Social Commentary in Fiction

Olivia Clare Friedman, rather than relying on heavy-handed, direct messages about environmental destruction, subtly conveys the sad state of the world through her character’s thoughts and feelings. For example, one of her characters mentions the unusual amount of rain in Louisiana. “Too much rain in September hurt us. We were doing an impossible thing. We’d

Less than Perfect

Several years ago, a journal published half a poem I’d submitted. I was of “half” a mind to withdraw my submission. Then, I took a step back and thought about why the publication accepting only part of a poem. I suspect the editor felt he was dealing with two poems. I’d entitled the poem Perfect

Whirl when you Write

they should dance/dance         thru universes         leaning-moving                       we are traveling         where are we going        if we only knew These words from the Poem Latin & Soul by Hernandez Cruz figuratively dance across the page. The poem reminds me of a dervish, the religious dance performed by Sufis, Muslim ascetics. I also think