Years ago, in a 9th grade English class, a boy named Josh stood up for a class presentation. For years I’ve remembered Josh and that day, but it’s only been within the past twelve months that I’ve thought of writing about it.
I toyed with doing a blog piece about Josh, but in the end, I knew what I wanted to say couldn’t be said in 1000 words or less. When I saw that the wonderful Hippocampus Magazine was sponsoring its annual Remember in November contest, it seemed like exactly the right motivation to get the piece done.
It’s not often I say this, but….I was pleased with the way the piece turned out.
More often than not I focus on what could have been in my writing. Could have been different or tighter or better. And while there were certainly things that could have been with this piece, I was…yes, I’ll say it…happy with the end result.
I’m also happy to report that Unwrapped was chosen as one of six finalists out of several hundred for this year’s contest.
Yesterday, Hippocampus announced the winner and while Unwrapped did not receive that particular honor, after reading the pieces chosen as winners and finalists, I can honestly say that being include among them is a win in and of itself.
Ultimately I hope that Unwrapped is not simply a story about Josh and his unexpected legacy, but a mourning song for all of those who have struggled to find enough extra space in their lives.
I would love it if you headed over to Hippocampus to read Unwrapped. It is a piece I’m proud of and proud to share.
Additionally, and it’s not often I do this, but there is a Reader’s Choice award for the story with the most engagement, that is, comments, shares, likes and tweets. So if you do find something you like in there, if you’d take a minute to let the good folk at Hippocampus know by commenting or sharing or hitting the like button, and passing the word along, I’d really appreciate it.
Thanks,
Dina
Wine and Cheese (Doodles) 
Dina, your doodles never fail to engage,touch and amuse me. “Unwrapped” is certainly no exception. I await your next submission with great anticipation.
Carry on, to quote CSN&Y
Sent from my iPad
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High praise indeed. Thank you, my wayward son (Kansas ;-).
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My tonight read then. Well done.
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Thank you!
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Don’t take this the wrong way, but that was unlike anything I’ve read you’ve written – in a good way. Really gripped me, you should be pleased. Thanks for sharing, and go on with your bad self.
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None taken. The blog is…well, the blog. I love it and it keeps my fingers nimble and my brain be-quick, but my first love was fiction. Even though this piece is non-fition I..err.. re-gifted some of my favorite fiction tricks: particularly heavy colon usage and echoing to a refrain. I had mixed success with it in fiction (some loved it, some hated it) If you ever want to see how I used it in my fiction, there’s a story at Typehouse Lit called Drunk on the Isle of Misfits. It’s an older story, but probably my favorite. And it has one of my favorite passages: Ours is a love song sung in a measure of gin. We are drunks on this isle of misfits we inhabit. Beholden to neither king nor country, we simply swallow.
I digress, greatly, when a heartfelt, but much simpler ‘thank you’ would suffice. And thank you for leaving a comment on the piece itself as well. It means a lot to me.
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