MSI Press Blog

  This week's story-behind-the-book post provides a look behind the scenes for Teaching and Learning to Near-Native Levels of Language Proficiency . From the publisher -  Well, this is a trip down memory lane! This series of books served as the proceedings of the annual conferences of the Coalition of Distinguished Language Centers (CDLC). There are four volumes; two more were planned, but the CDLC, the organization providing the book editors and authors, closed it doors before the proceedings from the final two conferences could be processed.  CDLC was a unique organization in that it formed as an umbrella organization for support to language centers from a range of institutions, including ivies (e.g. Yale University), state universities (e.g., San Diego State University), and private schools. The reach was international, and member institutions came from the US, Jordan, Czechoslovakia, and Germany. CDLC was also unique in that it focused on the very highest levels...

  Today's book back story is about the (today) timely book,  Syrian Folktales   by Muna Imady . From the publisher: Muna Imady, sister of Omar Imady and daughter of Elaine Imady, both of whom have published through MSI Press, was a teacher of English in Damascus, collector of recipes, and recorder of Syrian folktales that she gathered at the feet of her grandmother. These tales have captured the attention of readers all over the world. Unfortunately, Muna unexpectedly died from heart surgery a couple of years after the book was release, and her next book, Damascus amid the War , was published posthumously.  Book Description: This delightful book relates folktales from various regions of Syria. Each folktale is located on a regional map and is accompanied by a local, related recipe.  The stories in the book have been adapted to theater by a regional company in Massachusetts.  They live beyond the boundaries of time, as does now the book and its author. CONTE...

Today's book back story is about the award-winning book, Soccer Is Fun without Parents by Peter Jonas. From the publisher: When Peter approached me, I thought he had written a book about kids' sports. He had. He had also written a book about parenting -- and leadership. Peter was just retiring from a career as a professor of sports education. Little did I know that he would not live much longer. The book was well written; editing proceeded quickly. Peter was a joy to work with. Very quickly the book was released. Then, it won an award...and another...and another. And then, suddenly, Peter died. A loss for so many. I am sure that Peter's legacy is large among those who worked and lived with him. For us at MSI Press, legacy means that Peter's book still finds fans. It does. And his message remains meaningful. Book Description: Approximately 75 percent of children who play organized sports quit by age 13. While there is no definitive answer about why, many researchers sug...

  Today's book back story is about Seeking Balance in an Unbalanced Time by Steven Greenebaum. From the publisher: In 2020, everyone was reeling, caught off-guard by the coronavirus that descended quickly and viciously. Work places closed, families grouped together in lockdown (and sometimes the coronavirus ran right into those families, and people were dying. There was much confusion and much fear. At that time, MSI Press asked its authors, who are nearly all specialists in one domain or another, to prepare "little" books (a few dozen pages) of information in their fields for people coping with the pandemic. Fifteen responded; that become our popular pandemic series. One of those little books was Seeking Balance in an Unbalanced Time . The contents still apply in many cases today! Book Description: The notion of a worldwide pandemic has been ripped out the realm of "someday" and dumped in our laps. We can feel lost. How do we cope? How do we find our way? How ...