Monday, December 1, 2008

2009 Pushcart Prize Nominee



It is my pleasure to share my good news with you. My short story, published in VOICES, an Anthology of Short Stories (May 08) is nominated for a 2009 Pushcart Prize, the most honored literary award in America.

Well, friends, my feet are barely touching the ground! This is what it feels like to have wings. I was still celebrating for my good friend, Velda Brotherton and her Willa Finalist award, when I received my good news from VOICES editor, Delois Mcgrew. This short story means so much to me, and I am thrilled, humbled and somewhat daunted by the fact that it sits this moment before a committee of approximately two-hundred-sixty editors and Pushcart winners, including one of my favorite authors, Joyce Carol Oates.

To my fellow nominees, congratulations. I hope you find me here. We'll talk shop.

Like others who crossed those skies before us, Velda Brotherton and I are living proof that it pays to submit your work to small presses. As writers, we must aim high, but I hope you will never aim so high for achievement that you fail to grasp opportunity. Success isn't always a big brass band. Sometimes, it's a little melody that catches the wind and reaches stars.

Certainly, every writer wants to take flight on those shiny big jets of the major publishing industry, but sometimes . . . small commuter planes will get us where we want to go . Maybe, even to places we only dreamed of going.

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