There are several 2019 films that I could talk aimlessly about for hours. For instance, I could discuss the sheer joy on my face and in my Keanu-loving heart as I watched John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum in the Dolby theater, a correct decision with the amount of sense-shattering action that easily vibrated the…
With the constant ticking feed of bizarre news and breaking stories of nonsensical chaos, we are no strangers to the wackadoodle state our political climate has fallen into, regardless of which “side” you cheer for. At times it feels as if literally anything is possible now in terms of running candidates, extreme policies, and what kind of skeletons will come bursting out of closets next. Joe Ponepinto channels this atmosphere and adds a vicious sense of sarcasm, irony, and humor in Mr. Neutron. The story follows Gray Davenport, a character as equally obnoxious and bland as the name sounds, as he…
Larry O. Dean has a way with redefining some of the most average items, places, and routines that fill our days so that they hold new and amusing qualities. Activities of Daily Living is a breezy three-part poetry collection that balances lengthy and detailed pieces with short, punchy delights. The collection is divided into Sound Effects, Horoscopious, and Small Machines. He opens with The Sound Effects Bible which takes the repetitive written style straight out of Genesis and incorporates the creation of modern sounds, leading to a fascinating assortment of swooshes, zips, and everything under the sun. The Sound Effects section is rich with clever wordplay as evident in…
Sahar Mustafah’s Code of the West is a debut collection to be reckoned with. These stories touch on family, infidelity, alienation, isolation, secrets, fear, love, loss, and violence both in small bursts and manic proportions. Cultural experiences are felt internally through self-reflection and externally through crude assumption, prejudice, and blatant racism. The characters throughout each story present a unique, yet universal, perspective that leaves the reader enchanted and absorbed by the very basis of human nature. This collection starts with its title story, Code of the West, which packs a punch with the investigation of a local woman’s murder. Riyad is lonely in wide-open…
Strange Moon Collective 