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ENGAGING EXPERIENCES FOR ENGAGING PEOPLE

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About


PowerPlayz is a unique service. It both publishes books and provides classroom experiences and cultural events for adults.

 


Publishing

PowerPlayz has more than 10 years experience in publishing both paperbacks and ebooks. These publications are available through Amazon and Draft2Digital.

 


Teaching

PowerPlayz, through John Powers, has created and taught adults through the Osher Lifelong Learning programs at more than a half-dozen colleges and universities.. He has taught for more than 10 years.

 


Presentations and Events

PowerPlayz has led dozens of excursions for local colleges and has presented more than 200 live events for local arts centers



Publications




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Forever & Always


A high-stakes narrative of love, betrayal, and survival, this novel follows Michele, a woman navigating life after divorce from a powerful celebrity while facing deadly threats from his enemies. As relationships blur and danger escalates, Michele becomes entangled in a web of desire, manipulation, and impending violence.


The book is available at Amazon.






Maiden Blood

 A provocative and intense coming-of-age story, Maiden Blood centers on Amy, a young woman torn between spiritual devotion and emerging desire. As she becomes entangled in a political campaign and increasingly unstable beliefs about destiny and divine purpose, her journey spirals toward violence and destruction, culminating in a powerful and tragic climax..

This book is available on Amazon.






War Dog

A gripping and emotionally intense story, War Dog follows Kayla, a young soldier navigating the brutal realities of combat alongside Socorro, the only other female in her unit. After a traumatic event at a Forward Operation Base, Kayla returns home deeply changed--only to face new horrors stateside. As she seeks refuge in the mountains, the line between external enemies and internal trauma blurs, delivering a powerful exploration of war, survival, and psychological descent.

This book is available at Amazon

   A 30-minute-movie that dramatizes the young woman's arrival at home is available for viewing on YouTube.


 Angels Ladder

This haunting tale follows Sharla, a woman battling grief, estrangement, and terminal illness, as she journeys to a remote coastal property in search of a sacred artifact. Joined by Korie, she soon discovers the land is steeped in dark history and haunted by a vengeful spirit. Blending psychological tension with supernatural horror, this novel explores faith, mortality, and unresolved trauma.


 This book is available at Amazon.


   A 30-minute movie that dramatizes the woman's arrival at her family home is available for viewing on YouTube.



Nina + Simone

A haunting and emotionally layered narrative, this novel follows a Black musician grappling with the ghost of his manipulative mother while discovering purpose through mentoring two gifted twin singers. Set against a backdrop of social upheaval and apocalyptic tension, this story blends supernatural elements with profound themes of identity, loss, and artistic legacy.

 This book is available at Amazon

   A 30-minute-movie depicting the musician's journey to find these women is available for viewing on various streaming platforms.


Pentagon Papers: Recently Abridged Edition for the Millennial Generation

This work is edited from the 7,000 page document often referred to as the "secret" history of United States' involvement in Vietnam. It is aimed at young readers who may know little of the American experience in Southeast Asia, but it can be appreciated by readers of any age. It provides a concise yet comprehensive experience of the historic document.

This book is available at Amazon.
   
   A four-part-documentary is available for viewing on Vimeo.

Teaching





O.J. Simpson: Still Runnin'

It has be more than 30 years since the verdict. Most people know where they were when they learned of it, This course, following, the research of award-winning authors Donald Freed and Raymond P. Briggs, probes the unresolved questions, the leads not pursued, the information not disclosed, and the facts gathered after the Trial of the Century ending with an acquittal. Applying all the evidence against a minute-by-minute analysis of the time of opportunity, this course reveals the contradictions in both the Prosecution and the Defense accounts. Further, it then examines several other possible scenarios suggested by the facts.




 

9-11 @ 25: Questioning the Official Story

In the aftermath of September 11, 2001, the US government, the media, and most national institutions quickly established the "official story" of what led to and occurred  on that fateful day. At 25 years on, that story is not so certain. Questions have been raised. Through viewing episodes of an acclaimed documentary and in-class discussion, students can confront these questions and consider whether they have merit. It will not change the outcome, but it may give new insight.





America's Chernobyl: Operation Crossroads

This course details the controversies, decision making, and actions that led to the fourth and fifth atomic detonations at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands in July 1946. The nation's leaders did not understand the power that they possessed. In testing these devices, they unleashed a nuclear catastrophe that had a disastrous effect on thousands of US Navy personnel. This course presents a cautionary tale about the consequences of government and scientific arrogance that we can view from the distance of eighty years.



Jeffrey Epstein: Naked Truth

Despite the efforts by Republican and Democratic administrations to hide the truth of Jeffrey Epstein's life, much is known about his endeavors. In this journey, we separate the fact from fiction, the signal from noise. We see that Epstein was more than a child sexual predator. We discover how he provided a variety of services to many of the most powerful men on the planet during 40 years of deceit.



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Iran Contra: Whitewashing Ronald Reagan

Nearly 40 years ago, the covert and illegal enterprise of supplying arms to a "freedom fighting" insurgency in Central American and the to the "terrorist" Iranian government in its war with Iraq, burst out of the classified vaults on to the headlines of global media. The Reagan administration went into full cover-up mode to protect the president, who had been ardently directing these policies..





Smedley Butler Saga: Gangster of Capitalism

Smedley Butler (USMC) was the most celebrated warfighter of his time. Wherever the U.S. flag went, he went in nearly every overseas conflict from 1898 to past WW I. Butler blazed a path for empire; annexing the Philippines and the land of the Panama Canal; leading troops in China; invading and occupying Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti, and parts of Mexico. In retirement, Butler turned against war and the bankers who profited, declaring, "I was a racketeer for capitalism."





Nixon Resignation Reconsidered: Parts 1 & 2

 On the 50th anniversary of President Nixon's resignation, this course explores the silent coup against the popular chief executive. He had been spied upon by the military, infiltrated by CIA, and betrayed by White House staff members John Dean and Alexander Haig. His final end came at the hands of enemies within the Democratic Party who controlled the investigation in alleged campaign abuses.


Dallas 1963: The Coup Against the President

On the 60th anniversary of John F Kennedy's bloody murder in public view, this course explores the events and persons who plotted against the chief executive and his world-changing policies . The journey also examines the cover up that went into effect immediately afterwards.







Infamy: FDR's War of Empires

Eighty-five years ago, the Roosevelt Administration planned and provoked an attack on Pearl Harbor by forces of the Japanese Imperial Navy. This closely guarded maneuvering by American elites unified the overwhelmingly antiwar nation into leading the defeat of fascism in Japan and Germany. In doing so, the United State crushed the nascent imperial ambitions of those two nations, and it oversaw the eventual dismemberment of the empires of England, France, and The Netherlands in Asia.




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Professional Instruction and Presentation


When seeking a stimulating course or planning an engaging events, we can assist you in a variety of ways.
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Instruction Services


  • Stimulating Courses
  • Both Single- and Multi-Event
  • In-Person and Online Instruction

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Presentations and Events


  • Unique Excursion
  • Cultural Evnets
  • Scale to Any Size


Testimonials


"Really made us think and reconsider what we thought we knew."


UC Riverside Osher Member


Contacts


Contact us any time - we look forward to meeting you!




Get in touch


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Contacts


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j-powers@powerplayz.com

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