I was nominated for the Pushcart Prize!

Well, this is exciting and unexpected!

I haven’t written or published many essays in the past year because I’ve been so focused on poetry, but I just found out that one of the essays I wrote, “On Languishing,” was nominated for the Pushcart Prize by editors of The Journal at Ohio State!

This is only my second time being nominated for a Pushcart and the first time for nonfiction. The first nomination came a couple of years ago for a short story (which is wild because I don’t write short stories often at all). I didn’t win, but it’s nice to be considered.

Whatever happens, I’m still just thrilled to be nominated. That essay was published in January, and the fact that the editors remembered it well enough to nominate it in December as one of their favorite essays of the year is a win in and of itself. <3

It’s also wild for me to re-read the essay now—written before the genocidal ramp-up in October 2023, before I initiated my divorce, and before my poetry was really gaining traction. So much has changed since then, but one thing hasn’t: the lover in the essay is still my lover today. I’m grateful for where I’ve been and where I am now, and to him for his love and support along the way.