In Poets & Writer's

I got the latest issue of Poets and Writers and self-indulgently turned to the back pages where they announce contest winners. My name was there for the Zoetrope prize. It has not changed my life. Here it is:

 And then, when I was visiting my parents in Florida, I mailed back two boxes of stuff I'd saved way back when, including an envelope marked "Save, Diabla's whiskers and fur," from my 8th grade best friend's long dead cat. Did I throw it away? No. I'm keeping it at least until I catch the next episode of Hoarders.  Found old notes from high school, three of my yearbooks, and lots and lots of stories, including the beginning of a sci fi novel that reads something like this (I loved adjectives and I think I may have written this after an English class focused on setting):

The planet was one of the most peaceful ones in the galaxy. It was also one of the most beautiful, full of gardens bursting with bright blowers and fruit bearing trees. There were lots of bubbling babbling books that shined down smooth mountains in cascading waterfalls into rushing waters. The sky was clear blue with puffy white clouds. Although the planet was extremely small, it was one of the most admired in the galaxy. Along with the beautiful land, the people of it were equally good and pure. They lived in closely knit, comfortable communities, and all was peaceful, as it had been for many decades. There were no wars, or threat of war, and everyone respected and loved one another.

 And, I also found my old head shot from when I was in high school. I think I needed it for an audition of some kind, but I can't remember what. This photo should've gotten me a lot of roles as the older sister, Gina.

In unrelated news, I found a great collection of short stories at the Princeton Library this weekend---Jenny & the Jaws of Life by Jincy Willet.  Never heard of the name Jincy, but her stories are funny and dark. You should read them.