Dear Trace,

Thank you for submitting your essay for consideration for the Diana Woods Memorial Award. Diana Woods was an extraordinary woman who lived her life with honesty and a spirit of inquiry, and it’s that spirit we wish to honor with this award. We give each essay serious consideration, and it is with regret that your essay was not chosen for the DWM Award.

Rejections are never easy—for you the writer, or for us, the editors. But as we both know, they are part of being a writer. We are sorry that we weren’t the right market for Maltby Road, but we know that there is another market waiting for you, and to them, this piece is exactly perfect. We hope you know that this letter doesn’t mean “no forever”, and we hope you will submit to Lunch Ticket again.

Once again, thank you for trusting us with your work.

Best of luck, and take good care,

The Editors of Lunch Ticket

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