The 25 incredibly talented authors and poets in this anthology aren't politicians, policy wonks, or partisans. They're artists staring at the rising tide of fascism in the United States and asking you: "What kind of world do you want to live in tomorrow?" and "Who do you want to be today?" And they aren't asking quietly.

Skillfully blending everyday struggles with the imaginary, Ms Hoyt tells the story of life in a small New England industrial town, from the point of view of twelve year old Kassandra. Her German immigrant family is one of hundreds with at least one family member who works in the mills, spinning yarn and weaving wool and cotton cloth for the fashionable American public. Few outsiders know how dangerous these workplaces are, how the life expectancy of millworkers plummets, partially due to many beginning work as mere children. Only when their pay is reduced and several have been severely injured, do the workers decide they have had enough. The clashes between law enforcement, under the control of politicians and business men, and the largely female immigrant workers turn violent, attracting the attention of the public. Answers are demanded and a Congressional inquiry is formed. Kass has friends on both sides of the issues. She works in a diner after school where many of the townfolk take their meals, getting to know several individuals well who are not like herself. She makes new friends with Italian and Polish children, once her schoolmates, who had to quit to work in the mills to support their families. Many have lost one or more parents to injury or mill sickness. Two newspaper reporters on opposite sides of the problems keep her emotions spinning, her head swirling and often confused. She likes and trusts Sergeant McCleary, but soon he is forced to act, and Kass, caught up in the middle, is seriously injured. And Kass is afraid that the beast-man, with his voice of evil who whispers doubts and taunts in her head, is pulling the strings that encourage the bitterness, fear, and anger in all of them to explode. But small acts of kindness and understanding demonstrate that evil cannot when so long as love is in your heart: love for friends, family, and even those unlike oneself. Geared toward teen/YA readers, Cracked Reflections has something of the nuanced historical rendering of Sally Gunning's The Rebellion of Jane Clarke, something of the quiet exploration of mysticism and mental health of Elizabeth Goudge's The Scent of Water, and in the way of E. L. Doctorow's Ragtime, skillfully weaves history with the imaginary, transporting readers to a time when the line between the laboring and privileged classes was stark and wide.

Americans are arguing fiercely over immigration. Does welcoming newcomers make us less or more safe? Does diversity dilute or enrich our culture? How do immigrants affect our economy? Is our moral obligation to take in refugees and asylum seekers, or to make sure that they don't make life harder for already-established citizens in any way? What does it mean to be an American? This debate is as old as the United States. This country was settled by successive waves of immigrants. As each group established itself, it began to wonder about newcomers. This book is an introduction to the rich and tangled history of American immigrants and American responses to immigration.

What we believe shapes what we see. Sometimes the stories we tell free us. Sometimes they trap us. Some people see things their neighbors can't or won't see. Are they inspired? Delusional? Who decides? As the faithful people of her village cry out for their god's help in disaster, a young peasant woman faces the terrifying possibility that she may be that god. A time-traveling Jewish refugee visits 21st-century churches and confronts almost unrecognizable versions of himself. Three troubled people make the dangerous visit to The Library where the maddening stories lodged inside them can be removed-on certain demanding conditions. Having been warned away from the vacant lot which is said to house a portal to Hell, the new girl in town naturally goes to investigate. Early in the grid collapse-or apocalypse?--a Christian lesbian farm couple paint "WELCOME" on their barn and await visitors. An old man in the Terran diaspora enlists in a crusade to save humanity and belatedly wonders if he's on the wrong side. Step inside these stories and see what you believe-but don't believe everything you see.

"If you could take a pill that showed you the truth about the world, would you take it?" After Dinner Conversation - Season One is a collection of the best short stories published in the After Dinner Conversation series to date. Short stories span all genres; science-fiction, near-future, dystopia, spiritual, fantasy, urban fantasy, AI, historical fiction, contemporary women, political, horror, thriller, and children's stories. The important thing is that the story is compelling, and that it asks a specific ethical or moral question. Imagine the "trolley problem" in short story form. Reader Reviews "...a terrific collection of short stories (for teaching) courses on civics, ethics, or contemporary social problems, in high school or junior college." Philosophy Professor at Chapel Hill, Luc Bovens "Tears Your Heart. Heart breaking discussions fueled by this book." Amazon Reviewer MariaJ "...these stories as a whole so far, have been haunting, staying with me long past finishing." Amazon Reviewer Andrea L. Stoeckel Each short story is also accompanied by discussion questions for the reader, or for a group of readers, to discuss. Many of the short stories have associated podcast discussions on iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, Stitcher, and Youtube, as well as on our website, After Dinner Conversation. Included Stories Top Ranked In The Following Amazon Categories! #1 in Utilitarianism Philosophy #1 in Aesthetics #1 in Zen Philosphy #1 in Children's Books On Values #1 in Pragmatism #2 in Historical Fiction Short Stories #1 in Death, Grief And Spirituality #1 in Occult Magic #1 in Free Will And Determinism #2 in War Fiction #1 in Religious Intolerance #1 in Political Fiction #1 in Sociology of Race Relations #1 in Epistemology #1 in Ethics & Morality #1 in Good & Evil Philosophy #1 in Children's Books on Values #1 in Jewish Life #1 in Christian Ethics #2 in Mental Illness #1 in Compulsive Behavior #2 in Children's Short Stories #1 in Children's Multicultural Folk Tales #1 in 30-Minute Teen & Young Adult Short Reads #2 in 30-Minute Literature & Fiction Short Reads #1 in Historical Australian & Oceanian Fiction #2 in One-Hour Science Fiction & Fantasy Short Reads #2 in Hard Science Fiction #2 in Parenting Morals & Responsibility #1 in Natural Law Perspectives #2 in Criminal Law #1 in Comparative Law and many more! Short stories by (in alphabetical order) A. Katherine Black, Ana Carolina Pereira, Andre Lopes, Christine Seifert, David Shultz, Dean Gessie, Jann Everard, Jenean McBrearty, Joanna Michal Hoyt, John Sheirer, Margaret Karmazin, Michael Rook, Shikhandin, Tom Teti, Tyler W. Kurt, Vera Burris, Veronica Leigh, and Viggy Parr Hampton.