Well, it may be time to get that nervous rabbit out of the hat. At long last. Whew!

Anticipation is like the twilight time between Christmas Eve and Christmas when children and those young at heart await the secret arrival of Santa Claus with presents that may delight and then again, disappoint. All cultures seem to have an annual “anticipation” event. So, this literary journal is not out of step with global celebrations and cultural mores with our annual celebration of outstanding aaduna contributors


It is always a difficult task to identify the best from the best. As an online publication that prides itself on presenting quality and enduring literary works and visual images, once a year, we task ourselves with trying to determine what literary work is uniquely challenging to our sensibilities and further expands the journal’s pivotal role in broadening and invigorating the community of established literature. 

The annual Pushcart Prize (www.pushcartprize.com) has been doing that for decades, selecting the best from the best. And each year, publishers bring forth their best contributors and bestow on them the honor of being a Pushcart Prize nominee. The nomination is a stand-alone honor and signifies the extraordinary contributions that a writer’s work brings to the public in various genres.


aaduna approaches this nominating challenge with an annual tradition of identifying its nominees on the last day of November. Some things will not change. Tradition dictates the same behavior on whatever timetable tradition has been placed. In our case, the last day of the eleventh month prompts us to manifest and extol ‘extraordinary’ work. {We advise nominees on this date.} So travel with us and let your mind...

Hear the cascading beats by the drum line roll in your sub-consciousness with clashing and twirling cymbals accompanied by faceless, though multi-cultural, hoots and hollers! See the outstretched hands above jerking heads waving in vibrant jubilation and emotional celebration. Here we go!

The 2017 Pushcart Prize Fiction nominees for aaduna are 

He Junhua, aaduna summer 2017 issue  (photo on file)

 
· He Junhua for “Tuesday Siesta”

Oliver Lodge, aaduna summer 2017 issue (photo on file)

 
· Oliver Lodge for “Daughter”

Tracy S. Bailey, aaduna summer 2017 issue (photo on file)

 
· Tracy S. Bailey for “Bridges”

Chaya Bhuvaneswar, aaduna spring 2017 issue (photo on file)

· Chaya Bhuvaneswar for “The Life You Save Isn’t Your Own”

The 2018 Pushcart Prize Poetry nominees for aaduna are

Tushar Jain, aaduna summer 2017 issue (photo on file)

· Tushar Jain for “brackets”

Zavi Kang Engles, aaduna spring 2017 issue (photo on file)

· Zavi Kang Engles for “Beyond the Pale & Back”



We congratulate this 2018 class of nominees and expect them to continue to produce enthralling and enriching pieces that will find diverse publication homes.  


You can find these works in the spring or summer 2017 issues. Go to www.aaduna.org, click on current issue, then click on Archives, and then click on the issue you want to peruse.



Regardless as to how you might want to access the nominees’ poetry or fiction…at this moment…take the time…and applaud these contributors. They will hear your clapping. Trust me, they will. Your compliments will easily move through time and space to waiting ears.



Stay creative.


bill



PS Want to get your congratulations directly to the contributor? Send your comments to me via bill@aaduna.org and I will forward your statement to each person.

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aaduna - an online adventure with words and images - a globally read, multi-cultural, and diverse online literary and visual arts journal established in 2010.  Visit us at www.aaduna.org where we put measurable actions to our words.

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