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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Wonderful news, Neil!!!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><br>Congratulations,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Alba<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> cwgrad-announcements-bounces@lists.ucr.edu [mailto:cwgrad-announcements-bounces@lists.ucr.edu] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Sara Borjas<br><b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, October 02, 2012 9:39 PM<br><b>To:</b> Robin Russin<br><b>Cc:</b> mfa_alumni@lists.ucr.edu; cwgrad-announcements@lists. ucr. edu<br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [CW-Grad] Poetry Alumnus Neil Aitken strikes again!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'>Yay! Congratulations Neil! <o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal>On Tue, Oct 2, 2012 at 6:23 PM, Robin Russin <<a href="mailto:robin.russin@ucr.edu" target="_blank">robin.russin@ucr.edu</a>> wrote:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>>From Neil, via FB:<br><br>Guess it's official now. My poem "Vigil" was selected out of 800 entries from all over the US and awarded 1st prize in the 3rd annual Beyond Baroque Poetry Contest. Needless to say, I am humbled and delighted by this honor. It's a poem that grew out of a scrap of paper, a few unmoored images, and a memory of my mother during the long days while we cared for my father who was dying of ALS.<br><br>Regarding the poem, contest judge Suzanne Lummis said:<br><br>“Of all the entries, my first choice, "Vigil," was the one that struck that fine balance between clarity and mystery, simplicity, and shimmering depth. After I'd read it, it continued to echo in my imagination.”<br><br>Kudos, Neil!<br><br>Robin Russin<br><br>Associate Professor and Director<br>MFA for Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts<br>Department of Theatre<br>University of California, Riverside<br>Riverside, CA 92521<br><a href="tel:%28951%29%20827-2707">(951) 827-2707</a><br><a href="tel:%28213%29%20949-1061">(213) 949-1061</a> cel<br><a href="mailto:robin.russin@ucr.edu">robin.russin@ucr.edu</a><br><a href="http://robinrussin.com" target="_blank">http://robinrussin.com</a><br><br>"I try all things; I achieve what I can." - Ishmael in "Moby Dick," written by Herman Melville<br><br>"Deserve's got nothin' to do with it." - William Munny in "Unforgiven," written by David Webb Peoples<br><br>"Hunger is the best spice." - Spike Spiegel in "Cowboy Bebop," written by Keiko Nobumoto<br><br><br>_______________________________________________<br>CWgrad-announcements mailing list<br><a href="mailto:CWgrad-announcements@lists.ucr.edu">CWgrad-announcements@lists.ucr.edu</a><br><a href="http://lists.ucr.edu/mailman/listinfo/cwgrad-announcements" target="_blank">http://lists.ucr.edu/mailman/listinfo/cwgrad-announcements</a><o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>