Synkroniciti is thrilled to announce the winner of our “Recovery” essay contest. We had a number of wonderful essay forms submitted, some long, some short. Five of them, our finalists, will feature in the issue, alongside Viktoriia Sorochuk’s serial photo essay. They are:
“The Kidney Monster at Party City” by Margo Stutts Toombs
“Soliloquy from the Bridge” by Sara Collie
“The Blue Cane” by Claire Poole
“Circling” by Annette Boushey Holland
“MISSIVES FROM THE LIFEBOAT” by Treanor Wooten Baring
There were others that were also outstanding and will be appearing in later issues.
The winner was “Circling” by Annette Boushey Holland. Annette tells us of her daughter’s struggle with an eating disorder. Sent home from college, weighing every piece of food, Laura dances around options for recovery. Her parents watch with bated breath as she becomes thinner and smaller. Finally, she has made a decision and it is time to board the plane. Intense fog around the airport drives the planes away, unable to land, mirroring the young woman’s indecision. If they go home, she says she will not come back.
Annette’s delivery is built on elegant metaphor and imagery but remains human and conversational, drawing us in to her hopes and frustrations. She closes the essay with a tender haiku recognizing her daughter’s fragile strength, making the piece an extended haibun form.
If you would like to read “Circling,” the “Recovery” issue drops on June 15th. You can pre-order a copy here: https://synkroniciti.com/the-magazine/purchase-individual-issues/
Annette is still recovering from childhood in a military family that frequently moved – so often that she attended eight different schools by the eighth grade. During the last several decades she has grown roots in a small valley on the North Coast of California, tucked between the ocean and what’s left of the redwood forest. She lives with her husband, two horses and a dog – and delights in visits from children and grandchildren. She likes to travel occasionally but immensely enjoys staying put. Annette spends time writing, painting, reading, dancing, hiking, kayaking, gardening, and hosting meditation retreats in their remodeled barn. A major focus of her life has been trying to help the natural world recover from the excesses of human exploitation. She has done fundraising and public relations for several conservation groups, taught English composition, and helped establish two land trusts. Her publications include articles on environmental issues, short memoirs, and poems.