Views and Mechanics Publisher's Note Editor's Note Review of A Man Without a Country Review of Gail's Place Review of Three 1-Act Plays Review of Yesterday's A Dream Crossword (Solution Posted in May. Printable version in pdf format of journal.) Jan/Feb Crossword Solution Creative Nonfiction Imagining Nora By Lisa Norris Loving the Fat Girl By Christina Fisanick Nate's Fish and Poultry Shop By G. David Schwartz The Folly of Valentine's Day By Andy Martello Poetry Hawk King By Wanda D. Campbell After the Rain By Wanda D. Campbell You Cannot Fold the Flood. By Mariela Perez-Simons And Darkness Fell By Beth L. Block Demise of a Family Resort By Carolyn Howard-Johnson The Asparagus Cutters By Joe Wilkins Fiction Voices By Ed Boyd Little White Sambo By Brett Alan Sanders Dies Irae By Timothy Reilly Follow By Dawn Paul Crumbs By Kim Tremblett Cover Art Photography by Seth Brown About the Contributors © 2006, River Walk Journal and respective authors and artists. All rights reserved. Do not use or reproduce without permission. River Walk Journal, Inc. Board of Directors Chairman - Elizabeth Ross Vice Chairman - Joseph Koch Secretary/Treasurer - Geri Stock-Ross Editorial Director - Patti Kurtz, DA Literacy Director - Bill Mausteller Policy Director - PA State Rep. Jess Stairs Advisory Board Chairman - Patti Kurtz, DA Asst. Chairman - Dan Lachenman, PhD Samuel Hazo Christopher Leland Edwin Yoder Joseph Bathanti Journal Staff Publisher - Elizabeth Ross Editor-In-Chief - Joseph Koch Sen. Fiction Editor - Patti Kurtz Sen. Poetry Editor - Neeldhara Misra Sen. Creative Nonfiction Editor - Brenda Coxe Contributing Editor - Robert Dittman Publicity Director (PA) - Geri Stock-Ross For information about submissions, visit http://www.riverwalkjournal.org/submission.html. Questions about promotions, subscribers' services, and advertising should be sent to publisher@riverwalkjournal.org. River Walk Journal, Inc. is a non-profit corporation run entirely by volunteers. For information about volunteer opportunities and internships, visit http://www.riverwalkjournal.org/volunteer.html. |
Review of Gail's Place By Tom Anselmo In Gail’s Place, Tom Anselmo has given readers an intriguing way to explore moral ambiguity in relationships. Beginning in the first play, loyalty to friends and family stands in direct contradiction with the greater good. Gail is a well meaning, sometimes overbearing school counselor who has a reputation with her family and friends for giving her ten cents worth of advice – even when no one asked. Through these three plays, readers are shown Gail’s growth and increased understanding about moral dilemmas so often avoided for the sake of political correctness in today’s world. Gail’s husband Ron is less outgoing, albeit a decent man. We follow his journey to the inevitable crossroads where speaking out on moral dilemmas regardless of the social consequences is right. His road is a bit longer than Gail’s, but is satisfying. His deep-seated decency serves as an excellent starting point. From domestic violence to workplace sexual harassment, Anselmo jumps in feet first, examining the fallacy of political correctness in the handling of these issues. The double-edged sword that on one side condemns these behaviors, and on the other, encourages friends and family of offenders to avoid the subject is scathingly illustrated in these three plays. While readers who are familiar with the theatrical trade may become a little mired in considering the logistics of staging these plays, their message is strong enough to keep the pages turning – rapidly. Gail’s Place is an engrossing group of plays that, beyond the audience of general readers, would be useful to instructors and students of theatre, psychology and women’s studies. |