Friday, November 9, 2012

My (winning!) essay


So happy to have been published on Hippocampus, an online magazine for memorable creative non-fiction.  This essay has also been nominated for a Pushcart Prize.



How to Move in One Direction While Flying in Another
by Janice Anderson
       Start with an incident most people see as unfortunate but you perceive as life changing; the skewed perspective will enhance your experience. The incident should happen while on your Outer Banks vacation, the highlight of your year. It could be any incident—perhaps a random massage therapist from an upscale spa presses his penis onto your hand during your massage as if to silently say, “How ‘bout some of this?” and then, after you’ve tried, inconspicuously, to move your hand away, “Come on honey, I need the extra money … you sure?”

Deny to yourself and your god that this has happened. Forget it like you forget what you had for breakfast. You can do it. Get dressed. Meet up with your young niece who also had a massage. Smile with her at the checkout counter. Pay. And by all means, leave a tip.
Finish your vacation as if nothing happened. Make dinner. Play charades. Sip coffee at sunrise with your partner. Stroll the beach with…


Want to read more? Click this link:
http://www.hippocampusmagazine.com/2012/11/how-to-move-in-one-direction-while-flying-in-another-by-janice-anderson/





2 comments:

  1. Congratulations, Janice! I'm so happy to see that this essay has found a home and received all the accolades it deserves!

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  2. thanks for the comment, Amy. hope you're well. As i suspect you know, writing this piece was quite satisfying: organizing the whole thing into a coherent narrative really helped me, and i wanted to get the information out there--you know, how some of these too-common low-grade traumas can affect people.

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Please feel free to jot down your thoughts. I would appreciate knowing your reaction if any, to what I've written, and/or your feedback on how I've written it. I am actively trying to be a better writer.