And The Winner Is . . .
Read on.
We did it! The MIE Journal
Committee read over fifty novels
in one day. Whew! Admittedly, the novels were only
six words long,
totaling 330 words. But still it was a feat worth
remembering.
The number of entries
was indeed remarkable: fifty-five in
total. The styles and concepts range from provocative to
catchy, from
imperatives to slogans. A good number dealt with the myriad
of justice
issues while others were solid recipes for life. Some told a
story.
Others were reflective about Legal Aid history. Still other
entries were
uniquely personal while others told of lessons learned. Some
authors felt
compelled to add explanations to their submissions. Most
thought they had
said enough.
Thanks to all who
took the time to submit an entry. The
Committee hopes you found composing your submissions interesting and
that you
had some fun along the way. We certainly enjoyed considering
and
reviewing the generous variety of entries. Whether serious or
witty,
sublime or profound, all are wonderful expressions about what moves us
as a
community.
Some widely diverse
and yet overlapping refrains emerged from the
entries. Here is just a sampling:
In the broad category
of access to justice, three
favoorites
- Hopeless,
she finds legal aid.
- Justice. Poverty:
Goliath. Legal Aid: David. Believe.
- They
called. I came. Difference made.
In the broad category
of tales worth telling, here are
three top-notch entries:
- Who?
And why? Ultimately, he rebooted.
- Mission:
skip finals. How? Swine flu
- She
tried, she cried, she died.
In the broad category
of makes me smile, here are three
more:
- Bad
accident. Clean underwear. No problem.
- He's
guilty. I went to lunch.
- Another
session with 5 panelists. Sigh.
In the broad category
of words to live by, try these three:
- Saddle
up. Ride out. Inhale, exhale.
- Living
is learning to die faithfully.
- Soccer
is life. Life isn't over.
A personal favorite: Wiggle.
Giggle. Struggle. Cuddle. Muddle.
Puddle. But alas, this entry had to be disqualified from
earning the grand
prize because the entrant provided two submissions, violating our
exceptionally
strict and explicit rules. Despite the “please pick
the better one”
disclaimer, it could not be considered. Remember, no appeals
here.
The Committee can be as arbitrary and capricious as we deem
appropriate.
The final grand prize
winning entry struck a responsive chord
among committee members. One member even gave this entry his
“Putzer”
Award — like a Pulitzer, he explained, but appropriately cut
down to 6 letters.
Commingled
somewhere between the themes of access to justice
and tales worth
telling, this entry stood out:
Subprime lending: We
told you so!
With
this entry, Bill Brennan of Atlanta Legal Aid wins a year's
subscription to the Journal.
Congratulations, Bill!
You wrote.
We judged. Winner announced. The
entire array of entries will be featured on the MIE website [http://www.m-i-e.org/index.html]
for your review and enjoyment. Take a moment to indulge
yourself and read
several. You can do it in one sitting. And
here’s the top entry in
the my mother said category: Don't
take advice from short
novels.
~ Klaus Sitte,
Executive Director, Montana Legal Services
Association,
And member MIE Journal Committee
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