Team Wet Dog

rejection, validation

When I was much younger and had just begun writing, I sent a short story to Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine (which, I am shocked to discover, is still publishing).

The story was rejected of course (I think I was 12 years old at the time), but the rejection letter I got back - form, photocopied and with no signature - became a prized possession.

Years later, wandering around on the internet, I stumbled onto a guy's web site who had posted a rejection letter he received from Major League Baseball, after a tryout with the Atlanta Braves. I felt a real connection seeing that, realizing that you could take pride in rejection.

Letters like those serve as reminders of what we've done and what we've tried to do. We're not always successful, of course, but these scraps of paper seem to represent just how much fun it is to try, even when the odds are stacked.

For the record, it's probably a very good thing that I was rejected by my new home to be Carrboro's  poet laureate.

First off - I'm not sure this should be an applied-for position. Did Charles Simic simply apply at USAjobs.gov to be the current U.S. poet laureate? No, it's a position selected by the Library of Congress and advisors.

Second, hey, I'm just not a good poet. And third, even if I was, I would think the town would want a more established resident.

Which is all to say, really, that I wasn't disappointed or surprised in the least to get the letter you see above. Mostly I was surprised they used a stamp rather than email.

I love this letter, in fact. Lately I've felt a certain disconnect, a little aimless, as if I'm not sure what I'm trying to do or say. I've felt a little stuck, as a writer and photographer. This letter is a nice reminder that while I may not have anything figured out, at least I've been trying to do something...

(Italics for emphasis is lazy, I think. Oh well.)

On another note, I've moved www.TranscendentalSandwich.com over to a new site and intend to write more frequently about food. I'd like to expand the site some, and the topics discussed, and make it more user/reader  friendly. If you have a moment, stop in and let me know what you think.

— Robert

(10/15/07) 
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