You can go in now, miss,” the receptionist directed.Emma crossed the waiting room and entered the office. The Chairman of the American Committee motioned Emma to a chair across the desk from him.
“Thank you for coming in today, Ms. Lazarus,” he began. “We’ve reviewed your submission and, frankly, we were quite taken with it. You’re a very talented young woman.”
“Thank you very much, sir.” Emma’s cheeks reddened slightly with the compliment as she smiled, looking down at her hands in her lap. Rather than put her at ease, the flattery made her even more nervous.
“We found your poem to be compassionate, imaginative, and, well, sparkling with a certain vitality. We’re really quite excited about it. The Committee suggested that I speak with you today to see if we could... fine tune it just a bit.”
Emma looked up. While she may have been a bit embarrassed by the Chairman’s flattery, she was fiercely defensive about her work. “’Fine tune it’, sir?”
“Maybe that’s not quite the best way to put it. Let’s take a look at it together, shall we? That’s probably the best way to get at it.”
Emma was quite confused. She was led to believe that the American Committee had selected her poem as the winner. She thought that meeting with the Chairman was merely a formality.
“Now, right from the first line, we see strength, leadership, charisma, compassion. All the characteristics we want to present. But, we’re just not sure we want to give the impression that all we want are the ‘tired’ and ‘poor’. You know what I mean? ‘Huddled masses’? ‘Wretched refuse? These are very strong images.”
Denne historien er fra Issue 60-utgaven av Weston Magazine.
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Denne historien er fra Issue 60-utgaven av Weston Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Chicken Mcmansions
There’s nothing like fresh eggs. I know because our cook used three of them in my Camembert omelet this morning.
Hamptons International Film Festival's Silver Anniversary
LIGHTS! Camera! Action! It’s hard to believe the Hamptons International Film Festival (off this) is celebrating a quarter century of showcasing great works in film.
A Medal Of Honor For Sargent William Shemin…a Century Long Odyssey
I am in the east room of the White House on June 2, 2015 for what is turning out to be the most amazing family reunion I could ever have imagined.
Breaking The Fourth And Fifth Wall
Dear Evan Hansen began as a germ of an idea about the yearning for a connection with others; co-lyricist and writer Benj Pasek was considering the embellished ties his teenaged peers had to a suspected victim of suicide.
The Heirs
Eleanor belonged to that class of New Yorker whose bloodlines were traced in the manner of racehorses: she was Phipps (sire) out of Deering (dam), by Livingston (sire’s dam) and Porter (dam’s dam).
One Atlantic Events
Over the ocean, your perfect special event venue is waiting.
Scott Swimming Pools
Scott Swimming Pools, Inc. is a luxury design-build swimming pool company celebrating its 80th year in business this year.
Is Marijuana The New Ambien?
Science and anecdote in the quest for better sleep
Black Edge
The Fall of SAC Capital.
Brain Fitness - It's All In Your Mind
Frozen in mid-sentence, you forget a name. With your pen poised over a check, you cannot recall the date. You’ve gone into the kitchen, but you can no longer remember what for. And where is that damned cell phone? Are you one of the worried well? Many of us are anxious to live a long life, but fearful of our potential for the humiliation and debilitation of dementia. What to do? Should you try a computer game? Magnesium tablets? A week at an expensive brain training center? Brain fitness is the new buzzword and wealthy aging baby boomers are eager to buy a healthier brain.
