Recommended by Jordan Bird

A sweet short about love, romance, and companionship. As a Say Anything-lover, I was so charmed by the romantic gesture and the desire for connection exhibited in it. This would be a nice addition to a festival of shorts about love.

THE PLATYPODES has long been on my to-read list, and I'm so glad I finally had a chance to encounter this rare, vibrant play. Wyndham has gifted us with complicated characters in a difficult situation. An interesting and complex discussion of the intricacies of women's rights and neurological differences.

Such a sweet stunner of a short play. It's full of heart, pain, and humor, and it deals with the complications and fears about starting a family. Jonte once again paints an entire world and an entire relationship in such a small space. WHITE TRASH PIE would be a really wonderful addition to a holiday-themed festival of short plays.

A chilling piece of radio drama, I LET THEM OUT is haunting and frightening. I can also easily see it performed onstage with fantastic light effects and set design.

EMERGENCY CONTACT is full of heart, love, pain, and forgiveness. Manny has some truly beautiful moments, and I love how his story ends -- that he chooses his own self-worth and is generous with himself above others, even someone he loves. Shawn's anxiety hits so close to home for me; it feels so real, so personal, and so raw. Watching Derrick drown is heartbreaking in the worst way; I had tears in my eyes toward the end of this powerful play. These three men navigate their own and each other's pain with so much compassion and grace. Beautiful.

Becoming smaller. Becoming quieter. Taking up less space. SWALLOW is a chilling and immediate and necessary monologue. SWALLOW is also about the nonlinear quality of time: that there is still a version of "me" on the bathroom floor, still trying to become smaller, still crushing mints and washing their face. I can only imagine how powerful it would be to see a performance of this play.

Chilling. Heartbreaking. Close to home. A hard play to read, but a necessary one.

Penny is such a well-crafted embodiment of trauma. Anyone who has survived a traumatic event or period of time will recognize the familiar, almost comforting presence of this part of themselves.

This is a sweet reflection on love (of various kinds) and on growing up. I love the way that time moves fluidly -- it's a very successful example of nonlinear movement.

Wow, wow, wow. This play blew me away. A delight to read, I can only imagine what it would be like to experience BLOOM BLOOM POW as a full production. If you're looking to produce something experimental that delves deeply into our changing, decaying world, this play is for you. If you're looking to read something that will challenge and inspire you, this play is for you, too.