by Shann Ray
To those whose quiet power transforms people, I give my heart’s blessing: to my three miracles, Natalya Alexis, Ariana Alexis, and Isabella Alexis for being the defenders of human kind; to my mom and dad, Sandy and Tom Ferch, for the light of forgiveness; to my brother, Kral, for your brotherhood, for basketball, and for rising up and throwing down; to my wife’s mother, Susie Crowell, for your healing presence; to my family’s intellectual and spiritual father, Dr. Bernie Tyrrell, SJ, for continually opening us to the generosity of God—you are strength and peace.
To those whose gifts astound me I give thanks: to my good friend Jess Walter for your kindness and selfless vision; to poet Christopher Howell for Light’s Ladder; to Eli Horowitz and Dave Eggers at McSweeney’s for believing; to Emily Forland for seeing before it came to be; to Robert Boswell for selecting American Masculine; to Michael Collier for the call; to Steve Woodward for your care and discerning eye; and to Fiona McCrae for your devotion to the life of the artist, and for the great honor it has been to be influenced by the Graywolf family.
BREAD LOAF AND THE BAKELESS PRIZES
The Katharine Bakeless Nason Literary Publication Prizes were established in 1995 to expand the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference’s commitment to the support of emerging writers. Endowed by the LZ Francis Foundation, the prizes commemorate Middlebury College patron Katharine Bakeless Nason and launch the publication career of a poet, fiction writer, and a creative nonfiction writer annually. Winning manuscripts are chosen in an open national competition by a distinguished judge in each genre. Winners are published by Graywolf Press.
2010 Judges
Arthur Sze
Poetry
Robert Boswell
Fiction
Jane Brox
Creative Nonfiction
Born and raised in Montana, SHANN RAY spent part of his childhood on the Northern Cheyenne reservation. He holds a PhD in psychology and a dual MFA in poetry and fiction. His work has appeared in Poetry International, Northwest Review, Narrative, and the anthology The Better of McSweeney’s, vol. 2. He has served as a panelist of the National Endowment of the Humanities and a research psychologist for the Centers for Disease Control. He lives with his wife and three daughters in Spokane, Washington, where he teaches leadership and forgiveness studies at Gonzaga University.
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