Piker Press — Weekly Journal of Arts and Literature
March 16, 2026

Essays

Essays published in Piker Press, a weekly journal of arts and literature.

290 articles — page 10 of 10


The Essence of Me by Carrie A. Golden

Carrie Golden tells us about how writing has been integral in her life.

Putting It Together by Cheryl Haimann

The letters change, the answers add up ... writing can be like a word puzzle.

Seven Years of Piker Press by Sand Pilarski

April of 2009 brings the Piker Press another anniversary as a weekly ezine. To kick off our eighth year, this issue presents the thoughts of some of our writers about their writing itself. Many thanks to all who have contributed to the Piker Press in the past, and best wishes to all who will share their words and images in the Piker Press in the future.

That's Not Our Car by Barry Udoff

To an outsider, his off beat taste in cars might have pegged him as an eccentric, or else a guy in desperate need of attention. Father was neither.

A Short History of April Fools' Day by Dan H. Woods

Dan H. Woods currently is in hiding in France, wearing a fake moustache and pretending his hobbies include woodworking and running marathons. At one time, Dan was also a Certified Beer Judge from the American Homebrewers Association. (It's good work if you can find it.)

The Public Speaks by Barry Udoff

This one is for all of us who ever had times we just wanted to go live in a cave far, far away from boomboxes and thumper car stereos and neighbors arguing on the sidewalk ...

Howdy, Neighbor! by Barry Udoff

It is a complex and demanding web of relationships, shadowed by dangerous connections and hidden pitfalls. We weave in and out of it, and half-jokingly name it "Civilization"...

Red, White, Blue and Borrowed by Barry Udoff

Barry Udoff has been a ghostwriter, a speechwriter and a copywriter. He has written feature stories about the New York City draft riots and a B-17 bomber crew who flew the initial missions against Germany during WW II. His work has appeared in newspapers, trade magazines and on the Internet. He has an excessive reliance on spell check.

Venus, Goddess of Love by Michael G. Mears

Looking up at the sky to see the lights of the Universe in their dance, who can resist the wonder and delights of astronomy?

Notes From the Office 08: Fairy Tales by Sand Pilarski

Once upon a time, there were a bunch of Writers who had all kinds of words trying to pour out of their heads, through their fingers, and into print. Having little opportunity to get published, the Writers felt sluggish and sad, like highways with a magical traffic jam. Then one day, a tall blonde editor with a silver sword and an imagination like a wizard par excellence appeared, struck a computer with a spell of coding, and made The Piker Press appear ...

On Salads by Dan Mulhollen

When it comes to salads, Dan Mulhollen considers them at their most useful merely as food for thought.

The Wedding Cake by Chas Wallace

"A thing of beauty is a joy forever." Or wait, is that actually supposed to read "A thing of beauty is a nervous breakdown in the making"?

Into the New Year by Sand Pilarski

You wake up in the dark, wondering if the dog or the cat or the alarm is going to be the first to force you to get up. Everything is silent, and you don't move, not wanting to stir up the household by blundering about the room in the dark to look for a clock. And in the misty musings that tangle thoughts in the night, you remember that the date is going to be December 31st, the last day of the year. New Year's Eve. A thrill races through you: by this time tomorrow, dawn will be about to break on an entirely new year.

A Bouquet for Mother's Day by Sand Pilarski

Happy Mother's Day this week! Our cover story is dedicated to mothers everywhere, a bouquet of exotic blooms from the Modesto Tropical Plants Show held on 14th and 15th of April, 2007.

Reminds Me of My Mother by Piker Staff

Sweet, bittersweet -- some things just remind us of our mothers.

Poetry by Blanche Nonken

If we can live each moment as a poem needing only to be written, then beauty will always be with us.

Piker Pumpkins by Piker Staff

This is the last full week before the start of National Novel Writing Month, and writers are itching to see cascades of words flowing from their fevered minds and aching fingers. How better to distract yourself from the wait than by letting some creativity flow by carving a pumpkin?

The Making of a Fangirl by Mary Klaebel

What makes Anime different from good old American animation? The depth of the difficult subject matter? The spare characteristics of the art? The non-formula plots? Mary Klaebel explains how she became hooked on Anime.

A Time For Reflection by Mark W. Swarthout

You get comfortable with the radio station you've listened to for years. The kind of music it plays becomes a part of you. Then -- WHAM! -- things change, and yes, it hurts!

10 K for Labor Day by Sand Pilarski

What? Some of the Staff of the Piker Press have gone missing? Maybe they're sitting at their keyboards, trying to figure out how to stretch "And then a giant gopher came up out of the ground and ate them all" into say, 500 words or more? Looks like it's that time of year again ...