Reeling from a brutal childhood, immersed in a world of go-go dancers and hustlers, dirty cops and gangsters, Stephanie Johnson was determined to become the fiercest thing the city had ever seen. And she succeeded. This is her story. The storytelling phenomenon Humans of New York has captivated a global audience of millions with personal narratives that illuminate the human condition. But one story stands apart from the rest . . . She is a woman as fabulous, unbowed, and irresistible as the city she lives in. Meet Tanqueray. Humans of New York featured a photo of a woman in an outrageous fur coat and hat she made herself. She instantly captured the attention of millions. Her name is Stephanie Johnson, but she's better known as 'Tanqueray,' a born performer who emerged from a troubled youth to become one of the best-known burlesque dancers in New York City. Real, raw, and unapologetically honest, this is the full story of Tanqueray as told by Brandon Stanton - a memoir filled with never-before-told stories of Tanqueray's struggles and triumphs through good times and bad, personal photos from her own collection, and glimpses of New York City from back in the day when the name 'Tanqueray' was on everyone's lips.

The concept of 'vocation' has garnered significant attention as a means of speaking about purposeful living and the multiple responsibilities of civic life, which converge with the broader goals of liberal education. This volume addresses the important role that literary studies can and should play in that conversation. With attention to the forms, voices and praxis of the discipline, and informed by the public humanities, these thirteen chapters address critical questions for cultivating vocation in students: How might the varied fields within literary studies invite students to consider meaning and purpose? How might our pedagogies and theories of interpretation inform the direction of their lives? The chapters offer readers a new language and framework for reinvigorating literary studies as a productive means to answer life's most significant questions, while also modelling how vocational exploration can be incorporated into multiple disciplines and contexts. The volume as a whole positions literary studies as vital to the conversation about value, civic engagement, and purpose as it shapes not only the lives of students but also the future of higher education.

An important resource for educators seeking to connect literary studies with vocational exploration and purpose Bridges the established discipline of literary studies with the emerging scholarship of vocation through literary criticism, pedagogical methods, and theory Argues for the significance of literary studies for engaging students and faculty in understanding individual purpose and civic concerns Examines how genres such as the novel, poetry and drama shape vocational questions and commitments differently Brings various approaches to literature, such as gender studies, queer theory, trauma studies, and immigration and race studies, to bear on vocational identities and concerns Presents specific pedagogies for archival work, community engagement, and writing that promote vocational discovery The concept of 'vocation' has garnered significant attention as a means of speaking about purposeful living and the multiple responsibilities of civic life, which converge with the broader goals of liberal education. This volume addresses the important role that literary studies can and should play in that conversation. With attention to the forms, voices and praxis of the discipline, and informed by the public humanities, these thirteen chapters address critical questions for cultivating vocation in students: How might the varied fields within literary studies invite students to consider meaning and purpose? How might our pedagogies and theories of interpretation inform the direction of their lives? The chapters offer readers a new language and framework for reinvigorating literary studies as a productive means to answer life's most significant questions, while also modelling how vocational exploration can be incorporated into multiple disciplines and contexts. The volume as a whole positions literary studies as vital to the conversation about value, civic engagement, and purpose as it shapes not only the lives of students but also the future of higher education.

Beulah, a dedicated nurse, wife and mother is forced to choose between the survival of her family or her sanity. All she's ever known was to take care of her husband Teddy and children Shelly and Wallace. Sacrificing both her physical and mental health, she diligently strived to make sure they didn't lack or want for anything. It wasn't until a stream of unfortunate events unraveled that Beulah realized her family didn't need her and was forced to make a choice on whether to stick it out and save her family or throw caution to the wind and save herself. After being humiliated at work by a patient who tries to sexually assault her at the bequest of a few security guards, finding out her husband Teddy lives a double life as a gay man and cross dresser, the promiscuous behavior her daughter Shelly strives to perfect, being assaulted and arrested on drug charges because of her son Wallace's affiliation with gangs, Beulah's life was its lowest of lows. Once released from jail, she walks out of the police station and keeps going, never to return to her home or family. Shortly on her journey, she is picked up by Jose a passerby, who is able to convince Beulah to allow him to take her to a nearby homeless shelter. Once there, Beulah experiences unadulterated mental despair and becomes borderline psychotic. Jose, who remains close to her, soon becomes the key to Beulah's recovery and leads her down a road that not only allows Beulah to learn her self worth, but gives her the strength to live again. Dying for Life is the story of a woman who lost herself in her family. What she thought was rock bottom was a self revelation and golden second chance at life, love and internal peace. No longer dying for life, Beulah is able to take the broken pieces of her past and create a collage of new beginnings; beginnings of internal acceptance, unconditional love and acceptance of a new relationship with her estrange family.