Lovers' Progress consists of ninety poems written over a span of seventeen years--from 2004 to 2021--from the inception of the relationship to COVID-19 times. Not only does it explore the development of the romantic relationship as the partners move from dating, to living together, to marrying, but it documents the development of the poet's work over this time as lines become longer, poems divide into regular stanzas, and feelings/perspectives expressed become broader, less obvious, and more philosophical. So, this collection progresses from a literal walk in a park on the first date in "Sol" to "Home Remedy," when, due to the pandemic, husband and wife spend most of their time with each other--and with no one else. Thus, the poems in this collection range from expressing the initial romantic/sexual spark to considering the enduring elements of a loving relationship.

Lovers' Progress consists of ninety poems written over a span of seventeen years--from 2004 to 2021--from the inception of the relationship to COVID-19 times. Not only does it explore the development of the romantic relationship as the partners move from dating, to living together, to marrying, but it documents the development of the poet's work over this time as lines become longer, poems divide into regular stanzas, and feelings/perspectives expressed become broader, less obvious, and more philosophical. So, this collection progresses from a literal walk in a park on the first date in "Sol" to "Home Remedy," when, due to the pandemic, husband and wife spend most of their time with each other--and with no one else. Thus, the poems in this collection range from expressing the initial romantic/sexual spark to considering the enduring elements of a loving relationship.

This collection consists of thirty-five poems expressing the grieving process for the death of the author’s mother. It is organized into five chronological sections: “The Days,” “The Weeks,” “The Months,” “The Year,” and “Beyond.” This organization reflects the effects that time has had upon the author’s grieving process. Some of the poems explicitly concern the death of the mother, while others focus upon the emotional effects of her death upon the author. Though the poems contain philosophical and religious/spiritual elements, the poems’ contents are a result of whatever seemed relevant to expressing the particular shade of emotion the author felt at that time. The final section, “Beyond,” suggests the continuation of the process and the possibility that, in some form, it will never end, though the intensity diminishes as time progresses.

The Ramifications is a collection of five long, multi-part poems written over the last several years, the exception being “Twenty-Four in Twenty-Four,” which was written approximately ten years ago. With these poems, John Zedolik goes beyond the one-to-two-page length of the overwhelming majority of his poems. This great increase in length is a result of reading poets from a wide variety of eras and cultures and being intrigued about what he could accomplish if he extended the poems by dividing them into sections, thus being able to shift focus while still maintaining a unified theme. Additionally, in “Heliosebas,” “Prestidigitation,” and “La Fiamma Invisibile,” he incorporates bits of others’ poetry and some Scripture. These inclusions further increase the number of directions the poems take while maintaining their own integrity. In terms of main ideas, “Alternative Route” deals with an “alternative way” of looking at self and family. “Heliosebas” deals with the desire for life, “Prestidigitation” with perception, and “La Fiamma Invisibile” with those forces that drive us in our everyday existence. The final poem, “Twenty-Four in Twenty-Four,” describes each conscious and unconscious hour of a day in twenty-four fourteen-line sections.

In this collection I offer perspectives regarding spirituality, faith, and religion. Rather than attempting to proselytize or offer pat answers and dogma, I explore memory and experience tied to a Christian upbringing—an upbringing that resonates with imagery and emotion whose power and depth is lasting. Though much of the inspiration for this collection lies in this upbringing, it does not focus on nostalgia but rather upon the ongoing effects and mental experiences that relate to spirituality. Thus, many poems stem from recent inspiration. As a whole, I reflect upon the thoughts, observations, and feelings as a seeker continually attuned to the poetic possibilities that spirituality has brought and will continue to bring.

This collection stems from observations and memories that have triggered poetic responses. Usually, external phenomena or experience generate conceptions that can best be expressed in poetry. Alternately, a memory, often remote, will drift up to one's consciousness of its own accord or as a result of some exterior stimulus. The subsequent poem communicates the meaning one has discovered in the memory and/or observation/experience.

"the Breaking" is a 2016 Scars Publications poetry and prose book with material from assorted writers and artists, as the January/February 2016 issue release of the literary magazine "Down in the Dirt" (http://scars.tv/dirt). Since 2014 "Down in the Dirt" magazine is released every other month (and sometimes with bonus issues) as a 6"x9" perfect-bound paperback book, with not only it's usual ISSN# (print ISSN# 1554-9623 and Internet ISSN# 1554-9666), but also an ISBN#. Because of ISBN# releases, all issues now carry a title to accompany the new format, reflecting the writing inside the book as well as the cover design. Writers and artists included in this Scars Publications perfect-bound 6" x 9" ISBN# paperback book include Denny E. Marshall (with Haiku (chicken/egg), Haiku (memory), Haiku (rivers/veins), Haiku (space), and Haiku (tossing)), Chris Johnson (with Politics in America), Zane Schneider (with You Are Dad), Janet Kuypers (with How He Failed), B. Mason (with Corpus Christine), Janet Kuypers (with study), Katherine McCormick (with The Breaking), Janet Kuypers (with years), Talon Lawrence (with Betrayal), Janet Kuypers (with knife), Dan Maltbie (with Fallen, Many Blessings, and Trustworthy), Eric Doubek (with Say Good-Bye To The Good Old Invisible World), Kenneth DiMaggio (with Poem #4 from The Oxycodone Highway, and Poem #5 from The Oxycodone Highway), Russ Bickerstaff (with The Shepherd of Potential), Poetic (with Please Read the Letter), Kyle Hemmings (with Who's Girl art), Wes Smith (with Life Over Breakfast), Janet Kuypers (with scorches), Ron Iannone (with Going Home), Edward Michael O'Durr Supranowicz (with Primary Primal art), Terry C. Ley (with A Stormy Beginning), Janet Kuypers (with forever), Doug Draime (with Sentences (lies), and Editor Gives Advice On How To Get), (with Published In His Magazine), Eric Burbridge (with Coldness in the Heat), Liam Spencer (with High Holidays), Janet Kuypers (with job), Christopher Godwin (with The Time I Took to Bed), John Zedolik (with Life Urges), Allan Onik (with The Forgotten Isle), Janet Kuypers (with defenses), Allan Onik (with The Rose), C. D. Bonner (with Fall), Liz Yohemoore (with here you have arrived, and Stone Singing), David Sapp (with Happy), Drew Marshall (with Inpatient Impressions), Janet Kuypers (with existence), Kristen Welker (with In a Bullet Home), Carmen Tudor (with Gravenhurst), Marlon Jackson (with Just Wonders), Lindsey Loyd (with Sadness in Three Parts), A.J. Huffman (with I've Been Trying to Think, Mishandled, and The Clean Up Crew), Debasis Mukhopadhyay (with No country for a Jew), Mike Brennan (with Date of Discharge), Maria-Jose Villamar (with Our Date), Peter Halliday (with pursuing propinquity), and Janet Kuypers (with unless it happens to you).

"Spitfire" is a 2018 Scars Publications poetry and prose book with material from assorted writers and artists, as the September - October 2018 issue release of the literary magazine "Down in the Dirt" (http: //scars.tv/dirt). Since 2014 "Down in the Dirt" magazine is released every other month (and sometimes with bonus issues) as a 6"x9" perfect-bound paperback book, with not only it's usual ISSN# (print ISSN# 1554-9623 and Internet ISSN# 1554-9666), but also an ISBN#. Because of ISBN# releases, all issues now carry a title to accompany the new format, reflecting the writing inside the book as well as the cover design. Writers and artists included in this Scars Publications perfect-bound 6" x 9" ISBN# paperback book include Allan Onik, Andrew Cyril Macdonald, Anne Mikusinski, Ashley Layco, Ben Brown, Doug Hawley, Drew Marshall, Emily Strauss, Eric Dreyer Smith, Frederick Pollack, Gabriella Shlyakh, Grace Ware, Hector Ramos, Janet Kuypers, James Mulhern, Jeff Briskin, John Kaprielian, John L. Stanizzi, John Zedolik, Layla Lenhardt, L'Dia Cantu, Mark Joseph Kevlock, Patty Ayers, Khalilah Okeke, Mike Schneider, Pavol Janik, Richard Lind, Ronald Charles Epstein, Sara Codair, Sarah Henry, Te'Livyvonne Starks Shae Starks, Tim Dadswel, Travis Green, William Ogden Haynes, Zachary Harris, Fabrice Poussin, Helen Bird, J. Ray Paradiso, and Olivier Schopfer

"New Moon" is a 2016 Scars Publications poetry and prose book with material from assorted writers and artists, as the March/April 2016 issue release of the literary magazine "Down in the Dirt" (http://scars.tv/dirt). Since 2014 "Down in the Dirt" magazine is released every other month (and sometimes with bonus issues) as a 6"x9" perfect-bound paperback book, with not only it's usual ISSN# (print ISSN# 1554-9623 and Internet ISSN# 1554-9666), but also an ISBN#. Because of ISBN# releases, all issues now carry a title to accompany the new format, reflecting the writing inside the book as well as the cover design. Writers and artists included in this Scars Publications perfect-bound 6" x 9" ISBN# paperback book include Denny E. Marshall (with Haiku (chicken/egg), Haiku (memory), Haiku (rivers/veins), Haiku (space), and Haiku (tossing)), Chris Johnson (with Politics in America), Zane Schneider (with You Are Dad), Janet Kuypers (with How He Failed), B. Mason (with Corpus Christine), Janet Kuypers (with study), Katherine McCormick (with New Moon), Janet Kuypers (with years), Talon Lawrence (with Betrayal), Janet Kuypers (with knife), Dan Maltbie (with Fallen, Many Blessings, and Trustworthy), Eric Doubek (with Say Good-Bye To The Good Old Invisible World), Kenneth DiMaggio (with Poem #4 from The Oxycodone Highway, and Poem #5 from The Oxycodone Highway), Russ Bickerstaff (with The Shepherd of Potential), Poetic (with Please Read the Letter), Kyle Hemmings (with Who's Girl art), Wes Smith (with Life Over Breakfast), Janet Kuypers (with scorches), Ron Iannone (with Going Home), Edward Michael O'Durr Supranowicz (with Primary Primal art), Terry C. Ley (with A Stormy Beginning), Janet Kuypers (with forever), Doug Draime (with Sentences (lies), and Editor Gives Advice On How To Get), (with Published In His Magazine), Eric Burbridge (with Coldness in the Heat), Liam Spencer (with High Holidays), Janet Kuypers (with job), Christopher Godwin (with The Time I Took to Bed), John Zedolik (with Life Urges), Allan Onik (with The Forgotten Isle), Janet Kuypers (with defenses), Allan Onik (with The Rose), C. D. Bonner (with Fall), Liz Yohemoore (with here you have arrived, and Stone Singing), David Sapp (with Happy), Drew Marshall (with Inpatient Impressions), Janet Kuypers (with existence), Kristen Welker (with In a Bullet Home), Carmen Tudor (with Gravenhurst), Marlon Jackson (with Just Wonders), Lindsey Loyd (with Sadness in Three Parts), A.J. Huffman (with I've Been Trying to Think, Mishandled, and The Clean Up Crew), Debasis Mukhopadhyay (with No country for a Jew), Mike Brennan (with Date of Discharge), Maria-Jose Villamar (with Our Date), Peter Halliday (with pursuing propinquity), and Janet Kuypers (with unless it happens to you).