“Friendship” by Paulo Otavio Diniz Rodrigues (https://flic.kr/p/7qBgkT)

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 examines the way that memories may be discarded as friends drift apart. 

“Writing Poetry at Soccer Practice” by Alyce Wilson

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 Invisible Muse” by Hongri Yuan contemplates the ultimate source of creativity.

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 mathematical theory to probe matters of the heart.

“my partner sneaks me sunshine while the doctors look away” by Sean William Dever captures the dedication of love through challenges.

“Suffering” by Jim Fried is a short story about politics, love, and the importance of timing.

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. 19083-9998

Chuck Shandry as Tim from “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” at an Otakon staff retreat

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 the meetings. Likewise, he seldom showed up for our weekend activities, such as the annual Upperclassman Twit-of-the-Year Run, or the spring Mall Climb. 

Since I was the newsletter editor, I tended to know most of the MPS members. After the meetings, Chuck would come up front to talk to us officers, and he soon discovered my love of music. He lent me some of his Bonzo Dog Doodah Band albums, my introduction to a band I would come to love so much that I randomly quote lines from the Bonzos to my family on a regular basis.

Through the MPS and the expanded interlocking circles of friends, however, Chuck found his true family.

Mutual friends of my MPS compatriots, four individuals forever known as the Four Fathers, founded Otakon, and Chuck, who shared a love of anime with them, enthusiastically volunteered from the earliest days of the convention. He worked Registration for most of his time there, and I spent a couple years on that staff working with him. Chuck could always be relied upon to show up on time and to stay as late as needed, usually wearing such iconic costume elements as a pair of wolf ears or a pith helmet.

Chuck Shandry at Otakon 2005

When a friend and I began Wild Violet in 2001, Chuck became one of our earliest supporters. He conducted several interviews for us of voice actors whom he met through Otakon, along with highly-entertaining and informative footnotes. 

Tiffany Grant (Frozen Karma, January 31, 2002)

Tristan MacAvery (Rising Sun, May 3, 2002)

George Manley (Vol. III Issue 2, Gourmet Snowflake)

Matt Greenfield (Vol. IV Issue I, Dream Zone)

Joe Grisaffi (Vol. IV Issue 3/4, Waking World) 

Since 2020 will forever be known as the year when the conventions didn’t happen, I can safely say that the last time I saw Chuck in person was at Otakon 2019. While these days I’m busy running the Press Relations Department, I chatted with him briefly in the hallway, as he headed to his usual assignment in Registration. In recent years, I’d often see him at the staff continental breakfast in one of the D.C. hotels, holding court at a table, where he cheerfully welcomed anyone who wanted to sit down and talk about the latest anime series, or reflect on Otakon lore.

To say he’ll be missed seems inadequate. For many, Chuck symbolized the heart of Otakon. That level of enthusiasm, coupled with pure joy for the art form, lies at the heart of everything that’s best about Otakon. And for me, personally, it’s sad and sobering to realize that Chuck, who participated in the parts of my life that became so important to me—from MPS to Wild Violet to Otakon—will no longer be there to share in the activities that brought us both so much happiness.

Chuck’s executor is raising the funds needed to cover funeral expenses. Please consider contributing.

“Tire Icicles” by Alyce Wilson

In trying times, the arts provide refuge. Whether escaping into a fictional world, or finding relief through laughter, or simply being inspired, the arts improve our lives. That concept is as true today as when Wild Violet was founded to provide a “place for the arts,” as this week’s contributors illustrate.

In “The Wrong Kiiid Died,” actor, writer and artist Raymond J. Barry provides an impressionistic account of his experiences shooting a scene in a comedy film. 

“Rehearsals” by R. Steve Benson uses the language of dance and theater to relate a life experience.

“Aria” by David Sapp shows the impact of music on even the most jaded listener.

“On The Island of No Internet, We Went to Listen to Poetry” by Michael Brownstein finds poetry and beauty everywhere in a land where art, dance, and words flourish.

While some draw inspiration from personal experience, others find source material in local, national or global events, as this week’s contributors illustrate.

“Headlines” by Kevin J.B. O’Connor encapsulates some of the major themes from recent newscasts.

“To Pete Rose” by Joey Nicoletti finds a personal connection to a sports legend.

“Approaching comet” by Douglas J. Lanzo highlights a recurring science phenomenon.

“The Cemetery Gardeners” by J. Novalis Wolfe may be set in any age, moving on from war to find solace.

As a highly unusual year ends, the holiday season gives rise to reflection, and memories seem to rise out of the mist, as this week’s contributors illustrate.

“Ahab’s Crew” by Anthony Botti reflects on days at a boarding school in the 1980s. 

“She Knew” by Dan Pettee presents a personal view of life and mortality, as seen by a scholar.

“The Turn” by David Sapp recalls a family memory that foreshadowed future trouble.

The way we see the world can be strongly influenced by our age and our particular point in our life’s path, as this week’s contributors illustrate.

“Who I Wanted to Be,” a poem by Judith Ann Levinson, presents a delicate portrait of a child’s hopes for her future.

The poem “Wildflowering” by John Zedolik praises the beauty in imperfection that a teenager would overlook.

In the short story, “The Bridge to Restitution,” Joe Ducato depicts a group of adolescent friends whose adult destinies draw closer.

“For What It’s Worth,” a story by Stuart Michaelson, relives the uncertain days of relationships as a young adult in the 1960s.

“Injured Shadow” by Michael Lee Johnson throws light on the confusion and yearning that can accompany aging.

Orange leaf on pavement, photo by Alyce Wilson

Spending time in nature clears the mind, helps us cope with stress, and is healing for both the body and spirit. If you can’t get outside, though, the next best thing is to check out this week’s offerings, all related to nature.

“Clouds” by Michael Brownstein evokes the luminescent colors often glimpsed in the sky. 

“These cool green hills” Ayaz Daryl Nielsen subtly depicts morning moments of sunlight and mountains.

“Whether or Not” by James B. Nicola takes a big-picture perspective on our relationship with nature.

“Entropy 3” and “Entropy 4,” two works of art by Cynthia Yatchman, provide an abstract view of natural forces.