Kate Alexander

Story set in India and England following the fortune of a young woman searching for her roots. By the author of G̀reat Possessions'.

The Shining Country

Zoey needed to make changes to her life. She left her controlling ex-boyfriend and an unexceptional job in Lexington and took a chance for new start. Moving Blossom Hills was the perfect way to her new life. She would be closer to her best friend, and fulfill her dream to open a bakery. She arrived in town full of hope and optimism for her future. What Zoey did not expect was to find such great new friends, immediate success for her bakery and even love in this new charming small town.​ Tyler moved back home from Philadelphia after realizing he was on a self-destructive path and needed to rethink his priorities. He wanted to reconnect with his family and friends, and start his own business in software development. He wasn't looking for love, but he also didn't expect to be charmed by the intriguing girl who broke into his apartment and fell asleep on his couch.​ Tyler and Zoey started building a loving and trusting relationship, but strange things began to happen to Zoey and her bakery. Would Zoey's past prevent them from having the future they dream about?

A Taste of Sweetness

Karen Sullivan

Ellen Besen

Gary Schumer

Aubry Mintz

Animated shorts constantly challenge our notion of animation and storytelling techniques with memorable moments, heartwarming characters and amusing plotlines. Pixar shorts like Andre and Wally B proved that computer animation was possible; Tin Toy laid the groundwork for what would become Toy Story; and Mike's New Car exposed Pixar's finely tuned funny bone. These short films, premiering in front of feature films or online laid the groundwork for new techniques, great storylines and engaged audiences around the world. From demo reel creation to festival shorts, students and professionals alike are creating animated shorts that are dynamic and eye catching but the time constraints of these shorts are challenging in their own right. The unique format of the animated short of two to five minutes in length presents a practical and aesthetic challenge that is rarely addressed in the classroom. Ideas for the Animated Short is a comprehensive and practical blueprint for creative and unique animated short creation with a focus on the strength of a compelling story. Ideas for the Animated Short is your answer. A comprehensive guide to the animated short, this title is an invaluable asset for aspiring animation professionals, students and independent filmmakers. Explore the process of developing a short from conception to final delivery and adapt the industry's best practices in your own workflow. Written by three leading animators, artists and professors, Ideas for the Animated Short is written from the unique perspective of a professional animator adapting creative stories into incredible animated shorts. . Follow from start to finish the creation of an animated short from the pre-production thought process to story development and character design. Explore the best practices and avoid the common pitfalls of creating two to five minute shorts. Watch a specially created animated short, demonstrating the core techniques and principles at the companion website! Packed with illustrated examples of idea generation, character and story development, acting, dialogue and storyboarding practice this is your conceptual toolkit proven to meet the challenges of this unique art form. The companion website includes in-depth interviews with industry insiders, 18 short animations (many with accompanying animatics, character designs and environment designs) and an acting workshop to get your animated short off to a flying start! With all NEW content on script writing, acting, sound design and visual storytelling as well as stereoscopic 3D storytelling, further enhance your animated shorts and apply the industry best practices to your own projects and workflows. * This unique creative toolkit for idea generation and refinement is short and to the point, focused on the basic principles you need to know * The companion DVD contains professional and student animations (including preparatory sketches and storyboards) to demonstrate effective techniques and imaginative results * Packed with inspirational interviews and behind-the-scenes work from top professionals from Sony, Pixar and Disney

Finding and Building Stories

Ideas for the Animated Short

Kylie Smith

Sheralyn Campbell

This unique book brings together international scholars from around the globe to examine how different feminist theories are being used in early childhood research, policy and pedagogy. The array of feminist discourses captured by the authors offer contextualised possibilities for disrupting dominant patriarchal beliefs and producing change. The authors address and challenge how early childhood experiences, institutions and practices produce gendered effects across and within diverse contexts and demonstrate how feminism(s) in action can be used to reconceptualise research methods, government policy, children’s learning, teaching practice and educational resources. In this way, the book contributes to creating new knowledge connections and community alliances in the global effort to end gender-based inequalities across local and global communities.

Using Feminist Theories in Research and Practice

Feminism(s) in Early Childhood

An illustrated celebration of Gen Z activists fighting to make our world a better place. Gen Z is populated--and defined--by activists. They are bold and original thinkers and not afraid to stand up to authority and conventional wisdom. From the March for Our Lives to the fight for human rights and climate change awareness, this generation is leading the way toward truth and hope like no generation before. Generation Brave showcases Gen Z activists who are fighting for change on many fronts: climate change, LGBTQ rights, awareness and treatment of mental illness, gun control, gender equality, and corruption in business and government at the highest levels. Illustrated throughout, this book will offer a celebration of what might be the most influential generation of the century.

Generation Brave

Build your skills in the development of story ideas that will command an audience for your 2-5 minute animated short. Packed with illustrated examples of idea generation, character and story development, acting, dialogue and storyboarding practice this is your conceptual toolkit proven to meet the challenges of this unique art form. The companion DVD includes in-depth interviews with industry insiders, 18 short animations (many with accompanying animatics, character designs and environment designs) and an acting workshop to get your animated short off to a flying start! With Ideas for the Animated Short you'll learn about: Story Background and Theory * Building Better Content * Acting: Exploring the Human Condition * Building Character and Location * Building Story * Dialogue * Storyboarding * Staging

Ideas for the Animated Short with DVD

An illustrated celebration of Gen Z activists fighting to make our world a better place. Gen Z is populated—and defined—by activists. They are bold and original thinkers and not afraid to stand up to authority and conventional wisdom. From the March for Our Lives to the fight for human rights and climate change awareness, this generation is leading the way toward truth and hope like no generation before. Generation Brave showcases Gen Z activists who are fighting for change on many fronts: climate change, LGBTQ rights, awareness and treatment of mental illness, gun control, gender equality, and corruption in business and government at the highest levels. Illustrated throughout, this book will offer a celebration of what might be the most influential generation of the century, including profiles of figures such as: Simone Biles Jaden Smith Jazz Jennings Haile Thomas Yara Shahidi Nadya Okamoto Marley Dias Helena Gualinga Fionn Ferreira . . . and other amazing kids who are using their voices for good.

Kate Alexander

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