Acknowledgements

[Teresa]

From Lady Gita I'm learning to use very specific nouns and to reach way outside the box for characters and situations; Mike Handley shows how to cut-cut-cut to only the essential words, to write with eloquent efficiency (less is more).  From Jamie Hogan and Glen Green I'm learning to let life's naturally occuring metaphors flow through me and from Cita I'm learning that the everyday and natural worlds are infinitely sacred.  From Robert Crisman I'm learning to crush my demons into words, stomp them to their purest essence, and Bill Lapham has shown me that respectable writers and poets can still appreciate and write about boogers; Bill Floyd, who makes writing look soooooo easy, teaches that though the writing life isn't always easy, it's worth it, and he represents moving forward after success (The Killer's Wife) rather than napping in its glory.  Sissy is teaching me to tell the absolute truth, scary skeletons and all, and Bonnie teaches that each of our lives is a unique and important journey, every step a point to study if we ever want to emerge as the hero; Bolton Carley teaches the importance of laughter, Brittany points lightly to social ills and justice, jkdavies embodies beauty in boldness - from breathtaking monk poems to riveting erotica, and Toby is proof that even a cell-obsessed scientist can be creative.  Sandra teaches how to write a steamy sex scene (she taught jk well), realistic dialogue, and that excavating stories from your own family can produce memorable gems; Michael Brown demonstrates how to deftly dissect human nature with words that leave us reaching for our dictionaries, Paul de Denus writes coming of age tales that make us long for perfect innocence, and from Harry I'm learning to reach beyond my comfort level for the most distant worlds of fiction (because he won't read my non-fiction).  I can't name everyone here but these writers come to mind first, perhaps because they arrived just when I needed them, as in the famous Buddhist proverb, When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.   

[Sissy Anderson]

Well, if you're a flower, you are red with gold trim...:)

[Jamie Hogan]

And we love you too, light of Texas. Thank you very much for including me in such estimable company. From you, I learn that the best writing is the pure silver truth about people, about their circumstances and desires and flaws and merits, pulled from the center of the chest and applied to the page undiluted.

[Brittany]

I had a dream not so long ago about HoW and in my dream you had glasses and you were this beautiful light of wisdom and there was a HUGE debate with formal letters etc. about renaming the the state flower of Texas after you. It seemed so brilliant to us all, like why would you not be? :) thanking you for thinking of me here.

[Cita]

<whining>  why is July so far away from March????? 

@Teresa, sniff sniff... now I am teary.

@Sissy, um... honey?  We are all weird.  Weird is normal.  I had a cat named Normal once.... thought I'd try hanging around with something so foreign to my life.

[Sissy Anderson]

This is beautiful Teresa. so is your spirit and writing. I love tributes, I would do more, but I'm afraid people will think I'm weird. :)  This is soooo not weird. I too am learning from these amazing people (you are one) and writers....This is the first place I've truly "opened" up and been accepted doing it, that's unbelievably valuable!!!! All these contributors ROCK!

[Sandra Davies]

This ability of yours, to analyse, perceive and describe is breathtakingly clever - and I feel honoured to be numbered amongst your ... influences.   To be printed and brought to HoW I think.

Love you too Teresa - roll on July!