Because of both the COVID-19 pandemic and the current civil unrest in Philadelphia, for the time being, please use the following updated address instead of the post office box we have previously used for correspondence.

Submissions and correspondence can be sent to:

Alyce Wilson, editor

Wild Violet Magazine

1925 Lawrence Rd., Apt. D-3

Havertown, PA 19083

E-mail: wildvioletmagazine@yahoo.com

Inquire via e-mail before sending books or CDs for review.

I’m jumping on the bandwagon with Amazon’s new promotional option for ebooks. It’s called a Countdown promotion, and the earlier you get in on it, the better a deal you’ll get. 

Stop by the Amazon page for my book, “Dedicated Idiocy: A Personal History of the Penn State Monty Python Society” between Friday, November 29 and Tuesday, December 2 to get the Kindle book at a greatly reduced price. The earlier you get there, the better the deal will be!

Wild Violet editor Alyce Wilson is recovering from a week-long vacation with her family — including her siblings and their children — as well as a big party to celebrate her parents’ 70th birthday. As you might imagine, staying in a cabin in Central Pennsylvania with no Internet access made it next to impossible to put together this week’s issue. So kick back, relax, swim in a pool if you like, and take the time to put together your submission!

Look for our return next week, with part one of a two-part look at Religion.

See you next week!

Arthur Winfield Knight’s poem, “Lu Watters: Blues Over Bodega” recalls a friendship with a jazz musician, with whom he shared common influences. 

Carol Hamilton’s “Another History of the Bean” draws inspiration from Thoreau, nature and coffee.

Sean Lause’s “Whitman at the Game” imagines how the famous poet, Walt Whitman, would have viewed a baseball game.

R.S. Carlson’s “Zoom_6” incorporates nature imagery and photography terms in a poem imitating Emily Dickinson’s style.

B.Z. Niditch’s “Cage’s Happenings” evokes the spirit of creativity the poet experienced while playing music with John Cage as a teenager. 

In the essay “A Brief Consideration” by Charles Sanft, the speaker contemplates the idea of living life twice: once cautiously and once with abandon. 

In the essay “Merit Badge” by Karen Fayeth, a woman contemplates body image on a Thursday work commute.

The poem, “The fresh and promising morning” by Robert Phelps, explores the possibility of renewal and rebirth.

Michael Lee Johnson’s poem, “Sundown, Fall,” depicts a brilliant fall day with the first inklings of fall.

Lyn Lifshin’s poem, “Late November (I), ” captures how quickly the seasons can change.

Lyn Lifshin’s poem, “Late November (II),” evokes the cyclical way both memories and seasons recur.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

How does one summarize an entire life of more than 60 years? When faced with this ominous task, too many self-published writers produce rambling, episodic narratives that fail to capture the true drama and beauty of their lives. Fortunately for author Mathias B. Freese, he is a gifted essayist who has been writing essays for decades. By collecting his favorite pieces, he gives readers insights into both his personal life (which is, sadly, full of tragedy) and his views on such topics as education, psychotherapy, blogging, and, of course, writing. The book, as a result, is one part personal memoir and one part intellectual analysis.

This combination elevates the book, but it also means it is a book best read slowly. Readers are likely to find themselves pausing to contemplate the message behind each essay. Freese is direct and opinionated, and he often takes an opinion counter to popular thinking. Take, for example, the essay “Teachers Have No Chance to Give Their Best,” where he begins by railing against students for their “puerile minds” and “vacuity.” But while these words are harsh, he lays the blame squarely on teachers. As a former teacher himself, he strongly suggests that schools need to do more to encourage creativity and self-reliance.

Just when it seems he has given up, labeling the educational system as “a great Arctic mammoth wandering aimlessly,” he offers up a glimmer of hope: “Take any five decent, well-intended, creative and committed teachers and administrators, people who care, people in passion, free men and women, and one could wreak a reformation in weeks.”

Such is the power of these essays: he sets up problems in stark language, but he also points to the possible positives that we, as a society, could reach for. Whether writing about the challenges of the current publishing scene or the historical record of the Holocaust, he shows readers both the ugliness and the beauty of each topic. He shares valuable insights from his time as a psychotherapist, and he waxes eloquent on some of his favorite movies and classic film actors.

The personal essays in the back of the book provide a look at his family’s trials and grief. From the tragic loss of both his first wife and his daughter, to coping with memories of a neglected childhood, he writes powerfully when he is at his most personal. In many ways, these essays might have been a better way to begin this collection, since it would have helped to provide a real sense of the writer, in a personal way, before the denser, academic pieces.

This is a book that will stay with the reader, that will occasionally pop up as an undercurrent to conversations. While it doesn’t quite reach the heights of his fiction masterpiece, The i Tetralogy, it is a thoughtful, compelling read.

View all my Goodreads reviews

“Dinner at the Museum of Fine Arts” by Suellen Wedmore

“Alchemy” by Joshua London

“My Magic Newlywed Neighbors” by Sean Lause

“In Ireland the Notes to the Milkman Are Poems” by Daniel J. Langton

“Someone Goes Over Old Love Letters” by Lyn Lifshin

We’re taking a little bit of a holiday hiatus. Look for the weekly posts to resume in December!