Yesterday, I met Jason Reynolds at an author event hosted by the OC Library. Yes! It was an absolute pleasure. I took notes, listening as Jason spoke about words and rhythm and the power of sound; layers of subtext as meaningful ideas that don't have to be shouted in the dialogue or paragraphs of his stories; and his passion for the heartbeat of language, his love of Shakespeare, and his fascination with all creatures living on the land or oceans of our earth.

Author Renee Coloman reads an excerpt from Emergency Exit, a short story from her book, Born of Dirt & Dust. The story is quite meaningful to Renee, as the premise is based on an article she read in a digital newspaper; a factual event about young lives taken for granted in our real world ... all in the hope of finding someone to love them; whereas, in this reality, that unusual someone isn't the kind of person who knows how to love.

The book is fiction. Yet the narratives feel prickly and real. No matter that the book's genre dives into fantasy, sci-fi, and horror. Certain situations demand certain choices. We do what we must to make sense of our realities.

Currently---before our recent discussion about Cronenberg with my book-club friends, I've been finessing a 1,600-word short story about a boy's relationship with his father, in particular his admiration for father's working-man hands.

In this flash moment of time---an experience imprinted deep, deep into my mind---I can't help but think, hating myself, for all the beauty in this world that we bend, break, and destroy. We're good at it. A five-star review.