CHARLES JOHNSON

From National Book Award winner Charles Johnson, the celebrated novelist, short story writer, screenwriter, and essayistcomes a small treasure, one to be read and considered and reread (TheNew York Times Book Review), showcasing his incredible range and resonant voice.Charles Johnsons Night Hawks presents an eclectic, masterful collection of stories tied together by Buddhist themes and displaying all the grace, heart, and insight for which he has long been known. Spanning genres from science fiction to realism, Johnsons writing, filled with the sort of long, layered sentences you can get happily lost in, conveys a kindness; a sense that all of ushave our own stories (TheSeattle Times).In The Weave, Ieesha and her boyfriend carry out a heist at the salon from which she has just been firedcoming away with thousands of dollars of merchandise in the form of hair extensions. Night Hawks, the titular story, draws on Johnsons friendship with the late playwright August Wilson to construct a narrative about two writers who meet at night to talk. In Kamadhatu, a lonely Japanese abbot has his quiet world upended by a visit from a black American Buddhist whose presence pushes him toward the awakening he has long found elusive. Occupying Arthur Whitfield, about a cab driver who decides to rob the home of a wealthy passenger, reminds readers to be grateful for what they have. And The Night Belongs to Phoenix Jones combines the real-life story of a superhero in the city of Seattle with an invented narrative about an aging English professor who decides to join him.With precise, elegant, and moving language, Johnson creates an arresting array of indelible moments that show Johnson to be a master of the short form (Library Journal, starred review). Night Hawks is a masterpiece[that] ultimately offers a message of empowerment and hope (Oprah.com).

"Were it not for the Buddhadharma, says Charles Johnson in his preface to Turning the Wheel,"Im convinced that, as a black American and an artist, I would not have been able to successfully negotiate my last half century of life in this country. Or at least not with a high level of creative productivity." In this collection of provocative and intimate essays, Johnson writes of the profound connection between Buddhism and creativity, and of the role of Eastern philosophy in the quest for a free and thoughtful life.In 1926, W. E. B. Du Bois asked African-Americans what they would most want were the color line miraculously forgotten. In Turning the Wheel, Johnson sets out to explore this question by examining his experiences both as a writer and as a practitioner of Buddhism.He looks at basic Buddhist principles and practices, demonstrating how Buddhism is both the most revolutionary and most civilized of possible human choices. He discusses fundamental Buddhist practices such as the Eightfold Path, Taming the Mind, and Sangha and illuminates their place in the American Civil Rights movement.Johnson moves from spiritual guides to spiritual nourishment: writing. In essays touching on the role of the black intellectual, Uncle Toms Cabin, and Ralph Ellison, Johnson uses tools of Buddhist thinking to clarify difficult ideas. Powerful and revelatory, these essays confirm that writing and reading, along with Buddhism, are the basic components that make up a thoughtful life.

From the National Book Award-winning author of Middle Passage, a fearless fictional portrait of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his pivotal moment in American history.Set against the tensions of Civil Rights era America, Dreamer is a remarkable fictional excursion into the last two years of Martin Luther King Jr.s life, when the political and personal pressures on this countrys most preeminent moral leader were the greatest. While in Chicago for his first northern campaign against poverty and inequality, King encounters Chaym Smith, whose startling physical resemblance to King wins him the job of official stand-in. Matthew Bishop, a civil rights worker and loyal follower of King, is given the task of training the smart and deeply cynical Smith for the job. In doing so, Bishop must face the issue of what makes one man great while another man can only stand in for greatness. Provocative, heartfelt, and masterfully rendered, Charles Johnson confirms yet again that he is one of the great treasures of modern American literature.Dr. Charles Johnson is a novelist, screenwriter, essayist, professional cartoonist and the Pollock Professor of English at the University of Washington. He is the author of more than sixteen books, including the PEN/Faulkner nominated story collection The Sorcerers Apprentice and the novel Middle Passage, for which he won the National Book Award.

There is a fascination surrounding the subject of pirates and pirate lore that centers around the romanticized impression of lawless, brutal ruffians pillaging ships, hunting for gold and treasure, and traveling in massive ships waving the skull-and-bones flag. The golden age of piracy produced many grandiose and notorious characters whose incredible stories have found their way into this one-of-a-kind book.Originally published in 1735, The History and Lives of Notorious Pirates and Their Crews grippingly chronicles the adventures and misadventures of the most infamous pirates who ruled the high seas at the turn of the eighteenth century. From Captain Spriggs rampant use of torture on his victims, to Bartholomew Roberts incredibly successful pirating career, Blackbeards legendary fearsome demeanor, and Captain Kidds tragic end, these truly enthralling stories of privateers turned bandits will leave readers on the edge of their seats.Though the authors true identity is still debated, his book helped shape the very concept we hold of pirates todayinfluencing such writers as J. M. Barrie, Rafael Sabatini, and Robert Louis Stevenson.Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

From National Book Awardwinning author, Charles Johnson, comes a wonderful mythic novel, part slave narrative, part comedy, part mythfirst published in 1982 this phenomenally imaginative work marries Johnsons knowledge of philosophy, religion, race and history.One night in the antebellum South, a slave owner and his African American butler stay up to all hours until, too drunk to face their wives, they switch places in each others beds. The result is a hilarious imbroglio and an offspringAndrew Hawkins, whose life becomes Oxherding Tale.Through sexual escapades, picaresque adventures, and philosophical inquiry, Hawkins navigates white and black worlds and comments wryly on human nature along the way. Told with pure genius, OxherdingTale is a deliciously funny, bitterly ironic account of slavery, racism, and the human spiritand it reveals the author as a great talent with even greater humanity.

From Charles Johnsona National Book Award winner, Professor Emeritus at University of Washington, and one of Americas preeminent scholars on literature and racecomes an instructive, inspiring guide to the craft and art of writing.An award-winning novelist, philosopher, essayist, screenwriter, professor, and cartoonist, Charles Johnson has devoted his life to creative pursuit. His 1990 National Book Award-winning novel Middle Passage is a modern classic, revered as much for its daring plot as its philosophical underpinnings. For thirty-three years, Johnson taught and mentored students in the art and craft of creative writing. The Way of the Writer is his record of those years, and the coda to a kaleidoscopic, boundary-shattering career.Organized into six accessible, easy-to-navigate sections, The Way of the Writer is both a literary reflection on the creative impulse and a utilitarian guide to the writing process. Johnson shares his lessons and exercises from the classroom, starting with word choice, sentence structure, and narrative voice, and delving into the mechanics of scene, dialogue, plot and storytelling before exploring the larger questions at stake for the serious writer. What separates literature from industrial fiction? What lies at the heart of the creative impulse? How does one navigate the literary world? And how are philosophy and fiction concomitant?Luminous, inspiring, and imminently accessible, The Way of the Writer is a revelatory glimpse into the mind of the writer and an essential guide for anyone with a story to tell.

For the first time in ebook, renowned scholar Charles Johnsons exploration of contemporary black literature and the meaning of the black experience as expressed through the writers Richard Wright, Jean Toomer, David Bradley, and others.Charles Johnson approaches contemporary black literature through the lens of phenomenology. Drawing on such philosophers as Heidegger, Husserl, Satre, and Dufrenne, Johnson addresses the esthetic and epistemological questions surrounding the black experience as expressed by African American authors. In exploring the works of Wright, Toomer, Bradley, and many more, Being and Race enlarges our vision of what fictions purpose is and how it arises from our common experiences.

Faith Cross, a beautiful and purely innocent young black woman, is told by her dying mother to go and get herself "a good thing." Thus begins an extraordinary pilgrims progress that takes Faith from the magic and mysticism of the rural South to the promises and perils of modern-day Chicago. It is an odyssey that propels Faith from the degradation of prostitution, drugs, and drink into a faceless middle-class reality, and finally into a searing tragedy that ironically leads to the discovery of the real Good Thing. National Book Award-winner Charles Johnsons first novel, originally published in 1974, puts the life-affirming soul of the African-American experience at the summit of American storytelling.

From National Book Awardwinning author Charles Johnson comes a sly, witty, and insightful collection of short stories exploring issues of race and identity.In Sweet Dreams, a Kafkaesque tale is set in a world where dreams are taxeda reality that leads to a man and his dreamlife being audited. In Cultural Relativity, a young woman falls in love with the son of the president of an African nationbut is forbidden to ever kiss him. A deeply humane story, Dr. Kings Refrigerator offers a remarkable glimpse into Martin Luther King Jr.s life and his refrigerator. Kwoon is a graceful and illuminating story about a martial arts teacher on Chicagos South Side.Compassionate and amusing, thought-provoking and richly imagined, Dr. Kings Refrigerator and Other Bedtime Stories is a wonderful and compelling collection from one of Americas most beloved authors.

A twenty-fifth anniversary edition of Charles Johnsons National Book Awardwinning masterpiece"a novel in the tradition of Billy Budd and Moby-Dickheroic in proportionfiction that hooks the mind" (The New York Times Book Review)now with a new introduction from Stanley Crouch.Rutherford Calhoun, a newly freed slave and irrepressible rogue, is lost in the underworld of 1830s New Orleans. Desperate to escape the citys unscrupulous bill collectors and the pawing hands of a schoolteacher hellbent on marrying him, he jumps aboard the Republic, a slave ship en route to collect members of a legendary African tribe, the Allmuseri. Thus begins a voyage of metaphysical horror and human atrocity, a journey which challenges our notions of freedom, fate and how we live together. Peopled with vivid and unforgettable characters, nimble in its interplay of comedy and serious ideas, this dazzling modern classic is a perfect blend of the picaresque tale, historical romance, sea yarn, slave narrative and philosophical allegory.Now with a new introduction from renowned writer and critic Stanley Crouch, this twenty-fifth anniversary edition of Middle Passage celebrates a cornerstone of the American canon and the masterwork of one of its most important writers. "Long after wed stopped believe in the great American novel, along comes a spellbinding adventure story that may be just that" (Chicago Tribune).

atary The book Saluting our Veterans with Encouraging PoemsFacts and Resources. Is a masterpiece of work that can be used by Veterans , families, and organizations to help the Veterans in crisis. Im a two time Korea touring Veteran and i think his work and poems are impeccable and should be honored. Dr.James Turknett MPC , DMin, SSg E-6 United States Army . Drill Sgt/Platoon

Stigma often brings experiences and feelings of shame, blame, hopelessness, distress, misrepresentation in the media, and reluctance to seek and/or accept necessary help. Approximately 75% of people with a mental illness report that they have experienced stigma. This book shares poetry about depression and real stories of people who have dealt with stigma.

Valentines Day is the Holiday of Romance. Romance is love in its active state, ignited and inspired. That is what this book is about! With inspiring poetry, this book is an opportunity to ignite your existing relationship with romance, and love with an added dose of romance will result in a stronger, longer lasting and far more satisfying relationship

Purpose Power & Prosperity: Finding Peace Passion and Profits from Pain is a groundbreaking guide for anyone who has endured hardship, trauma, or overwhelming setbacks and longs to rise again with clarity, strength, and vision. This book is not just about building a business; it is about rebuilding a life. It speaks to those who have felt broken, abandoned, or forgotten, who are searching for meaning but also crave the freedom and empowerment that come from financial independence. Through its pages, readers are invited into a journey of healing the wounds of the past, aligning their mindset with their deepest values, and transforming pain into a foundation for purpose-driven entrepreneurship.The book begins by acknowledging the heaviness of despair, moments of hopelessness, regret, or shame that many carry silently, and assures readers that these experiences can become stepping stones to growth. Drawing from research on post-traumatic growth, resilience, and mindset, the narrative shows how adversity can cultivate strength, deepen wisdom, and spark creative possibility. It weaves together compassionate storytelling, evidence-based psychology, and spiritual insight with practical tools for self-reflection and action. Readers will find guided exercises, journaling prompts, and meditations that nurture inner alignment and help release limiting beliefs.From there, the journey expands outward into entrepreneurship as a path of empowerment. Readers are guided step by step to discover their unique passions, identify business ideas that align with their healing, and design ventures that not only generate income but also contribute meaningfully to their communities. Topics such as building resilience, heart-centered communication, financial literacy, and community networking are introduced in a conversational and accessible tone, ensuring readers of all ages and backgrounds can connect with the material. Real-life stories of individuals who transformed their pain into profitable, soul-aligned businesses provide inspiration and proof that renewal is possible.Ultimately, Purpose Power & Prosperity is both a companion and a roadmap, a book to hold onto in the quiet moments of doubt, and a manual to turn to when building the future with courage and hope. It is an invitation to heal within, rise with purpose, and claim the peace, passion, and prosperity that have always been waiting on the other side of pain.

Global Horizons: A Small Business Guide to International Expansion is a powerful roadmap for ambitious entrepreneurs and small business owners ready to scale beyond borders. In todays interconnected economy, even the smallest startup can access international markets, but success requires more than a good product. It demands preparation, cultural fluency, smart strategy, and the courage to navigate risk with confidence. This book gives you all four.Written in a professional yet approachable style, Global Horizons translates the complexity of global trade into a clear, actionable guide. Readers begin with a readiness checklist that highlights the operational, financial, and leadership capacities required to expand abroad. Practical sections walk you through compliance, intellectual property protection, tax considerations, and cultural due diligence, ensuring that you avoid common, and costly, pitfalls.From there, the book explores proven market entry strategies: direct exports, partnerships, licensing, franchising, and joint ventures. Each option is broken down into simple decision frameworks so you can choose the model best suited to your stage of growth. With an emphasis on high-opportunity regions, Global Horizons highlights booming sectors in Africa, such as fintech in Nigeria and agribusiness in Kenya, and thriving markets in South America, including Brazil, Colombia, and Chile. Real-world case studies and post-2023 data show what works, what fails, and why.Beyond strategy, this guide teaches you how to build international networks, forecast demand, align supply chains, and finance growth responsibly. Youll find tools for risk management, including trade credit and political risk insurance, and learn how to safeguard your venture against currency fluctuations, regulatory changes, and supply disruptions.To ensure immediate application, Global Horizons closes with a 90-day action plan and a 12-month expansion roadmap, complete with measurable performance indicators. Appendices include templates, scorecards, and curated resources from leading trade agencies, chambers of commerce, and global business associations.Whether you are an early-stage founder, a small business owner seeking new revenue streams, or a leader aiming to position your company for long-term success, this book equips you to take the leap. Global Horizons transforms international expansion from an overwhelming challenge into a structured, achievable journey toward global growth.