Every year, the fabulous Rona Jaffe Foundation honors six emerging, women writers with awards of $30,000 each. This award is a true mark of distinction as well as an invaluable resource for writers in the early stages of their careers. We were so proud to publish Lydia Conklin’s story “Friendly Crossroads” in our New Voices section. It was clear to us, right away, that this author is going places! “Friendly Crossroads” chronicles a youth group retreat in New England in the mid-’90s, from the perspective of Corey, a high-school freshman, who often sees the world more exactly than the teenagers and adults around her. It is a story about coming out and coming of age, told in detailed, direct prose. Lydia is currently working on a short story collection, a novel, and a graphic novel. She says: “Freelancing and hustling for more freelancing swallows the lion’s share of my writing time and is stressful and unstable, which is a difficult place to write from. With the mental security and financial stability of this award, I plan to finish these manuscripts over the next year and submit them for publication.” Congratulations, Lydia! We can’t wait to see what you do next.
