Winners from March 4, 2011

1st Place: rock's not dead by Theodora Georgescu
Intentionally, we suspect, rock's not dead reads like an insane combination of beat poetry and a blaring youth-action rock anthem. It's part reflection, part indignation, and no small part call to arms. Georgescu derides the generation who lived and thrived in the chaos of the 70s for its rancor and insists--nay, demands--they recognize that all generations share the same basic traits, the same basic realities. Georgescu's rock's not dead is an intoxicating, energetic read--enjoy the ride!
Download and read rock's not dead.
2nd Place: Holding Up the Sky by Anonymous
If you're looking for one of the shortest explorations of melancholy around, Holding Up the Sky by our anonymous contributor is for you. We cannot call it dark, since 'dark' hardly does justice to the subtle hint of irony, the stark but pregnant concrete details, the varied but despondent sentence structure. It's too ruminative and insightful to be depressing, though its ultimate conclusion is one of futility. We find ourselves glad for its brevity--as delightful a read as it may be--because certain existential roads are worth wandering with care. Read and reread this piece over a cup of hot tea, but make sure you have a hug handy before you do.
Download and read Holding Up the Sky.
3rd Place: You Can Either be My Lovely or My Fishy by Dylan S.
This bizarre, twisted little piece contemplates the nature of human relationship. The tendency to idolize and idealize versus the tendency to denigrate the subject to the status of a pet is a timeless subject. Writers of the past are guilty of exalting in one or the other of these tendencies; it's only recently that writers have begun to criticize this sort of false affection in earnest. All the more startling in this piece is the use of religious and iconic imagery to convey the idealization. Violent, depraved, cruel--all of these and more. But truth be told, offering the subject of interest a role as a fish in a fishbowl struck us as the keenest stroke of brilliance by far.
Download and read You Can Either be My Lovely or My Fishy.

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A Pilot's Guide to Washington

This book is a guidebook for private aviators in Washington State, or folks visiting the State. Washington State is among the most beautiful and diverse states in the Union. There are flat and dry desserts, stunning basalt formations, towering mountains, rolling grass hills, thick rain forests, island archipelagos, and lakes and rivers and straits and sounds. Well, one sound. And we have roughly a billion airports to visit. (I'm exaggerating slightly.) It would be shame to be a pilot living in or visiting Washington State and not deeply partake of the richness of this opportunity.

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