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Finished with a few hours to spare! Here's my entry—550 words in the creative non-fiction vibe. Such fun to write and remember. Thanks Tara and all!

https://writingincompany.substack.com/p/making-stone-soup

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Oh, I've always loved this book! And what a perfect introduction into theater, also. Sounds like it was a narrow miss that you didn't end up famous on the stage, with such a start. Whew! Lucky us. :-)

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Well done Julie! I haven't read this story so will search it out. I love how you bring out all the attributes from the perspective of a child and then carry them through your life especially leadership and working in a group.

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Thanks Donna! I am looking forward to reading yours too, and the others. A fun project.

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Woo-hoo! Good to have you in the game, Julie! I’ll be tagging everyone in a Note tomorrow, so you can Restack and get the word to your readers to come and vote. :-)

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I did not need to think, for even a second, about the piece of literature that enchanted me the most.

Thank you for this lovely idea Tara, I am honored to post my piece alongside these amazing writers.

https://donnamcarthur.substack.com/p/the-most-enchanting-piece-of-writing

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Donna, that is lovely writing. It’s a new poem for me and I’m grateful to know about it.

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Nailed it, friend. I love the image of the collegiate you-- groaning at the thought of the poetry assignment then stumbling across this powerful pice. ❤️

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Yes, I love that too! Literature just insists on being found, sometimes despite the classes (ahem)! Sometimes. :-)

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I am over here having a chuckle! I know I should not have told a University prof that I stole the textbook😂. I'm choosing to believe that my prof would understand, especially if they knew how much of that book I have since read.

Also I am certain that your classes are stimulating and amazing, I KNOW they are because of how you write!

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🤣 🤣 👩🏻‍🎓 On behalf of profs everywhere, I absolve you of your sin. Um. I think. Um. If I'm authorized to do that. Shoot. Let me go check my contract.... 😳

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I’m cheering for you Donna.

Your piece was beautiful. I really felt how much that poem meant to you. And the poem itself is incredible - it’s so moving.

Good luck Donna.

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Thanks Michael, I appreciate your support as always. I am not concerned with 'winning' the contest as there is no winner. I wanted to participate because, frankly, I can't believe I am even over here with all the real writers and chatting with a University prof (that's Tara who belongs to this page!). It's a crazy concept.

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Your in the big leagues now :)

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Beautiful entry Donna. I’ve always been enchanted by everything about the Rocky Mountains. When I first heard “Netherlands” by Dan Fogelberg it inspired me to move to Colorado where I spent 25 years of my life. I’ve explored the Monashees powder and the Gore Range near Vail extensively. Enchantment is a word I would indeed choose. Thank you Tara and Donna for helping to surface some of these memories.

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The poem is enchanting in its own way, Beautiful in its horror, and the backstory only adds to the intrigue. Thank you for sharing it. I won't be able to forget it now.

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Thank you, Donna, for spreading your enchantment!

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Thanks for the opportunity Tara!

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I'm certainly thinking about putting something together for this, but it's funny, because my last book, which was only released about 5 weeks ago had a bonus short story at the end about a well-read farm girl whose father entrusts her with taking the fruits of the year's harvest to town. On the way she meets a charming but mysterious man who gives her a book and all he asks in exchange is her name, which she gives him. In writing. But when she starts to read the book later that night, strange, wondrous and dreaful things start to happen...

But it's far too long to use here (I think it's around 5000-6000 words), but I'll definitely think about this if I have the time.

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I feel as drawn in as the market-girl already . . . . Here's hoping you are able to get to it. :-) And for anyone else interested in the story, here is the link to your book announcement: https://open.substack.com/pub/badgerscrossing/p/bait-is-available-to-buy-now?r=1mk0zn&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web (Not a contest entry) 😊

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Thank you! I'm not great at promoting myself, am I? Haha!

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This is not my entry but I can already tell that I want to give every one of these entries a ❤! Presumably I can only like one to cast my vote. Got it.

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Also, you can comment and like on the author’s page without affecting the vote count.

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Cast votes for everything you love, and if there’s a multi-way tie, I’ll write more poems. 😉😅 I’m following the example of S.E. Reid. With enough readers, different entries might speak to different people.

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As an avid reader and with a deep love of childrens books I just had to write. Also the timing is perfect it seems as I have just been offered a part time teaching job that involves teaching English...... we will see how it goes but I am excited anyway. The book or books that enchanted me as a young reader are/were a series of books by Enid Blyton who wrote a series of books set in a Boarding School in post war Britain with the main character my idol. Honestly it made me want to go to boarding school myself. For my 30th birthday my very good friend bought me new copies of the entire series because she loved it too. Think of girls referring to each other as a 'brick' - a compliment, girls playing lacrosse, sleeping in dorms, playing tricks, going to the san(atorium) and wild water swimming. Their belongings were transported in 'trunks' and they all wore the same brown and yellow uniform. I implore you to read, love and adore as much as I did. What a treat this thread is :)

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Hayley - First, congratulations on the new job. 👏 Second, this series sounds wonderful. Egad, how did I miss it! I hope you can pour all your enchanted memories into a post about it, since I clearly need some education. I suspect I won't be the only interested reader. :-)

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I ought to have said that the books were set in Malory Towers.......

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This is such an enchanting idea! Here is my submission and I can't wait to read the others. (I read Michael Maiello's and loved it. It gave me the idea to write my own.)

Mine is called "The Enchantment of Raggedy Ann" and it comes in at 808 words. This was so much fun!

https://writereverlasting.substack.com/p/the-enchantment-of-raggedy-ann?sd=pf

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Ramona, your piece brought me right back to the certainty of my toys and dolls coming to life while I slept. I could see your Raggedy Ann in the tree, and off on her adventures. It tickled a memory of the stories I used to tell my daughter about her doll Molly who got left places, starting with the library overnight. I always meant to write those down....

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It's not too late! Write those stories as if you're telling them to your daughter and bring Molly to life! Some child is waiting for just those stories.

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Thank you for posting, Ramona!

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Thanks for highlighting the framing of this book and movie. It’s such a classic!

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Thank you for posting, Michael!

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Okay, here it is. An essay about Marie Howe's marvelous poem, "Annunciation."

The essay is "Three Lights," coming in at a svelte 1151 words.

Essay: https://buildinghope.substack.com/p/three-lights?sd=pf

My Substack: https://buildinghope.substack.com/

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I liked this. Just want to clarify - does that count as a vote or am I missing something?

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Yes, your Like on this page is a vote! :-)

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I think so! Thanks for reading!

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Julie, that was gorgeous writing. Your description of that dizzy moment in the Parthenon spun me right back to a volcano hike in Hawaii where I experienced the same thing. I didn’t know this poem of Howe’s, so thank you!

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So glad it resonated! Would love to hear more about that volcano.

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Thank you for your entry, Julie!

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Thank you for the invitation! It's been a joy to play with this.

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This is a very interesting question. I suppose it depends how exactly one might define ‘enchanted’. I’m going to assume in the obvious sense of sort of magical wonder.

The big one here for me is probably also the least original - Harry Potter. I grew up with those books, reading the new one every year when they came out as I was going through school.

Less well known, but left a huge imprint on my psyche was The Amulet of Samarkand. A YA novel about magic and summoning djinnis on Victorian London. Had me obsessed with Claudius Ptolemy and far-off place names in there every since. Have been meaning to write about this book for a while actually, thanks for reminding me!

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I'm looking forward to the various ways people might thing about enchantment: magic and fantasy, awe and wonder, the incantatory music of poetry, or just: oh, I loved this. I see that you have an embarrassment of riches to choose from. :-) (She rubs her hands in eager anticipation.)

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