Awards

Like the one I won today?! My story about a would-be tightrope walker meeting and falling for a boy won me an award at school today. I was one of four people to win a fiction prize, which was completely unexpected and great. Especially since the judging for my award was done by an external judge, not someone from within my department. Aaron Burch from _Hobart_ judged the award, and he is a cool guy. AND he picked my story! (and he's kind of famous in certain circles, so I'm okay with using his name when I don't typically use names in this little bloggity-blog. I don't think he would mind?! Especially if I say things like: go check out his cool magazine and it's cool web-extension) When the presenter said my name, my hands got clammy and shaky. He said all three of my names, the first, middle, and last, and it seemed like my name was going to last forever. I've never thought before that my name was so darn long. Because until he got to the last name part of it, I thought maybe there was someone else they were talking about? But no, it was me and my story... I high-fived my main character in my mind on my way up to the front of the room where I shook hands with the presenter, even though I was clammy. Then I tried not to smile too big on my way back to my seat.

And thus, my dissertation project has been officially validated. How so? Well, that story was the first of a proposed collection that is going to earn me those three little letters after my name: P, h, D.