Böcker utgivna av Bohannon Hall Press

In a culture that encourages and applauds the search for perfection in all its exterior manifestations, Surprised by Imperfection is a collection of essays and memoirs that reminds readers of the exquisite beauty in the dappled and imperfect aspects of the vast world, seeks out the sanctity of the ordinary in all its seasons, and invites us back to childhood's grand sense of wonder.In each story, Shari Brand Ray considers the sacredness of the small moments in life. With humor and inordinate love for the everyday, Ray connects readers to the glories of the natural world through a return to close observation. In the spring she finds meaning in watching two dogs run in the warm sunshine along the banks of the spring-swollen Mississippi River, and in autumn she experiences the terrifying beauty of leaving her seven-year-old daughter in a Belgian girls' school where neither she nor her daughter yet speak the language. In winter Ray writes of personal wounding, the moments following a life-threatening head-on collision on a snowy night in Memphis as she waits for the ambulance and contemplates her own unknown future.The lyrical essays in Surprised by Imperfection unfold in humor, wisdom, and love, and reawaken the unexpected glory that comprises our collective imperfection.

After the tragic death of his advisor, PhD candidate, Bob Mcleod, finds himself in possession of weather modification technology, built in total secrecy, which has the power to change the world. While learning the system's capabilities, Mcleod's possession of the powerful tool is uncovered when he accidentally impacts local military operations. This leads to direct involvement by the US government. Will the new capability be used to benefit all mankind, or will it become the most destructive weapon ever invented? To find the answer, Professor Mcleod must accept his new role as "Thor's Apprentice."

Even people quick to say they are not good at, or never liked, math will likely find themselves enjoying this unusual mix of patterned thoughts and images, where ideas related to math and physics are intertwined with thoughts on love and truth. There are some poems in Swirling Symmetry only mathematicians may appreciate, but, for the most part, the ideas considered are of interest to us all.Exploring complex ideas expressed in the form of gently patterned rhyme, while looking for hidden connections to totally abstract, but consistently orderly, images, may provide a brief respite when the world becomes jarringly chaotic. Words that flow like waves on a sandy shore, and images that clearly follow rules, can have the emotional effect of creating a sense of peace and calm, even a feeling that perhaps everything does have its proper place in this complicated, and yet amazingly ordered, universe.Readers will discover here poems referencing math concepts from zero to infinity and physics concepts like event horizons, black holes, and parallel universes. Some poems can be used as teaching tools. Some inspire questions, or defend the right to ask questions. Others give answers so precise that they include equations presented in rhyming mathematical notation. Still others present arguments for why some of the greatest of all questions must forever remain unanswered.Viewed as a whole, there is a pattern in the flow of thoughts from page to page. There is subtle grouping of poems addressing common themes. Some are linked to math or physics concepts. Some map a journey through periods of joy and disappointment. One group celebrates the art of several well-known poets by revealing this poet's heart through another poet's pattern. A celebration of the ages-old appeal of verse to the human psyche culminates in a group of poems obviously written just for the fun of skillfully forcing a few playful images into rhyme!

In 1868, a young Russian woman asked an emerging scientist, who supported the goal of expanding educational opportunities for women, to marry any one of the three women in his office for the sole purpose of helping them obtain passports. With his help, they planned to travel to where they could write or pursue higher education. The marriage was to be in name only, so it did not matter which of them he chose.He chose eighteen-year-old Sofia Korvin-Krukovskaya, whose dream was to earn a PhD in mathematics so that the doors to higher education might be opened to all women. She set this lofty goal for herself at a time when women were not allowed to travel without the permission of a father or husband - at a time when women were not allowed to set foot inside university classrooms.In Berlin, Sofia Kovalevskaya studied at the home of Karl Weierstrass, who became a dear friend and life-long mentor. After four years of hard work and intensive study, she produced three notable papers and was awarded the coveted PhD. In one of the letters Weierstrass wrote to her during their 23 years of correspondence, he told her that to be a great mathematician one must have the soul of a poet. The label Mathematician with the Soul of a Poet has since become attached to Sofia Kovalevskaya.In addition to the many mathematical honors for which she is known, Kovalevskaya won praise for her collected writings. The extensive collection includes, most notably, memoirs of her childhood, a novella, nine poems and her two plays.Sandra DeLozier Coleman, a math professor, artist and poet, was very much interested in looking for any connection between Weierstrass's statement and the poems written by Kovalevskaya. She began her translations of the poems before software tools commonly used today had been developed. At the time, she knew no Russian - not even the sounds or order of the letters in the Russian alphabet - but she was determined to learn as much as she needed to know to be able to translate the poems and plays.Mathematician with the Soul of a Poet begins with a chapter of engaging stories about Sandra DeLozier Coleman's early efforts to translate the poems. Readers will enjoy a collection of tales of her search for friends who spoke Russian, her travels to many countries where Kovalevskaya lived or visited, and the high and low points of participating in a Russian math conference dedicated to Kovalevskaya.After returning from Russia, the translation adventure continued. Two decades passed as the translations of the plays, How It Was and How It Might Have Been, developed. Mathematician with the Soul of a Poet places the poems and plays in biographical context. Life events may explain Kovalevskaya's urgent desire to complete the plays quickly at a time when working on her mathematics was equally urgent. The deadline for submission for the coveted Prix Bordin award, which would cement her reputation as a significant mathematician, was fast approaching. But, for reasons important to Kovalevskaya, the plays had to be completed first!