And then the Universe said HA HA!

I recently learned that two articles I wrote for NUVO last year won awards from the Society of Professional Journalists' annual Best in Indiana Journalism contest.

-“Unite! Hotel workers fighting to unionize” won first place for Social Justice Reporting
-“A different kind of chance” won second place for Social Justice Reporting

And yesterday, after receiving a rejection from a lit journal for a short story, I sat outside re-reading the wonderful Olive Kitteridge, finally relaxing into the sudden done-ness of the teaching semester. And then a bird shat upon my bare leg.

Universe, subtle you are not. But you do have a way of reminding a person that today's news is tomorrow's fishwrap. Onward, yo. It's time to write another novel.

Mwah

"Walk slowly and quietly. Do not wear brightly colored clothing. Your parked car can serve as a blind and birds will approach closer than if you are on foot. If you are quiet and partly concealed, you can often attract songbirds and draw them close to you by repeatedly "pshshing" or "squeaking" or noisily kissing the back of your hand."
-Birds of North America: a Guide to Field Identification