Bøker av Mark Ward

In this book, Mark Ward Sr. draws on a combination of ethnographic, autoethnographic, and sociolinguistic research to identify and analyze white evangelicals' distinctive speech code from a perspective rooted deeply in both communication studies and the evangelical community. Ward posits that the Bible, positioned as the one dominant symbol that unifies all meaning, leads to the widespread adoption of the language of literalism driving evangelical identity, patriarchy, anti-intellectualism, authoritarianism, and Christian nationalism. This, he argues, divides the world into a cosmic war between secular humanism and an all-encompassing "biblical worldview." Ward's positionality as both an ethnographer of religious communication who has observed white evangelical culture for two decades and also as a self-identified evangelical for four decades makes him uniquely qualified to casting an insider's critical yet balanced eye on conservative white Christian culture. This book will complement existing scholarship within anthropology and sociology-where evangelicalism has been studied in conjunction with the rise of the Religious Right-and will contribute unique insights from the religious communication subdiscipline.

The story of how a boy came to be infected with blood borne viruses, and in spite of multiple death sentences, lived to become the world's first ever LGBTQ+ Ambassador for Haemophilia, winning the battle to secure a public enquiry into the Infected Blood Scandal, which is finally due to report in 2024.

Mark Ward's long-awaited first collection Nightlight is a journey through a city and a reaching towards whatever light can be found; be that in a sex club, with a board game, a new friendship or a changing relationship. Throughout this journey, Ward feels his way back to touchstones of queer history as well as trying to make himself at home in his surroundings and his increasingly rebellious brain. These poems, deeply attuned to craft and form, mark the arrival of a fearless new voice in Irish poetry addressing sexuality, mental health, and the intricacies of relationships with a fresh eye and fierce command."Nightlight shows Mark Ward confronting the dark with panache. The defiance of the speakers at the start of this collection, however, is hard-won. The self here is under relentless attack, both from subtle prejudice and the winds that threaten all our most intimate connections. A librarian learns a new friend is desperate to die, a loving mother and son face a future as 'two ellipses, scattered into full stops.' Accessible and authentic, these poems glow with feeling." - John McCullough"In Nightlight, Mark Ward gives us poems that are closely attuned to the body, to physical encounter, to the way history exists inside and beyond us. Ward's poems sing from the testimony of memory, decipher its evidences, and trace its passage, both as it enters us and as it leaves. These lyrics are unashamed and visceral." - Seán Hewitt"In one poem, Mark Ward writes 'body parts should become agents of commotion, ' at another point he writes 'each touch is a spotlight.' In this powerful, energetic collection, the reader is asked to witness the performances, loving, erotic, fearful, which the body must endure." - Andrew McMillan

This new collection from Mark Ward selects work from his two previous collections Thunder Alley and The Visitor's Book, adding a substantial selection of new poems. Predominantly set in his hometown of Blackburn, it chronicles and collates the overlooked, the ordinary and the remarkable into a rich, compelling sequence of narrative poems.

With brutal honesty and heartfelt storytelling, Just Don't Think is a recount of how one man was able to freely teach thousands about breaking free from overthinking, self-doubt, crippling fear and even addiction. In Just Don't Think, Mark Ward reinvents the life-lessons taught to him by his closest friend and mentor of over three decades. Humorously written with plenty of reality checks, if you have ever wondered why you have so many negative thoughts or even struggle to get out of bed some mornings, than this book is a must. Fix your thinking and learn to be perfectly human in an imperfect world. "Why do some people seemingly end up with a big fat kiss on the ass from God and people like me constantly struggle? I asked Handshake this often and he never had a definitive answer, but he had a solution. His solution was to simply face up to all that baggage that constantly stops us from living the life that we want. It can take months, years or even decades, but it is an important journey that is worth taking. If I were to pinpoint what this book is primarily about, it would be how Handshake took me and many others on a journey to discover our power. By doing this, he was able to help many solve some major issues including addiction, gambling, self-destruction and many other destructive behaviours."

Get out into the garden and get birdspotting with the RSPBBirdwatching can be done from your doorstep with RSPB Pocket Garden Birdwatch, the perfect guide for taking part in the Big Garden Birdwatch. You'll find all the information you need to create a welcoming garden environment for birds, with explanations of different bird food, feeders and how to site them, including practical projects, such as making a nest box. Identify your birds with over 40 profiles of garden birds, including in-situ photography that shows birds as you see them in the wild along with a helpful size comparison gallery.With this new edition of RSPB Pocket Garden Birdwatch (previous ISBN 9781405345750) you will be able to make your garden more attractive to birds and then sit back and watch them explore, feed and raise families. Perfect for the budding birdwatcher or families getting involved in birdwatching together.

With the arrival of radio, evangelicals flocked to the airwaves. For the first time, they developed their own mass culture as evangelicals nationwide, across denominational lines, heard the same popular preachers and music. This volume captures the evangelical media and music culture of this pivotal midcentury era as evangelicals left behind the fundamentalism of the early twentieth century.

Mark Ward's debut collection Thunder Alley was a semi-autobiographical account of the diversity and divisions within his hometown of Blackburn. The Visitor's Book expands on this theme, exploring the relationship between people and their environment. It collates and chronicles the overlooked, the ordinary and the remarkable: the things that pass and those that endure, into a rich seam of narrative poems.