�Alienation and Literature� is concerned with the problem of change in the society and how it is perceived by the West African writer. It aims to define and identify the various facets of alienation and demonstrate how they are manifested in the lives of people and in the imagination of creative writers. Critics of modern West African literature have concentrated their efforts on the cultural and political aspects of alienation. This is an attempt to analyze in addition, physical and economic alienation, how they have resulted in the growth or otherwise of the creative writer in particular and the society in general.

The book�s premise spells out the dangers which our republic has encountered and how the 21st century presents new hurdles to surmount and reclaim our democracy. The author focuses on 10 conditions which have eroded representative government and offers proposals to cement public control over government. Among the problems there has been a slow, insidious alteration in methods for the selection of representatives which are encapsulated in the words �gerrymandered electoral districts� and �representatives for sale.� Results of this condition are legal breaks, tax loopholes and regulatory exemptions favoring a few. This problem is exacerbated by the public�s disenchantment with politics. Added to the problem are growing trends in our social mores which reveals more attention to �good times� than social obligations of citizenship and reflected in the low voting rates of eligible voters. The author points out how history repeats itself and how internal divisiveness destroys national unity. Stressed throughout the book is the vital nature for universal education and how the vast wealth of intellectual ability in our nation has been overlooked. The book also points out the difficulty for people to realize how vastly different the 21st century is when compared only to the lives of our great-grandfathers. The growth of multinational corporations and the rise of �State Capitalism� alters concepts of free competitive enterprise which faces daunting challenges for survival. The growth of our nation and the free movement of people have resulted in nearly one in three Americans living in four states but our representative system is still tied to 1789. Significant suggestions are also proffered to protect the independence of our judiciary. The author offers several proposals for consideration to redeem and enhance our republic; why our governmental units, federal, state, county and city must be aligned to achieve our purpose to improve and protect the human condition and liberty. A significant point is made of the importance of our experiment in democracy for the world.

The book�s premise spells out the dangers which our republic has encountered and how the 21st century presents new hurdles to surmount and reclaim our democracy. The author focuses on 10 conditions which have eroded representative government and offers proposals to cement public control over government. Among the problems there has been a slow, insidious alteration in methods for the selection of representatives which are encapsulated in the words �gerrymandered electoral districts� and �representatives for sale.� Results of this condition are legal breaks, tax loopholes and regulatory exemptions favoring a few. This problem is exacerbated by the public�s disenchantment with politics. Added to the problem are growing trends in our social mores which reveals more attention to �good times� than social obligations of citizenship and reflected in the low voting rates of eligible voters. The author points out how history repeats itself and how internal divisiveness destroys national unity. Stressed throughout the book is the vital nature for universal education and how the vast wealth of intellectual ability in our nation has been overlooked. The book also points out the difficulty for people to realize how vastly different the 21st century is when compared only to the lives of our great-grandfathers. The growth of multinational corporations and the rise of �State Capitalism� alters concepts of free competitive enterprise which faces daunting challenges for survival. The growth of our nation and the free movement of people have resulted in nearly one in three Americans living in four states but our representative system is still tied to 1789. Significant suggestions are also proffered to protect the independence of our judiciary. The author offers several proposals for consideration to redeem and enhance our republic; why our governmental units, federal, state, county and city must be aligned to achieve our purpose to improve and protect the human condition and liberty. A significant point is made of the importance of our experiment in democracy for the world.

The book�s premise spells out the dangers which our republic has encountered and how the 21st century presents new hurdles to surmount and reclaim our democracy. The author focuses on 10 conditions which have eroded representative government and offers proposals to cement public control over government. Among the problems there has been a slow, insidious alteration in methods for the selection of representatives which are encapsulated in the words �gerrymandered electoral districts� and �representatives for sale.� Results of this condition are legal breaks, tax loopholes and regulatory exemptions favoring a few. This problem is exacerbated by the public�s disenchantment with politics. Added to the problem are growing trends in our social mores which reveals more attention to �good times� than social obligations of citizenship and reflected in the low voting rates of eligible voters. The author points out how history repeats itself and how internal divisiveness destroys national unity. Stressed throughout the book is the vital nature for universal education and how the vast wealth of intellectual ability in our nation has been overlooked. The book also points out the difficulty for people to realize how vastly different the 21st century is when compared only to the lives of our great-grandfathers. The growth of multinational corporations and the rise of �State Capitalism� alters concepts of free competitive enterprise which faces daunting challenges for survival. The growth of our nation and the free movement of people have resulted in nearly one in three Americans living in four states but our representative system is still tied to 1789. Significant suggestions are also proffered to protect the independence of our judiciary. The author offers several proposals for consideration to redeem and enhance our republic; why our governmental units, federal, state, county and city must be aligned to achieve our purpose to improve and protect the human condition and liberty. A significant point is made of the importance of our experiment in democracy for the world.

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What do you get when you mix a haggard old ghost who is severely ill with nostalgia with the end of the world? You get Dreamers and Thieves, by S. R. Schuch. That is I. I am he. Thomas is dead. He is an old, old soul who just cannot bear to take himself to Heaven, even though that is where all the people are. But, they�re not the same there. They are happy and healthy and eternal. Thomas misses Humans as they were on Earth: emotional, struggling, surviving. He misses them being alive. He saw himself through them, seeing as he was once one of them. Now, they are all gone, and dead, and scattered about the scorched Earth like rotten sprinkles on a big, rotting cake that floats through space. Thomas has lost almost all hope in ever finding life again. His hope is fragile and fleeting, as are his ghostly emotions, which go up and down, up and down. He roams and roams the broken Earth in hopes of finding life when he sees something he hasn�t seen in ages. He sees the Sun poking its blazing face through a pinhole in the blackened, neon, toxic pudding clouds. He hasn�t seen the glory of the Sun in years upon years, not since bombs dropped from all corners of the globe. He knows this is something. He hopes and he prays. He hopes and he prays. The sight tickles his dying hope, which is something that he desperately needs to keep roaming, roaming, roaming, and he instantly knows how he is going to spend his day: he is going to wait out the sight of the Sunrise or Sunset, which ever comes first, and as he waits, he is going to tell you a little story about what could have been, what should have been; the story is about his best friend. His best friend was Victor Connelly. He is dead now. Thomas is nostalgic, sick with memories and ghostly emotions. He and I are the same in that sense. We are ill with emotions that go up and down, up and down, and we both had to do something about it. This is that something.

This book may be unpopular in some circles. The exposure of the truth usually is when it has been hidden or distorted (particularly by those who would profit most by its absence or continued distortion). Yet, are we not our brother�s keeper? Are we not to assist or enlighten our kinsmen...our fellow human, if we can? Frequently, throughout these essays will be found references to the mystical forces that are indeed a part of our every day existence. I speak of the essence of fair play, charity, right...justice. These forces are more than just charming concepts or notions. They are forces that shape every living soul�s destiny...forces that we sometimes foolishly play with every day, often with terrible consequences.
There are bogus philosophies being practiced that have been and are rapidly and steadily spelling the decline of humankind. I seek, with the reader�s indulgence and patience, to expose or illuminate our long practiced folly. I expect there to be great opposition, particularly from many of the Black segment of Christendom. For oftentimes, concepts and ideals are attacked and/or ostracized by the masses while being led by profiteers with selfish interests, especially if those ideals are not embraced by the masses. But, are the masses always right? What about a mob?

The focal point of these essays is not to lament the plight of the so-called African American. Any number of American minorities (Native American, Hispanics, Oriental, et al) can be exemplary of the casualties of the American (European) encounter, though not necessarily to the same degree. I use the African American to illustrate what has happened to a segment of humanity (many of whom I believe to be descendants of the Lost Tribes of Israel, the Chosen Ones) whose ancestors dared to violate the laws and hold with contempt those forces which govern our daily existence and bring affront to the Great Spirit, The Mighty One. And if the Chosen of the Most High can receive such a fall from grace, then none are above or beyond reproach. Perhaps now is the time for other considerations...other possibilities.

This book may be unpopular in some circles. The exposure of the truth usually is when it has been hidden or distorted (particularly by those who would profit most by its absence or continued distortion). Yet, are we not our brother�s keeper? Are we not to assist or enlighten our kinsmen...our fellow human, if we can? Frequently, throughout these essays will be found references to the mystical forces that are indeed a part of our every day existence. I speak of the essence of fair play, charity, right...justice. These forces are more than just charming concepts or notions. They are forces that shape every living soul�s destiny...forces that we sometimes foolishly play with every day, often with terrible consequences.
There are bogus philosophies being practiced that have been and are rapidly and steadily spelling the decline of humankind. I seek, with the reader�s indulgence and patience, to expose or illuminate our long practiced folly. I expect there to be great opposition, particularly from many of the Black segment of Christendom. For oftentimes, concepts and ideals are attacked and/or ostracized by the masses while being led by profiteers with selfish interests, especially if those ideals are not embraced by the masses. But, are the masses always right? What about a mob?

The focal point of these essays is not to lament the plight of the so-called African American. Any number of American minorities (Native American, Hispanics, Oriental, et al) can be exemplary of the casualties of the American (European) encounter, though not necessarily to the same degree. I use the African American to illustrate what has happened to a segment of humanity (many of whom I believe to be descendants of the Lost Tribes of Israel, the Chosen Ones) whose ancestors dared to violate the laws and hold with contempt those forces which govern our daily existence and bring affront to the Great Spirit, The Mighty One. And if the Chosen of the Most High can receive such a fall from grace, then none are above or beyond reproach. Perhaps now is the time for other considerations...other possibilities.

River�s Bend, a country romance. Leslie Hillerman, an artist in her midthirties devastated by divorce, moves in as the caretaker of River�s Bend, a charming old farmhouse set on a river. She comes in search of solitude and healing but finds more than just trees. This is a warm, gently humorous tale of a city woman coming to live in the country�about eccentric country people, their dogs, and an unlikely middle-aged love affair. It�s rife with ghosts�be they broken hearts or the kind that go bump in the night�mysteries, and the healing powers of the river. Dreaming of love�s return, Leslie discovers that love can be waiting in plain view and yet be completely out of sight.

River�s Bend, a country romance. Leslie Hillerman, an artist in her midthirties devastated by divorce, moves in as the caretaker of River�s Bend, a charming old farmhouse set on a river. She comes in search of solitude and healing but finds more than just trees. This is a warm, gently humorous tale of a city woman coming to live in the country�about eccentric country people, their dogs, and an unlikely middle-aged love affair. It�s rife with ghosts�be they broken hearts or the kind that go bump in the night�mysteries, and the healing powers of the river. Dreaming of love�s return, Leslie discovers that love can be waiting in plain view and yet be completely out of sight.

Thou art holy, thou art worthy of thy divinities in heaven, and infi nite is thy wisdom to the earth of thy creation. Let all honor and glory be given to thy holy name and the kingdom of the deities in your assembly. Worthy is the manifestation of thy will that seals the glass of heaven with the fi rmament of the sky from the waters that tide beneath. And holy is the wisdom of thy dominion that rules your heavenly kingdom above. Ooooooolodumare: God in Yoruba believe, let thy kingdom come and extend beyond thy heavens.

“Glenn Hopkins is an American Original. Names like Johnny Appleseed, Woody Guthrie, Will Geer, and Walt Whitman come to mind.” ---Backstage West “A familiar figure on the Los Angeles theatre scene, Glenn Hopkins has written over twenty plays... melodramatic and hilarious, brash and sensitive, frustrating yet ultimately rewarding....Hopkins writes from the heart, exploring human verities as well as human foibles. His integrity and purpose shine through...” ---Drama-Logue For the first time Playwright, Green Party activist, muck-raker, educator, Methodist and “Radical Faerie” Glenn Hopkins reveals the complexities of one who both needs much from, and offers much to society. Poems, research, articles, almost-poems, dreams, MRS. ROOSEVELT (a one-woman play), songs,, stories, politics, fervent prayer all come at the reader within the framework of a journal kept from Labor Day, 2004 to Easter Sunday, 2005. Hopkins’ writing for the stage has been: “outrageous...refreshing...intriguing...important...worthw hile.” ---The Daily Bruin “infused with lyric imagery...billowing...lovely...fun...” ---The Hollywood Reporter “gorged with ideas...admittedly wild...a literary volcano” ---Cleve Herman, KFWB

“Glenn Hopkins is an American Original. Names like Johnny Appleseed, Woody Guthrie, Will Geer, and Walt Whitman come to mind.” ---Backstage West “A familiar figure on the Los Angeles theatre scene, Glenn Hopkins has written over twenty plays... melodramatic and hilarious, brash and sensitive, frustrating yet ultimately rewarding....Hopkins writes from the heart, exploring human verities as well as human foibles. His integrity and purpose shine through...” ---Drama-Logue For the first time Playwright, Green Party activist, muck-raker, educator, Methodist and “Radical Faerie” Glenn Hopkins reveals the complexities of one who both needs much from, and offers much to society. Poems, research, articles, almost-poems, dreams, MRS. ROOSEVELT (a one-woman play), songs,, stories, politics, fervent prayer all come at the reader within the framework of a journal kept from Labor Day, 2004 to Easter Sunday, 2005. Hopkins’ writing for the stage has been: “outrageous...refreshing...intriguing...important...worthw hile.” ---The Daily Bruin “infused with lyric imagery...billowing...lovely...fun...” ---The Hollywood Reporter “gorged with ideas...admittedly wild...a literary volcano” ---Cleve Herman, KFWB

“Glenn Hopkins is an American Original. Names like Johnny Appleseed, Woody Guthrie, Will Geer, and Walt Whitman come to mind.” ---Backstage West “A familiar figure on the Los Angeles theatre scene, Glenn Hopkins has written over twenty plays... melodramatic and hilarious, brash and sensitive, frustrating yet ultimately rewarding....Hopkins writes from the heart, exploring human verities as well as human foibles. His integrity and purpose shine through...” ---Drama-Logue For the first time Playwright, Green Party activist, muck-raker, educator, Methodist and “Radical Faerie” Glenn Hopkins reveals the complexities of one who both needs much from, and offers much to society. Poems, research, articles, almost-poems, dreams, MRS. ROOSEVELT (a one-woman play), songs,, stories, politics, fervent prayer all come at the reader within the framework of a journal kept from Labor Day, 2004 to Easter Sunday, 2005. Hopkins’ writing for the stage has been: “outrageous...refreshing...intriguing...important...worthw hile.” ---The Daily Bruin “infused with lyric imagery...billowing...lovely...fun...” ---The Hollywood Reporter “gorged with ideas...admittedly wild...a literary volcano” ---Cleve Herman, KFWB