Katie Steedly’s first-person piece [The Unspeakable Gift] is a riveting retelling of her participation in a National Institutes of Health study that aided her quest to come to grips with her life of living with a rare genetic disorder. Her writing is superb.
In recognition of receiving the Dateline Award for the Washingtonian Magazine essay, The Unspeakable Gift.
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Blowing on Dandelions

Ah, life — the thing/ that happens/ to us/ while we’re off/ somewhere else/ blowing on/ dandelions/ and wishing/ ourselves into/ the pages of/ our favorite/ fairy tales.
Amanda Lovelace
I can’t remember the last time I blew on a dandelion. I can’t remember the last time I made a wish. I can’t remember the last time I gave myself so completely to something that my fairytale came true. I think fairytales work like that. Somewhere between weed and flower. Somewhere between dandelion flowers and the ground beneath our feet. Somewhere between the here and now and the as if. Somewhere between who I am and who I want to be.
About Katie

From Louisville. Live in Atlanta. Curious by nature. Researcher by education. Writer by practice. Grateful heart by desire.
Buy the Book!
The Stage Is On Fire, a memoir about hope and change, reasons for voyaging, and dreams burning down can be purchased on Amazon.