Despite their considerable presence in Hollywood, extras and working actors have received scant attention within film and media studies as significant contributors to the history of the industry. Looking not to the stars but to these supporting players in film, television, and, recently, streaming programming, Below the Stars highlights such actors as precarious laborers whose work as freelancers has critically shaped the entertainment industry throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. By addressing ordinary actors as a labor force, Kate Fortmueller proposes a media industry history that positions underrepresented and quotidian experiences as the structural elements of the culture and business of Hollywood. Resisting a top-down assessment, Fortmueller explores the wrangling of labor unions and guilds that advocated for collective action for everyday actors and helped shape professional norms. She pulls from archival research, in-person interviews, and firsthand observation to examine a history that cuts across industry boundaries and situates actors as a labor group at the center of industrial and technological upheavals, with lasting implications for race, gender, and labor relations in Hollywood.

Wide-ranging in research, enthusiasm, and geography, Dan White's Under the Stars reveals a vast population of nature seekers, a country still in love with its wild places. “The definitive book on camping in America. . . . A passionate, witty, and deeply engaging examination of why humans venture into the wild.”—Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild From the Sierras to the Adirondacks and the Everglades, Dan White travels the nation to experience firsthand—and sometimes face first—how the American wilderness transformed from the devil’s playground into a source of adventure, relaxation, and renewal. Whether he’s camping nude in cougar country, being attacked by wildlife while “glamping,” or crashing a girls-only adventure for urban teens, Dan White seeks to animate the evolution of outdoor recreation. In the process, he demonstrates how the likes of Emerson, Thoreau, Roosevelt, and Muir—along with visionaries such as Adirondack Murray, Horace Kephart, and Juliette Gordon Low—helped blaze a trail from Transcendentalism to Leave No Trace.

"The enemy bomber grew larger in my sights and the rear gunner was sprayed by my guns just as he opened fire. The rest was merely a matter of seconds. The bomber fell like a stone out of the sky and exploded on the ground. The nightmare came to an end."In this enthralling memoir, the author recounts his experiences of the war years and traces the story of the ace fighter pilots from the German development of radar to the Battle of Britain.Johnen flew his first operational mission in July 1941, having completed his blind-flying training. In his first couple of years he brought down two enemy planes. The tally went up rapidly once the air war was escalated in spring 1943, when Air Marshal Arthur Harris of the RAF Bomber Command began the campaign dubbed the Battle of the Ruhr.During this phase of the war Johnens successes were achieved against a 710-strong force of bombers. Johnens further successes during Harriss subsequent Berlin offensive led to his promotion as Staffelkapitan (squadron leader) of Nachtjagdgeschwader and a move to Mainz. During a sortie from there, his Bf 110 was hit by return fire and he was forced to land in Switzerland. He and his crew were interned by the authorities. The Germans were deeply worried about leaving a sophisticatedly equipped night fighter and its important air crew in the hands of a foreign government, even if it was a neutral one. After negotiations involving Gring, the prisoners were released.Johnens unit moved to Hungary and by October 1944 his score was standing at 33 aerial kills. His final one came in March the following year, once Johnen had moved back to Germany.

The poetry is about lost love, heartbreak, and the difficulties that are faced day to day. It is full of hope, encouragement, and courage to face life even against the hardest decisions that life can give you. It can be a sentence or even just one word that can change a persons perspective at a time that they are facing a difficult period in their life. Giving another person some comfort even through words can change anyone. If a phrase gives another hope and to continue on, then writing these poems is worth the time. Poetry has a way of getting through to even the strong; your emotions and feelings are ripped open, and you find that you cant help but think about that one poem and how much it can help you understand all the beauty that is around. This world that we live in can be cruel and unforgiving, but if we can see the words in poetry, then we can feel them also.

The great outdoors…for some this is a place of peace and tranquility and for others it’s…well…a little messy. A Night Under the Stars is a story about people—people looking to get away from it all, people looking to connect…with nature, with one another, and with the undeniable human spirit that overcomes obstacles, no matter what is thrown our way. And whether it’s attempting to make the perfect s’more, telling scary stories around a roaring campfire, gazing up at the stars with the one you love, or trying to find a way to break bad news, there’s no better place than under a night sky filled with stars to remind us that no matter what divides, we as people are always better when we’re together. (A one-act version of this play is also available.) Dramedy, Comedy Full-length, 90-100 minutes 8-31 actors (suggested casting: 15 any)

Keeping a family promise can be the beginning of a whole new life for everyone in town Whitney Gilford is delighted to be called away from Hollywood where her co-star and former lover, Zane Blanchard, is addicted to drugs and blaming her for his unhappiness. News of her beloved grandmother, GG, giving her and her sisters a cottage on the land of The Lilac Lake Inn is a tremendous relief from the negative publicity about her on social media. In Lilac Lake, helping with the renovation of the cottage, Whitney starts to rethink her entire career. Lilac Lake is full of interesting people, including the man she’d once had a crush on. As she struggles to rediscover the woman she wants to be, Whitney and her two sisters become closer. And when danger arises, threatening the life of the man she’s come to love, Whitney realizes what she wants out of a new life. Another of Judith Keim’s series books celebrating love and families, strong women meeting challenges, and clean women’s fiction with a touch of romance—beach reads for all ages with a touch of humor, satisfying twists, and happy endings

When a rare coin and a strange code are uncovered in McKenna School, Malcolm and the other classroom pets of the Midnight Academy take on their most challenging assignment yet and, through their investigations, they just might save the school from closing.

This captivating western romance will have you feeling the wildness of the West and the fervor of forbidden love. In "Love Under the Stars," Luke, a passionate artist, and Emma, the daughter of a wealthy rancher, find themselves intertwined by destiny. As they journey together, they confront a mysterious event and discover hidden family secrets. With courage and determination, they risk it all to unravel the mystery and discover an extraordinary life together.