A Literary Magazine in Support of the Jewish Community
Celebration
When celebrating,
I don’t always know why.
Sometimes, it’s obvious:
births and birthdays, retirements
and weddings. Other times,
I’m an interloper—confused,
with balloons.
So many pumpkins,
wicker baskets, wine,
trees, olive oil,
crescent moons, fireworks.
The sky is candies.
I am alone,
surrounded by celebration.
The pinata—filled with
tiny plastic babies and regret.
Jason Olsen
Jason Olsen is an Associate Professor of English at Utah State University. His multigenre writing guide, Intersecting Genre: A Skills-based Approach to Creative Writing, was published by Bloomsbury Academic in 2023. He has a collection of short fiction forthcoming from Alternating Current Press, as well as a book about the work of the late comic book writer Mark Gruenwald (McFarland and Co. Publishers), both in 2025. He lives in rural Utah with his wife, two children, a dog, and too many cats.
