Reviews, Mentions, and Contact Info.
“Outstanding works were..The Lion’s Den, beautifully realized by Stephanie Kidd, Jason Willits and Brandon Rohe.” Copyright Omaha Cityweek critic Jim Delmont (2006)
“Plum strives for a literary bent. The debut issue has a short story by Bright Lights, Big City author Jay McInerney, a short play by Marc Sherman, and another by newcomer Michele Ellis and (the late) Terry Southern.” New York Post May 31, 2011.
“Daniel Ryder, the principal character in Michele Merens…play, “The Lion’s Den”…has served in the Iraq war and returned to his family. Following an army reunion earlier in the day, Daniel’s “ghost in the den” is stirred and “picks a fight” with his wife Gail’s “ghost”, which Daniel identifies with the God of Jesus Christ. Daniel taunts his wife…[excerpt from play].Because trauma can destroy the ability to believe, many with moderate to severe PTSD will not seek out pastoral care.” “The Invisible Wounds of War” Call To Worship Vol. 43.2, 2009-2010 Christopher Dorn and John Zemler
“…And then came the meat of Michele’s column which has enkindled very serious thought for me and I hope it does for you too. ‘Yet as each year passes, I wonder what coherent messages we are leaving behind for our children to understand that tragic day. I wonder if we as a society are moving forward to compose a common tale so that we might yet build off the horrors of Sept. 11 in ways that seem just and important.’…I confess that I was, as Michele describes, a child of the new century playing with childish things…” John Eyster, GazetteXtra.com
“Geraldine discourses on the dilemma of African-American and Jewish-American communities mingling in Milwaukee. The lone character reveals a depth of commitment that only a mother can express satisfactorily, but particularly here, only an African-American mother knows and believes.” Stage This! Volume 3 reviewed by Chris Phillips Bookpleasures.com (2009)
Upcoming and Notable
Inside Our Days. A happily married woman, Bree Durning, inexplicably flees her family and friends when she receives a devastating medical diagnosis. When her husband William, a trained psychologist, tracks her down, she has few answers for him and even less for herself. They only know this: pain, physical and mental, can never be allowed to craft their final narrative.
Inside Our Days will be published by Muriel Press, Marian University, in Fall 2020. It will be available on Amazon.com and at other retailers.
DVDs of The Lion’s Den are also for sale through this site for $15 each. Contact directly online for this purchase in the contact area below.