Recommended by Ken Love

With a nod to William Inge and Horton Foote, Craig Houk's "Syd" is a theatrical treasure of drama, social commentary and vivid storytelling. Oh, and let's not forget the characters, rendered with such complexity and intimate feeling that each one leaps off of the page. Mr. Houk has taken an actual occurance and placed it in such an unforgettably dramatic context that it is sure to burn in the readers or theater goers memory. This work was a pleasure to read.

As a born and bred 20th century kind of guy, Jonny Bolduc's "Doomscrolling" was something that I could definitely relate to. Yes, I've been in those situations in which cellphones and social media have given me a demonic-sized headache!!! . . . What am I saying? I still get those demonic-sized headaches! Nice work, Jonny! This is definitely a piece for our time!

With a nod to Luis Bunuel's "Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie" and Edward Albee's "American Dream", James Kelsey Nelson, in "Shipwrecked Supper", makes use of caustic, absurdist humor and fantasy to great effect. Not a word or note is wasted. And nothing in the play is so obtuse as to become boring. All that's missing is a live performance!

A tale of racism and social injustice told in the manner of an allegory or fable. We get just enough information on the characters to keep us intrigued - long after the story has been told. Nicely done!

Many others have stepped up to recommend this highly compelling work. Now, it's my turn to give Mr. Baker his flowers. "Grand Dragon in Power" charts the rise and fall of an American demagogue. And is so unabashedly prescient that it's downright chilling. The final line, "I. Was. Just. Ahead of my time . . . " sent a shiver up my spine (because I know to whom it refers). This represents the kind of playwrighting and theater that we do not see enough of in America. And is so needed in our time. Nice work, Donald.

I absolutely love it when writers "riff" on music, namely songs, be it jazz, country, rock, et al. I've been hooked on Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" since it's debut on the album "The Wall" in 1982. And Mr. Plumridge's riff, "Comfortably Mum", serves as an engaging, funny and even poignant comment on a well known classic rock tune. I can only pray to see it live!!

Part satire, part biting social commentary, James Binz' "Weather Girl" is a harrowing tale of a woman adrift and desperately trying to find her moorings. The piece not only hits its mark, but draws blood. As works of this nature should.

"End of life" plays and stories do not always have to feel like the "end of life". I've heard comic writers and comedians tell of getting their best ideas at funerals and funeral homes. Thank you, Anastasia Wild, for sharing "Cremains to Be Seen" with us, yet another end-of-life tale that goes down with ease and is so desperately needed in life and in the theater. And the fact that the piece is well written doesn't hurt, either.

As I read Anastasia Wild's "Portals", I was reminded of a Star Trek episode, "The City On the Edge of Forever" in which Kirk, Spock & McCoy enter a "portal" that transports them to the 1930's. Good episode! Yet if only it had had the wit and the heart of Ms Wild's lovely written futuristic tale. If only! I beautiful piece that demands a live production.

Like the poetry of Louise Gluck and Elizabeth Bishop, Nora Louise Syran's "Ellida" is a haunting, lyrical monologue of a woman who, in point of fact, is fighting for her life. Like Ibsen's "The Lady From the Sea", the titular character seems tortured by the choices she must make. This piece could easily be broken into verse and read or spoken as a poem. Beautifully done!