Stephen Collins – författare

The job of the skin is to keep things in…On the buttoned-down island of Here, all is well. By which we mean: orderly, neat, contained and, moreover, beardless. Or at least it is until one famous day, when Dave, bald but for a single hair, finds himself assailed by a terrifying, unstoppable…monster*! Where did it come from? How should the islanders deal with it? And what, most importantly, are they going to do with Dave?The first book from a new leading light of UK comics, The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil is an off-beat fable worthy of Roald Dahl. It is about life, death and the meaning of beards.(*We mean a gigantic beard, basically.)

When Fine Gael entered a coalition government with Fianna Fáil in 2020 the party did what would have been unthinkable for its forefathers who fought and won a bitter civil war to establish the institutions of an independent Irish state almost a century earlier.Told through the lens of its leaders and Taoisigh, Saving the State is the fascinating story of the wilderness years and the achievements in government, the defeats and crises, the partnerships and the leadership upheavals that have shaped Fine Gael over the decades.From the special place in the party’s pantheon of heroes occupied by Michael Collins to the dark era of the Blueshirts, and from its role as the founders of the state to its claim to be the defenders of the state, the ways that members perceive their own history is also explored.This book is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding how Fine Gael came to be the party it is today and the role that it played in shaping modern Ireland. 'A superb, illuminating and even-handed look at the highs and lows in Fine Gael's turbulent history,' David McCullagh, author of DeValera: Rise and DeValera: Rule. ‘It is a tremendously well written book. At 418 pages it flows extremely well and is very accessible, even to the uninitiated.’ Barry Shep, The Irish Story‘Collins and Meehan have made a valuable contribution to the canon of Irish political histories’ David Davin-Power, Irish Independent Review‘fascinating’ Matt Cooper, Sunday Business Post‘It’s a fascinating insight into the party from day one right up until the present day’ Joe Finnegan Show, Northern Sound‘It’s a really really detailed and wonderful book’ Tommy Marren, Midwest Radio‘Formidable and authoritative’ Andrew Lynch, Sunday Business Post

New Updated EditionThe Power Game lifts the lid on the modern struggles for power within Fianna Fáil, including the heaves against Charles Haughey and the shafting of Albert Reynolds. It also explores in detail the careers of Jack Lynch, Charles Haughey, Albert Reynolds and Bertie Ahern, and looks at the impact on the party of the explosive revelations at the judicial tribunals about the extent of corruption in Irish public life.New material: Stephen Collins examines the most recent disclosures concerning the arms crisis of 1970 and information released from the military archives.

Anansegoro marks a pivotal point in the development in post-independence Ghanaian theatre. Developed in the 1960s, it represents a moment of convergence between theatrical innovation, political will, and a shared desire to develop a new theatre for a newly independent nation. This book provides a clear, useable guide to that moment and the unique form of theatre that resulted from it. Anansegoro was positioned as a cornerstone of theatre training in Ghana, with generations of theatre makers drawing on Ghana’s rich folk heritage in the creation of new plays. Uniquely, the authors examine how the introduction of the 2005 Ghana Copyright Act, which protects Ghana’s folklore from commercial use has contributed to the steep decline in theatre making in Ghana in the 21st century. Developed by Efua Sutherland (1924-1996) and her company following Ghana’s independence from Britain in 1957, Anansegoro draws directly from the precolonial form of village storytelling, Ananses?m (literally stories about Ananse, the spider god). In Ananses?m a storyteller leads the audience through a story, to which they respond with song, dance and shifts to the narrative. Anansegoro merges these village storytelling traditions with Sutherland’s education in western theatre, resulting in a distinctly Ghanaian performance style for the modern stage. With the support of Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah, Sutherland established much of Ghana’s modern theatre infrastructure, with Anansegoro providing the template for playwrights that followed. Featuring a study of Abibigoro, the theatrical form established by Mohammed ben Abdallah in the 1980s, the book explores how Anansegoro was developed, expanded and in some ways rejected by a generation of playwrights.

Get Started in Classical Music is a clear, concise yet comprehensive introduction to the world of classical music for the newcomer. It takes your listening experience as the starting point and fills in factual details along the way. New topics are introduced step by step and are always presented from the listener's point of view. These topics include:- Listening to music: developing skills- What is classical music?- The architecture of music: forms and structures- Historical background: different periods and different styles- The instruments of the orchestra- Starting a collection of recorded musicExamples from well-known pieces are examined in a clear and non-technical way.Whether you dip into Get Started in Classical Music from time to time or read it straight through, you will feel that your musical horizons have been broadened and that you have gained the knowledge and confidence to extend your musical experiences further.

Leadership is messy, and young leaders need firm anchors to face their new challenges. So what better place to learn those skills than leadership-challenged St. Foy’s College? Management Professor Cal Schuster gets plenty of opportunities to conduct his research and apply his theories to take on whatever comedic disasters befall the campus, accompanied by his eager-to-please and overly practical teaching assistant, Reeves. Surrounded by a cast of characters who don’t always behave how the textbooks predict, the professor confronts the complexities of leadership in a sitcom world where exaggeration enhances learning. This humorous look at leadership provides emerging and existing leaders with practical tips and memorable stories to help them navigate through their big and small challenges. Reeves and Schuster: Lessons for Leaders in a Sitcom World features five stories of leadership, each tackling a different critical skill area through Reeves and Schuster’s adventures. Each story is followed by an overview of a practical model, highlighting key perspectives and actions needed to master that leadership skill.

Pollsters called it a foregone conclusion. Columnists said Theresa May’s snap general election wouldn’t just return her a thumping majority in the House of Commons – it would plunge the opposition into existential crisis. For Labour MPs, concerns about “job security” in an age of zero-hours contracts suddenly felt uncomfortably close to home. And then something happened. Momentum got to work. Grime4Corbyn gathered steam. Clicktivists were transformed into door-knocking, flag-waving activists. Soon, a familiar chant – “Oh, Jeremy Corbyn” – was reverberating around football stadiums and venues across the country. All this while Theresa turned Maybot and the Conservatives released a manifesto that looked bad for people and even worse for animals. Featuring work by many of the UK’s best-known cartoonists, including Martin Rowson, Steve Bell and Stephen Collins, The Corbyn Comic Book captures the qualities, quirks and flaws of a man whose startling rise to prominence has been the defining story of 2017. He didn’t win, but he did cause a political earthquake. Corbynmania is a thing now – and so is Comix4Corbyn.

Generative AI is reshaping the media landscape with unprecedented speed and scale. This book examines the disruptive impact of these technologies on the media sector. From the advent of tools like ChatGPT to the creation of synthetic media, the book provides a rigorous, scientific analysis of how Generative AI is altering content creation, distribution, and consumption. It brings together a multidisciplinary group of academics to offer in-depth discussions on the challenges and opportunities posed by AI-driven innovations. Rather than presenting isolated research findings, this anthology aims to systematically dissect the various dimensions of AI-based media disruption, offering readers a comprehensive understanding of the changes underway. It addresses critical questions regarding the effects on media products, markets, professionals, and audiences, providing essential insights and forward-looking perspectives. This book is an essential read for scholars, media professionals, and anyone interested in the intersection of technology and media. Capturing the essence of current technological advancements, it offers a visionary outlook on future directions, equipping academics and professionals with the knowledge to navigate the ongoing digital transformation. By synthesizing cross-disciplinary perspectives, this volume stands as a critical guide for those at the intersection of media studies, technology, and digital innovation, aiming to foster an informed dialogue on navigating the media sector's evolving AI-driven landscape.

Investigating the influences on Germany's policy-making resulting from the East Central European states' negotiations to join the European Union, this text looks in depth at German European policy. It then moves on to consider domestic policy, the European Union and its relations with Germany and finally the negotiations of East Central European states with German bureaucracy. Stephen Collins studies the bureaucratic decision-making processes of the Federal Republic, which have evolved over time and have remained generally consistent, irrespective of the government in power. He also examines the significance of the role of Chancellor in the policy-making process, the influence of particular individuals and organizations on the way German EU policy is formulated, the extent to which German bureaucratic systems are "Europeanized", and factors which have hampered the policy-making process, such as inter-ministerial rivalry and routine operating systems.