Spring 2010
Edited by Archy Jamjun

Winning isn't everything. It's an honor to be nominated. Better late than pregnant. Sometimes these proverbs are all we have to hang on to. Submitting stories for publishing can test of your ability to hope. You send your stories in praying they'll get published and in reality, sometimes you're honored that someone simply took the time to write a rejection letter.

In a world where dollars get confused with success; mothers, bills, mortgage payments and hungry pets constantly remind you that writing rarely makes cents and thus it makes no sense. But we do it for another reason, there's an ever-present finger tapping on our shoulders. We just can't put that pen down. We can't stop pressing those computer keys. In general, we don't feel settled or happy without conveying ourselves through those twenty-six symbols.

So to the winners of Swell's Fiction contest, here's a little vindication for your sacrifice. Here's a toast to your abilities and a shield to hold up the next time the doubt monsters arise. You've gotten paid and your work is up for people to read. It doesn't get much more SWELL than that.