intense engagement with the realm of ideas; the commitment to challenge the assumptions of their faculty and fellow students; the sheer wit (sometimes expressed in multiple languages) of their conversation--even their malediction--all of this is more than reminiscent of today's students at Bryn Mawr.
The students in these stories grapple with the challenges of living up to the feminist ideals of M. Carey Thomas in a world that would not see suffrage for women throughout the United States for another generation. They strive to take charge of their lives and reorder relationships with friends, families, and society. They have much to say to students and alumnae of the College today.
This is not a photographic reproduction, but a paperback reprint edition, with new pagination, fresh type, and many footnotes (to gloss literary references, foreign language quotations, and so forth). These notes and the Foreword are written by Mark Koltko-Rivera, an award-winning scholar--and formerly a three-year resident of Bryn Mawr's Rhoads Hall (while a member of the Haverford College Class of 1978).
"From the original editors's Preface (1901): "
Some readers may ask which of the many heroines in these tales is the typical Bryn Mawr girl. The reply is no one, but all. Bryn Mawr students come from all parts of the country, from all sorts of different surroundings, and on entering college they do not, popular prejudice to the contrary, immediately drop their individuality and become samples of a type. We have among our number the pedant, the coquette, the athlete, the snob, the poser, the girl who loves dress and prettiness, and she who affects mannish simplicity, the all-round girl, the serious-minded, and the frivolous. Yet none of these is the Bryn Mawr girl "par excellence." That mythical personage can be known only by comparing and contrasting her various incarnations.

An experienced Freemason and award-winning psychologist provides a precise and engaging exploration of the core meaning and practices of Freemasonry for the new generation of people interested in joining the order, and those who are simply curious in the wake of recent media coverage.
Entertaining books and movies often depict Freemasonry as a shadowy, mysterious, and possibly sinister organization, and the TV and magazine specials on Freemasonry that inevitably follow often leave us with more questions than answers.
Mark E. Koltko-Rivera, a practicing thirty-second-degree Mason, has created a simple, authoritative, and easy-to-understand introduction to the history, rites, and meaning of Freemasonry. It may be the single most reliable short guide to Masonry, written by a widely recognized psychologist and scholar of esoteric history.
Koltko-Rivera's trustworthy handbook explores all the basic issues around Masonry, like:
*What is Freemasonry, and what is its history?
*How does one become a Freemason?
*What are some of the most important Masonic symbols?
*What do Masons get from their involvement in Freemasonry? What changes does it make in their inner and outer lives?
*What is it like to participate in the initiatory rituals of Freemasonry?
*What are some of the great historical controversies and myths surrounding Freemasonry?
*How is Masonry relevant today?