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

Opinion

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

1,093 articles — page 2 of 37


Time by Bernie Pilarski

Take one NaNovel, edit out the rough bits, and boom, you've got "Time." This past year Bernie participated in his first NaNoWriMo. This piece is an excerpt of his unnamed novel. After having removed the 47,000 words that did not really work, he found that there was at least a potentially interesting essay on the nature of life, the universe and everything. That is the way he usually writes, which is why he is an unproductive and unknown author.

Burning With Wood by Bernie Pilarski

It's not just a matter of staying warm; it's not just a matter of saving money. The sight draws us, the heat directs us, and there is more still that the flames bring to us ...

Baring It All in <i>Proxies: Essays Near Knowing</i> by Bernie Pilarski

Exploring a new writing style, Bernie reads "Proxies," by Brian Blanchfield.

Reflections from the Newsreel 22: Tragedy in Kabul by Carl Wade Thompson

Looking at the recent terrorist attack in Kabul, Afghanistan...

Super Sport: Book Review by Sand Pilarski

The Editor doesn't often review books, but a new one by Ralph Bland? The Editor couldn't wait to read it!

Brighton: Book Review by Sienna Wynn

Sienna Wynn reviews Michael Harvey's haunting thriller about friends in a rapidly changing Boston with a string of brutal murders.

Reflections from the Newsreel 21: The Last Gasp by Carl Wade Thompson

The horror of chemical weapons in Syria...

Call it a Difficult Night: Book Review by Abigail George

Mishka Hoosen's experimental prose in "Call it a Difficult Night" gives the reader time to reflect, study, gather, harvest their own thoughts.

Reflections from the Newsreel 20: Failed Potential by Carl Wade Thompson

Aung San Suu Kyi brought about hope and peace to the people for the people, but those hopes have been dashed for her lack of sympathy towards the Rohingya, who are suffering from government-sanctioned genocide.

Reflections from the Newsreel 19: Repeal by Carl Wade Thompson

"...The time has to come to hurt the voiceless..."

Reflections from the Newsreel 18: Chicken for Dinner by Carl Wade Thompson

The impeachment of the corrupt South Korean--South Koreans celebrated by having chicken for dinner, a play on the word chicken, which rhymes with the president's name in Korean.

Reflections from the Newsreel 17: White Terror by Carl Wade Thompson

Fear doesn't always have its origin in foreign lands...

Reflections from the Newsreel 16: A Sin Against Humanity by Carl Wade Thompson

Regarding the hate crime in St. Louis: the desecration of a Jewish cemetery.

Reflections from the Newsreel 15: The Real by Carl Wade Thompson

Who have we become?

Reflections from the Newsreel 14: The Deafening Silence by Carl Wade Thompson

Ongoing genocide of the ethnic Muslim minority, the Rohingya...

Reflections from the Newsreel 13: A Respite in Hell by Carl Wade Thompson

Another look at the results of drug use in the Philippines...

Reflections from the Newsreel 12: Alternative Facts by Carl Wade Thompson

"...Double-speak is the way; Orwell's prophecy comes true..."

Secrets of the Afterlife by Barry Udoff

What lies on the other side of this existence we call "Life?" Will it be fun? Will it last forever? Does Cousin Dandruff have to be there?

Reflections from the Newsreel 11: Inauguration by Carl Wade Thompson

"...the way it's always been."

Greatest Movies of the Century? Yes, and Emphatically No by Bernie Pilarski

Hmmm, more questionable choices by people around the world...

Rogue One and Passengers: Movie Review by Bernie and Sand Pilarski

Holiday week and the shopping's done -- how about some popcorn?

Doctor Strange: Movie Review by Bernie and Sand Pilarski

It's back to the movies for more Marvel mayhem!

Drifting Too Far from the Shore: Book Review by Sand Pilarski

Charlotte "Muddy" Rewis is getting up there in years, and knows how precious memory -- and life -- are. Her own memories seem more real to her than the world around her in Niles Reddick's book "Drifting Too Far from the Shore."

Oort Cloud Oddities: Shoe sizes by Alexandra Queen

So why is it if a husband and wife have identically sized feet, no two pairs of shoes in their closet are the same size? Because a size eight sneaker by any other name...

DIY MFA: Book Review by Carrie A. Golden

You love writing, but can you afford the time, the stress, and the money to go to school to pursue it? Gabriela Pereira tackles this question and strategies for writers in "DIY MFA."

Unfit Mother Goose by Alexandra Queen

Nursery rhymes in the hands of new parents can be horrible weapons of brain cell destruction. Truly it is Nature's plan that little critters aren't born able to understand what their parents are singing.

The Martian: Movie Review by Bernie and Sand Pilarski

Bernie and Sand finally return to the theater, just to go to Mars.

Grisham by Fred Russell

If you can really write well, don't you want to...

Oort Cloud Oddities: A Woman Who Likes Football by Alexandra Queen

It's not easy becoming one, and there are a couple of quirks involved in being one, but they do exist.

Confessions of an Amateur Woodworker by Dan H. Woods

When it comes to carpentry, there's nothing Dan doesn't know about turning something into a repair project.