Friends, I'm back having (barely) survived the reunion. The campus  
was beautiful (espresso bar in the library!), the people looked more  
or less the same except the ones with 7 months worth of baby in their  
bellies or new haircuts, and everyone got, well, very, very drunk.  
And although I know that people on college campuses across the  
country did that and I'm not breaking new news, for some reason,  
everyone seems to do it much more intensely at trincoll.edu/debacles.

On the plus side, I didn't meet anyone who appeared to be dominating  
me via the writing world. In fact, I didn't meet anyone who else who  
was involved in writing. On the minus side, I don't think I talked to  
anyone I didn't know really well and I dry heaved after doing a  
complimentary shot of tequila. I woke up on Sunday in a cold, hung  
over sweat, embarrassed by my college-style drinking and the fact  
that I wore the same shorts three days in a row. During the ride  
home, I promised myself that I wouldn't set foot on my college campus  
again for at least five years and I think I'm officially retired from  
Mexican themed hard liquor(z). So you know, it was a win-lose

Writing wise, I have been staring at the short story that I wrote  
while traveling abroad for 100 days last year and wondering how I can  
re-work it into something magical and delicious. The problem seems to  
be that I wrote most of it longhand, some of it on the computer, and  
several parts on bar napkins that are kind blurry now. It was all  
very boheme. The solution--as most writing solutions go--is re-write.  
But it feels weird getting into a short story after working for so  
long on a novel. It's almost like trying to eat only an appetizer  
after spending several years eating six course meals. Don't get me  
wrong-- I love appetizers (sliders!)--and sometimes you only have  
time for them. But I'm having a hard time remembering how short  
stories work.

With that said, I need your help, friends. As I like to do before I  
get into anything new, I am trying to read a bunch of really solid  
short stories and I need recommendations. Any genre will fly,  
although, despite the high chance of nudity, I don't totally dig  
romance. So bring them on; your favorite short stories of all time,  
of this time, of several times ago. And maybe something about why you  
like it. Come on, friends. If you help make me smarter and more well-
read, I promise e-cards. And more award-winning poetry.

So short story it up in the comments section while the songs of 1996  
take you back to a time when you probably liked Ethan Hawke.

Sittin Up in,
My Room

Brandy