Winter 2009-10

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The 2009 Literary Prizes

Check out our list of finalists, and read the winning entries and honorable mentions in fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Read more

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from the editor

Making Manna

One of the biggest thrills of my elementary school years was the day our first-grade class made butter. We learned about the tools and ingredients necessary for this task from a smiling, sturdy woman, invited for the afternoon by our young teacher, Mrs. Lawson. I remember, in particular, the small wooden churn that sat on Mrs. Lawson’s desk, and how each student got a turn cranking the handle that stirred the cream in the little barrel. At the end of the day, we sampled the hardened cream on saltines. At home, I would have turned up my nose at such an offering. But having had a hand, literally, in making the butter, I was curious to taste the results. Read more

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back porch

Batteries Not Included

By JANNA MCMAHAN

The last time I was home in Kentucky I went straight to the one place I’m sure to find my mother—the kitchen. “You know,” Mom said as she slid into a seat across the table from me. “I’ve got it pretty good. I’ve got the washing machine and dryer doing the laundry, the dishwasher cleaning last night’s supper plates and the bread machine whipping up a loaf of sourdough. You can’t beat that with a stick.” I remember the Christmas my mother got her first dishwasher; it was 1968. Dad was profoundly proud he could provide my hard-working mother with this modern convenience. It was a BIG DEAL. Recently, when her fifth dishwasher stopped performing to her expectations, Mom called an appliance center. They delivered and installed the next day. No down time. Not one dish hand-washed in the interim. Read more

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fuss