Featured Works: Week of Sep. 4 (Friendship)
Friendship keeps us going, gives us support, tells us who we are, and forms a basis for our life’s stories. This week’s contributors examine different ways that friends can impact our lives. “4’33” by Glenn Kane relives a day of mischief, courtesy of a fellow high school band member. Old friends reconnect in “Visitor” by Kevin J. Lenihan, as their memories give way to a darker present. “Stoned English Majors” by Stuart Michaelson is a coming-of-age story where independence, and friendship, sometimes prove to be at odds. “Burning Out” by Kevin J.B. O’Connor...
Read MoreFeatured Works: Week of Aug. 21 (Writing & Inspiration)
How do you write? From where do the ideas spring? How do you bridge the gap between the nascent thought and a finished work? This week’s contributors explore that liminal space. “Flower Girl” by Michael Lee Johnson uses floral imagery to depict how poems bloom, or fade. “My intense intents indent the bubbles” by Twixt ruminates on possible futures, as an exercise in language. “The Office” by Craig Kirchner takes us inside a poet’s work space, and inside the writing process. “From crackling within” by Ayaz Daryl Nielsen provides a snapshot of inspiration. “Soul an...
Read MoreFeatured Works: Week of Apr. 2 (Love)
Explore the many facets of romantic love with this week’s contributors, from yearning to reciprocation to weathering challenges. “In Love” by David Sapp starts our journey with adolescent infatuation. “Dear Memory II” by Kevin J.B. O’Connor recalls a past relationship with a mixture of emotions. “Tree and Grass” by James B. Nicola delves into nature as a metaphor for a past love. “What a Parasite Would Say” by Carson Pytell adopts a botanic viewpoint that could as easily refer to an unhealthy relationship. “The Mathematics of Love” by Vicki Iorio uses...
Read MoreFeatured Works: Week of March 26 (Renewal)
A lot has happened since an issue of Wild Violet last came out, but we are back! In the spirit of renewal, this week’s contributors offer fresh eyes on ordinary things. “All these peach blossoms” by Ayaz Daryl Nielsen evokes the rebirth of spring. “Only You Could Catch Me” by David Sapp recalls the memory of a childhood rescue. “Crows and dragonflies” by Ayaz Daryl Nielsen examines the inspiration of nature. If you are a contributor who prefers to send submissions via the postal service, use our new address: Wild Violet P.O. Box 887 Havertown, Pa....
Read MoreRemembering Chuck Shandry
This weekend, I learned of the sudden passing of Chuck Shandry, who contributed interviews to Wild Violet in our early days, and who was a fellow staffer at the annual anime and East Asian cultural convention, Otakon. I met Chuck about 30 years ago, when I was an officer and newsletter editor for the Penn State Monty Python Society. He occasionally attended meetings, not performing in skits like the rest of us hams, but laughing in the audience and cheering us on. Nearly 20 years older than us, a Navy veteran, he genially turned down our offers to join us for a run to the College Diner after...
Read More