Challenge 612

Memories of Favorite Flavors

In Lana Bella’s “A Night in Harlem,” how does the poem expand the scope of the conventional lyric poem?
In Andrew Sacks’ “Chess Masters: Fact and Fiction,” chess is an ancient game representing war and politics. How might the Grandmasters’ thought processes be applied in today’s real world of politics and war?
In Richard Ong’s “Winter Awaiting Spring,” how do the title and date affect the interpretation of the photograph? How else might the photograph be viewed?
In Pavelle Wesser’s “Ice and Otherwise”:
1. What does “otherwise,” in the title, refer to?
2. The process of the ladies’ freezing cannot be taken literally. Why not? What makes it a symbol, and what does the implied metaphor symbolize?
3. Can “Ice and Otherwise” be read as a lyrical essay as well as a story?
In Oonah V. Joslin’s “The Last Days of Coloc,” the embedded stories might be moved to the top level of narrative and form chapters in a novella. What kind of “story arc” might emerge?
In Tom Wylie’s “Grey Fedora”:
1. The word “rage” is unexplained, but what would happen to the poem if it were removed?
2. What senses other than sight are evoked in the poem?
3. What is the function of odor in long-term memory? What process of memory does the poem describe?
In John W. Steele’s The Chronicle of Belthaeous:
1. In “The Protocols,” Col. Falkenhorst outlines the strategy and tactics of the Council’s service to Mammon, the lord of “pure evil.” Do Falkenhorst and the others not have at least the virtue of “honor among thieves,” namely telling the truth to each other?
2. In “A Revelation,” how might Belthaeous’ prophecy be read as outlining the sequence of events to come?
In Bob Welbaum’s “Joy in Forgotten Objects”:
1. Do the cherry-flavored confections and the stick by which they’re held have meaning in themselves?
2. The story consists of three apparently unrelated episodes. What do they have in common besides the candy?

Responses welcome!