The idea for this collection of essays emerged from conversations about how the art of civil discourse has become increasingly less visible in American society today, particularly in political activities. At the same time, it is frustrating to realize that more Americans vote for contestants on shows like American Idol than usually vote in the November elections. The themes throughout New York Abstains "Courteously" touch on the very heart of what it means to be a responsible citizen, both in our own country and in the global community. While so many individuals speak about values today, it ultimately seems that the true values undergirding the United States are being overshadowed by partisan politics and private ideologies. The book's contributors take a wide variety of approaches to civil discourse and civic responsibility. Each essay in this collection stands on its own and grows out of the author's unique discipline and experience. The essays, however, are the fruit of ongoing collaboration and intersect with each other in many intriguing ways.

Imaging the Other: Essays on Diversity emerged from Nancy Porter's essay in Conn and McGuire's second collection of essays, Not Etched in Stone: Essays on Ritual Memory, Soul, and Society. Porter explored the creation of the "other" as the basis for conflict among humans. In the present collection, each author considered the general theme in the context of her or his own background, interests, and research. At a time when much of the world is in turmoil, these essays speak of the "other," how we create categories, the consequences of such categories, and ways of re-imaging those who, for whatever reason, are different from us. Each essay in this collection stands on its own and grows out of the author's unique discipline and experience; however, these essays intersect with each other in many intriguing ways.

The essays presented by Professors Marie A. Conn and Therese McGuire examine stone and water as vehicles of ritual memory through the lenses of various disciplines. In seven concise yet revealing chapters, the authors examine instances throughout history and unbound by geography of stone and water as real or abstract objects that shape our lives, possibly without our notice. Chapters topics include: * Water as a vehicle for ritual memory from the earliest days of human history to the present-day. * An investigation of the aesthetic principles of the Middle Ages up to the Gothic styles of cathedrals in North America. * Julian of Norwich, the famous cloistress, walled in by stone in comparison to Etty Hillesum, a WWII-era mystic, whose small desk used to write her revealing diaries became her stone cloister cell. * The Irish, water, and stone in Finnegan's Wake. * Warming the "stone heart" of a child pummeled by the foster care system. * The lack of clean water that contributes to wide-spread disease. * Group behavior and the eventualities of war through stone-like, (uncooperative and hardened) psychological states.

Sisterly Love: Women of Note in Pennsylvania History is a collection of biographical sketches of women who have made or are making significant contributions to Pennsylvania history. The authors of each chapter span across several disciplines and colleges in the Philadelphia area through SEPCHE, the Southeast Pennsylvania Consortium of Higher Education. In these essays you will meet artists, political leaders, entrepreneurs, teachers, computer experts, environmentalists, abolitionists, and more. Some of these women are well-known; many are not. Yet each has helped to shape the state of Pennsylvania in compelling and meaningful ways.