Communicating Vessels #31

Fall/Winter 2023

It's the End of the World! That's the theme of the new issue of Communicating Vessels, in which our tenacious correspondent, Anthony Walent, recounts the exile of a no-fault eviction and the resulting struggle to find shelter in Tucson, Arizona. "Our lives are increasingly chaotic and unstable, jumping from one disaster to the next," Anthony writes. "We are singularly consumed with daily survival, to such an extent that our buried creative impulses become stunted, unable to flower." But, he reminds us, "Endurance in the face of severe adversity is a virtue."

Issue #31 brings in Dante's Inferno as the theme of the narrative, as Anthony negotiates the Hell on Earth that humanity seems devoted to creating. As always, his writing is clean, clear, and honed. Like Virgil leading Dante through the chasms of doom, the author guides us on a literary journey through the macabre absurdity of life in the 21st century.

In addition to the travails of "civilization," Walent takes us along on some of his adventures into the Gila National Forest and other wild places, sitting around epic campfires of pine, cottonwood, and elder, fashioning walking sticks under desert night skies glowing with stars.

Walent usually prints his own publications, but unfortunately due to his being dislodged from his long-term residence, he was unable to re-house his Multi 1250 press and related equipment. Eberhardt Press had the honor of printing this issue, which is perhaps the best one yet -- although we say that every time a new issue comes out, so you can't go wrong. This is one of the best underground literary journals you'll ever find in print. If you still enjoy and seek out good writing and incisive thought, you have found what you have sought. You won't be disappointed by this publication.