They’ve camped in national parks, hiked mountain trails, photographed springtime flowers in Death Valley and wintry surf along the rugged beaches of Northern California.

They’ve watched July 4th fireworks over Lake Tahoe, explored the Taos Pueblo and ridden the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad through forests ablaze with autumn colors. They’ve ridden the amazing Falkirk Wheel in Scotland and the exciting Flam Railway in Norway.

And everywhere they go, they capture unforgettable moments—Al with his camera and Sunny with her reporter’s notebook. Their work has been published in magazines and newspapers. It has been recognized with awards from the National Federation of Press Women and the California Newspaper Publishers Association.

About the authors >>

Open for Lunch speaks from the heart, both about the moving, fascinating stories of the people she meets, but also about herself. In the words of Lois McMahon, PhD, “Gaiser is a survivor who has overcome personal tragedy and found healing and the ability to reach out to others to share her wisdom and strength. This book holds invaluable lessons for us all about pain, suffering, redemption, forgiveness, healing and love.”

“Open for Lunch is much more than the heartwarming stories of Gaiser’s lunchtime encounters with perfect strangers. It is the intimate and unflinching account of her journey to self-discovery, release from heartbreak, and the grace that comes from forgiving others and yourself.

~ Linda M. Williams, A.B., MEd, Teacher Mentor/Trainer and Professional Developer

“[A]n artfully woven memoir… Throughout the telling of her inward journey are remarkable details that take the reader immediately to “place and circumstance.” The stories will also stay with the reader—from start to finish.

~ Jan Getz, Peabody Award-winning television producer, former Asst. Professor and Broadcaster in Residence, Point Park University, Pittsburgh

“[A]n amazing story-teller. Open for Lunch sings, wails, flails and perseveres with integrity. Thank you, thank you!

~ The Rev. Dr. Margaret Ann Faeth (Episcopal)

About the author >>

Gaiser is a Certified Music Practitioner (CMP) who provides therapeutic music to the ill, the elderly, and the dying in hospital, nursing homes, and hospice settings.

In this work she combines her love of acoustic music and talent on multiple instruments — guitar, violin, harp, Native American flute, among others, as well as her voice, which embraces not just singing lyrics but also chanting, toning, humming a cappella — with a guidance counselor’s insight and profound personal empathy, to help heal the spirits of those in critical care and in the final weeks, days, and moments of their lives.

The work of a CMP is not that of a Music Therapist, nor is it what we think of as music “performance.” A CMP plays music in accordance with the patient’s needs: not to heal or cure, but to bring comfort and, perhaps, solace and joy. Gaiser listens, watches, picks up clues such as presence or absence of family pictures, jewelry (Star of David? Crucifix? Christian cross?) or imagery on the walls. She is alert to the breathing patterns and skin tone and other indications of the physical state of the patient. She notices what the visitors or family members gathered around are like — what they wear, their nervous tics, spoken or unstated denials or fears, and how they interact with the patient — and with her.

Musical Morphine: Transforming Pain One Note at a Time tells Robin’s story of her work as a CMP. Above all, she ensures that the instrument she chooses and the type of music she plays is what the patient needs, whether to ease pain, or ignite happy memories, or bring spiritual comfort, or, sometimes, ease the actual passage from life to death. Like all Pisgah Press books, it can be ordered through local bookstores or online at Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

About the author >>

Introduction by Richard Rose, Producing Artistic Director, Barter Theatre

Whether it was the opening night of Breath of Life with Judi Dench and Maggie Smith in London, or the pre-Broadway opening of Carol Channing’s Hello Dolly! in Washington, D.C., or experiencing Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh in Macbeth at Stratford-upon-Avon, C. Robert Jones has enjoyed a lifetime of adventures as playwright, director, teacher, composer, and avid theater-goer—adventures that have taken him to fascinating places filled with fascinating people.

• At fifteen, he asked for an interview with Metropolitan Opera singer Lily Pons for his high school newspaper … and got it!
• In graduate school, he was in a USIA film about the Supreme Court, his scenes being filmed in the DC jail.
• Twenty years later he was hosted for the opening of his musical, Mandy Lou, in Charleston, SC by Alicia Rhett (India Wilkes in Gone with the Wind) and then acted with Peter Sellers in Being There.

There are probably few playwrights who can say that the playbill for their first play was printed in the White House. Along the way, he crossed paths in illuminating ways with such legends as Marcel Marceau, Johnny Mercer, Julie Harris, Edward Albee, Sherwood Schwartz, Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine, Claire Bloom, Rosemary Harris, and Hal Holbrook. I Like It Here! chronicles these stories, along with many others, and also tells the backgrounds of several world-premiere productions he directed: Bernard Sabath’s You Caught Me Dancing, Steve Bouser’s Senator Sam, and his own musical, The Clown. Taken as a whole, C. Robert’s adventures provide a charming slice of theater life in the last half of the 20th century.

About the author >>

And while themes of abuse and alcoholism are common in memoirs, there is nothing common about how Patrick patiently peels away the textured layers of his life to reveal truths that will cause readers to both marvel and despair. And at other times, celebrate.

Author Patrick O’Sullivan’s father “had been anointed to resurrect our family name, sullied for decades by alcoholism and suicide. He was big, bright and handsome, and blessed with a silver tongue and athletic prowess. The Tigers and the Cubs wanted him. Instead, his dad insisted he attend the University of Michigan, but a broken leg on the practice field ended his big league dreams. Then he met my mom and she got pregnant, and with my heart beating inside, she denied to her preacher dad that I was there.

“After ten years, my mom had her fill of Daddy’s boozing and abuse – he tortured me for another decade. I felt responsible, ashamed, helpless and alone. Being poor didn’t help. But playing ball sustained me. I found strength and purpose in my teammates and competition.

“My dad continued his downward spiral. Eventually, he emptied one too many bottles. And, somehow he survived. The drinking paused and he married, a fourth time. His new wife gave birth to a stillborn baby, and then things got worse. Dead bodies began to pile up around me. But buoyed by honest friendships and uncommon love I persevered, propelled forward by an inimitable sense of humor and a faith anchored in hope.”

About the author >>

“Unbelievable! is the story of [Joe] Haun’s journey from a very traditional Christian rural upbringing to atheism, humanism, and the cutting edge of modern agricultural research. As he recounts his growth out of a somewhat laissez-faire fundamentalist family, via horse-drawn wagon, into the discipline and discovery of a life in science and agronomy, the author’s abiding pleasure is evident everywhere.

“The imperative story Haun conveys is that fundamentalist religion poses a threat to human survival because it substitutes faith in authority for trust in reason and science. The benefits of pharmaceuticals over beseeching gods, of explanations from astrophysics over reliance on Genesis origin myths seem quite clear. But the author goes further in demonstrating how he was able to traverse the path from traditional religious faith to Enlightenment principles of conjecture, experiment, and proof, and shows how others can too.”

~ The Humanist magazine

“Haun’s low-key style and traditional dedication to family and community may very well speak to a wider swath of Americans than [Richard] Dawkins’ erudition or [Christopher] Hitchens’ pretentious stylizing. Haun’s life is an everyman tale, his shining accomplishments cast as attainable by anyone with a desire to know and a willingness to do the work required.”

~ Cecil Bothwell, author of The Prince of War: Billy Graham’s Crusade for a Wholly Christian Empire

“In addition to being an agricultural expert, flight instructor, father, teacher, and philosopher with a Naturalist/Humanist solution for living, Joe Haun has exposed the imminent dangers of fundamentalism currently facing America.”

~ Fred Flaxman, author of Sixty Slices of Life…on Wry: The Private Life of a Public Broadcaster, winner of a 2011 Pinnacle Book Achievement Award for memoirs

“Unbelievable! is…well…unbelievable! Professor Haun’s memoir presents a refreshing and provocative tour-de-force of the latter eighty years of the twentieth century and insightful thoughts on the unfolding twenty-first. He describes his experiential and intellectual journeys with keen awareness of both historical and philosophical context. Best of all, Haun’s narrative contains knee-slapping humor and pathos worthy of a good novel.”

~ Dr. Jere A. Brittain, Ret. Chair, Dept. of Horticulture, Clemson University

About the author >>