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Guest Post from MSI Press Author, Dr. Dennis Ortman: Aging and Freedom

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  AGING AND FREEDOM “My actions are my only true belongings…. My actions are the ground on which I stand.” --Anguttara Sutta 5:57   I recently vacationed with an old friend. Our friendship is old. For fifty years we have golfed together. He is also old in years, 89, to be exact. During our time together at his condo, we played golf. As a natural athlete, Ray could still hit the ball well. Yet, after each shot, he asked, “Where’d it go?” I yelled and pointed, but he did not hear. “Do you have your ear plugs in, Ray?” I asked. That was our ritual. Ray had his own cart and walked slowly and carefully, to avoid falling. His arms and legs were purple, from banging into things. His paper-thin skin bruised and bled at the slightest touch. He often complained of his back and legs being sore. So he titrated his moving about according to his pain level. While not playing golf, Ray spent his time praying, reading, and writing. Sitting in his chair, he would often fall asleep an...

Women's History Month: Women in Publishing

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  Women have shaped publishing far longer than most people realize. From early feminist and small‑press pioneers of the 1960s–1980s—who built “a feisty counterculture” of women‑run presses during the mimeograph revolution—to the global network of women’s presses founded during second‑wave feminism, women have steadily expanded their influence in every corner of the industry. Today, women make up 79% of publishing employees and now publish more books than men, a dramatic rise from just 20% in the 1970s. But the story goes deeper: many of the small, mission‑driven presses that anchor today’s nonfiction and niche‑topic landscape were founded by women, often with a commitment to community, clarity, and author dignity. MSI Press fits naturally into that lineage—steady, independent, values‑driven, and woman‑owned. This long arc—from grassroots presses to industry leadership—shows how women not only entered publishing but transformed it, opening doors for diverse voices and reshaping the ...

Publisher's Pride: Books on Bestseller Lists - Travels with Elly (MacDonald)

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Today's publisher's pride is  Travels with Elly  by Larry MacDonald, which reached #109   in travel with pets books. Book description: Discover Canada like never before -- from a personal perspective, similar to John Steinbeck's view of America in his 1960 book  Travels with Charley . The author travels from coast to coast in a trailer with his wife and pets, including their Standard Poodle, Elly, in order to gain a better understanding of his adopted country. Interspersed between descriptions of history, cultures, places, and icons are the author's reflections on various things such as Elly's antics, signage, ferries, political injustice, environmental issues, and animal instincts. To provide a canine's perspective, Elly reflects on things of interest to her, including cats, cows, and other critters...but especially cats! Where was Canada's first settlement? What is its prettiest town? When and where was its most devastating shipwreck? And who was its greatest...