EMANUEL (MANI) ISLER

Contributing Writer Mani Isler

“As a writer, I'm proud of certain accomplishments (including creating prose for COOL HAND FRANK) that I've been able to pull off, i.e. co-writing two feature movies, co-writing two published novels, receiving an award recognition from Stephen King and Oxford University Press, meeting one of my all-time heroes, Ray Bradbury, just to mention a few.  Probably my significant writing project was being asked last year to write the eulogy for a dear friend of mine who had tragically just lost his son, and I'll never forget the trust and honor that was presented to me.  

I like to write about topics people are talking about; maybe something on an obscure website or words whispered at the proverbial office water fountain.  The topic is then twisted, spun and spit out via my often odd and peculiar sense of humor.  I guess that's what makes me different.  We all see the world through different lenses, only my particular lenses are mismatched, often out of focus, and seriously skewed.  And my axiom?  I never, ever, take myself too seriously...”

WRITTEN WORKS

  • "Bearded Robot" by Mr. Hooper Art.

    TERA-FRIGHT

    PUBLISHED Oct 24, 2025
    Artwork: “Bearded Robot” by Mr. Hooper Art.

    What happened began with a simple gift card I had received for a company promotion.

  • “harmony, 2019” by Kirk Stansbury.

    CRASH AND LEARN

    PUBLISHED Sep 05, 2025
    Artwork: “harmony, 2019” by Kirk Stansbury.

    In the space of mere seconds, I mentally experienced a bizarre flashback reel of foreboding scenes right out of “Titanic,” “The Birds” and “Jurassic Park.”

  • "Surrender to the Flow" by Kelly Saunders Art.

    PRESENT TENSE

    PUBLISHED Jul 11, 2025
    Artwork: “Surrender to the Flow” by Kelly Saunders Art.

    Let me confess—I have a particular idiosyncrasy that sets me apart from most “normal” people. . .

  • Casa Bonita in Lakewood, CO

    COMIC RELIEF

    PUBLISHED May 16, 2025

    But there is one bright spot to all of this: the famous (or infamous, depending on who you talk with) Casa Bonita, a longtime family restaurant and tourist destination in Colorado, recently survived the wrecking ball and has been resurrected to thrive again.

  • "harmony chaos soulshine, Aug 2022" by Kirk Stansbury.

    MURPHY’S SPACE

    PUBLISHED Apr 18, 2025

    Artwork: "harmony chaos soulshine, Aug 2022" by Kirk Stansbury.

    It was a terrifying experience I’ll never forget.

  • "The Power and The Problem" (diptych) by Christina Moser, 2018.

    HUMANITY ON ICE

    PUBLISHED Mar 21, 2025

    Artwork: "The Power and The Problem" (diptych) by Christina Moser, 2018.

    I didn’t see it coming.  It was just another early-morning drive…