Recommended by Ken Love

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    When I read Scott Sickles "Cathedrals (a monologue)", I was reminded of the great 20th Century confessional poetry of Sylvia Plath, Robert Lowell and Robert Creeley - a work that wraps itself like a tentacle around the heart and mind - yet, unlike those writers, avoids the abyss. Which is to say that there is the faint grace note of hope within this work. This is a monologue to be read, performed, and kept - to be read again.

    When I read Scott Sickles "Cathedrals (a monologue)", I was reminded of the great 20th Century confessional poetry of Sylvia Plath, Robert Lowell and Robert Creeley - a work that wraps itself like a tentacle around the heart and mind - yet, unlike those writers, avoids the abyss. Which is to say that there is the faint grace note of hope within this work. This is a monologue to be read, performed, and kept - to be read again.

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    Like Dutch filmmaker George Sluizer's "The Vanishing" (1988), Donald Loftus with "The Archway" has created an incisive psychological drama that wraps itself around the mind like a steel tentacle. And the fact that it deals with familial discord only adds to the tragic sense of the piece. Mr. Loftus has once again shown himself to be a writer that deserves our reckoning.

    Like Dutch filmmaker George Sluizer's "The Vanishing" (1988), Donald Loftus with "The Archway" has created an incisive psychological drama that wraps itself around the mind like a steel tentacle. And the fact that it deals with familial discord only adds to the tragic sense of the piece. Mr. Loftus has once again shown himself to be a writer that deserves our reckoning.

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    Like a poisoned arrow, this short, incisive piece deftly establishes it's premise, then hurtles to a satisfying - though open-ended - finish. And the fact that it leaves just a few loose ends at that finish adds to the delight, if you will, of this work. What's missing is a live performance! Kudos!

    Like a poisoned arrow, this short, incisive piece deftly establishes it's premise, then hurtles to a satisfying - though open-ended - finish. And the fact that it leaves just a few loose ends at that finish adds to the delight, if you will, of this work. What's missing is a live performance! Kudos!

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    What makes Erin Moughon's "Failing" such an incisive, gripping read is the fact that it takes so little time to make its statement. And as a writer I know full well the degree of talent it takes to do such. Funny and desperately heartbreaking. This is a piece for our time. Kudos!

    What makes Erin Moughon's "Failing" such an incisive, gripping read is the fact that it takes so little time to make its statement. And as a writer I know full well the degree of talent it takes to do such. Funny and desperately heartbreaking. This is a piece for our time. Kudos!

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    "The Moth Man Cries" by Marshall Logan Gibbs represents the best in storytelling from an American vantage point: an incredible mixture of myth, horror, parable, and heartaching drama told without a single false note. The characters are so well rendered and human that they breathe from the page as they carry this gripping tale from beginning to a satisfying end. I long for the time when I can see this work staged. Marvelously done, sir!

    "The Moth Man Cries" by Marshall Logan Gibbs represents the best in storytelling from an American vantage point: an incredible mixture of myth, horror, parable, and heartaching drama told without a single false note. The characters are so well rendered and human that they breathe from the page as they carry this gripping tale from beginning to a satisfying end. I long for the time when I can see this work staged. Marvelously done, sir!

  • Ken Love: EXHALE by Steven G. Martin
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    Male vulnerability is a subject that few playwrights - including myself (yes! I admit) - are willing (or have even a cursory interest) to explore. Thankfully, we have the estimable Steven G. Martin to offer us a fleeting glimpse into that rabbit hole with "Exhale". I laughed aloud. And felt the piercing sting of recognition and even pathos. Nicely done!

    Male vulnerability is a subject that few playwrights - including myself (yes! I admit) - are willing (or have even a cursory interest) to explore. Thankfully, we have the estimable Steven G. Martin to offer us a fleeting glimpse into that rabbit hole with "Exhale". I laughed aloud. And felt the piercing sting of recognition and even pathos. Nicely done!

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  • Ken Love: Never Again - 1 Minute Play by Ryan Kaminski
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    Ryan Kaminski, with "Never Again - 1 Minute Play", has given us multitudes of subtext and startling imagery in barely a minute. Is it comedy? Horror? Tragedy? A short piece that needs to be seen, read, discussed.

    Ryan Kaminski, with "Never Again - 1 Minute Play", has given us multitudes of subtext and startling imagery in barely a minute. Is it comedy? Horror? Tragedy? A short piece that needs to be seen, read, discussed.

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  • Ken Love: BY THE MOONLIGHT - A One Minute Monologue by Julie Brandon
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    Ah, yes! My favorite kind of storytelling: a touch of noir, a dash or two of Kafka, a pinch from the best of the pulp detective stories of the 1930's, and even a taste of horror. This grippingly told short piece by Julie Brandon had me not only craving for more, but doing my damnedest to fill in the subtext. It will definitely stay with the reader or the audience. Great work, Julie! Very nice!

    Ah, yes! My favorite kind of storytelling: a touch of noir, a dash or two of Kafka, a pinch from the best of the pulp detective stories of the 1930's, and even a taste of horror. This grippingly told short piece by Julie Brandon had me not only craving for more, but doing my damnedest to fill in the subtext. It will definitely stay with the reader or the audience. Great work, Julie! Very nice!

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  • Ken Love: The Country Squire by Philip Middleton Williams
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    Plays about the American family will always have a voice in the American theater. In "The Country Squire", a family of quite a unique set of individuals gathers to discuss the acquisition of land. What unfolds is all that makes Philip Middleton Williams an engaging, enduring playwright, with wit and human warmth to spare. As well as a few riffs on Chekhov and "The Cherry Orchard".

    Plays about the American family will always have a voice in the American theater. In "The Country Squire", a family of quite a unique set of individuals gathers to discuss the acquisition of land. What unfolds is all that makes Philip Middleton Williams an engaging, enduring playwright, with wit and human warmth to spare. As well as a few riffs on Chekhov and "The Cherry Orchard".

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  • Ken Love: Monstrogenesis by Georgia Xanthopoulou
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    The myth of the Minotaur and the Labyrinth is, for me, the most intriguing of the Greek Myths. And Georgia Xanthopoulou (one of my personal favorite writers on NPX), with "Monstrogenesis", gives us a unique, probing take on this classical tale. The humanity in this piece is similar to that in "The Elephant Man", and just as embracing.

    The myth of the Minotaur and the Labyrinth is, for me, the most intriguing of the Greek Myths. And Georgia Xanthopoulou (one of my personal favorite writers on NPX), with "Monstrogenesis", gives us a unique, probing take on this classical tale. The humanity in this piece is similar to that in "The Elephant Man", and just as embracing.

    ”