Anticipating Ireland - by Annika J. Neudecker
Issue:  May 2002

Review written by Gabriel Constans

I share your anticipation and excitement.  My family and I finally went to Ireland last year, after a decade of planning and remembering what it was like when I went their twenty years earlier by myself.   

No matter what you've planned, down to the smallest detail and no matter what happens, you cannot do anything but have a wonderful time!  Ireland has changed and is much more "European - EU" than ever, but it still has its unique differences.  I hope you have a fabulous adventure!

E-mail Gabriel Constans at constans@gogabriel.com
Check out his Web site at http://www.gogabriel.com

How Did I Get Here - by Peggy Vincent
Issue:  May 2002

Review written by Gabriel Constans

I loved this essay!  What a great description of leaving the known for the unknown, yet following some intuitive connection with something ahead that had been missing. Thank you for such a well written story.

E-mail Gabriel Constans at constans@gogabriel.com
Check out his Web site at http://www.gogabriel.com

A One-Track Mind - by Gabriel Constans
Issue:  May 2002

Review written by Madlyn Creekmore

An essay filled with radical honesty that is very entertaining and lets a Venus person understand a person from Mars a tad better.

E-mail Madlyn Creekmore at madcreek@linkline.com

Ice Cream Man - by William Joseph
Issue:  April 2002

Review written by L. David Ryals

I enjoyed this essay. It reminded me of my childhood and the many times I waited for the ice cream man to appear. There was much dread associated with a seemingly innocent activity. Would the ice cream truck stop, would he have the flavors I wanted, would I even be able to progress in the line to reach the ice cream man? Those were weighty issues for a young mind trying to find his place in the world. William Joseph's essay freed those memories from the lock box of my mind.    

I especially like the scene where the little girl picks up her change as the truck drives away. How sad that the young lady has to deal with the inequalities of a penny hating authoritarian ice cream regime. But, luckily for us, Mr. Joseph's essay opens the aperture on the struggles of young adulthood and gives us, as the phrase says, "one to grow on."

E-mail L. David Ryals at ldavidryals@yahoo.com

Ice Cream Man - by William Joseph
Issue:  April 2002

Review written by Harriet Cooper

This essay beautifully captures and recreates the feelings of a young man in his first summer job. There isn't a false note anywhere – not in his reaction to his father, to his co-worker and to the little girl.

The essay is more powerful because it presents the events with little editorializing, allowing the events to speak for themselves--and they do.  The ending, slips in so subtly, packs a punch precisely because it is done so quietly that you really have to listen.

E-mail Harriet at harcoop@hotmail.com

Dancing With Vera - by Nancy Knauer
Issue: April 2002

Essay Review written by Harriet Cooper  

From the title to the last word, there isn't a single misstep in this essay. I can see the women waiting for sleep to free them, feel their pain and frustration, and then soar with them for that single afternoon.  The imagery was strong without being overbearing -- I particularly liked the image of pain as an old purse.  

The story had such an effect on me that I went to pet my old, arthritic, demanding cat who, like Vera, can't always tell me what she needs. I can only hope that my cat, too, has memories to hold close to her.

E-mail Harriet at harcoop@hotmail.com

Birth Day - by Helen Miles
Issue: February 2002

Review written by Marlene McCarty

The essay ‘Birth Day’ by Helen Miles (February issue) is a beautifully written, hilarious account of the hours leading up to the birth of the author's first child.

From the opening paragraph to the final sentence, readers are drawn into the madcap events of the day. Combining a strong narrative voice along with other fiction techniques such as believable dialogue, memorable characters, and plenty of action, Ms. Miles has created an essay that will guarantee more than a few laughs and possibly a tear or two. 

'Birth Day' is a shining example of a ‘humorous essay’ and one that will be remembered long after the first reading. Bravo!

E-mail the Marlene at mccartym@rogers.com
Check out her Web site:
http://www.coastbard.homestead.com

You just read page # 2.

Read more reviews.

Would you like to review an essay?