How It All Started . . .

I’ve been a ninetyandnine.commer for a long time. It started when I picked up a flier at General Conference in 2000. I was a wet-behind-the-ears college freshman, and a site touted as “college and career centered” piqued my interest, so I checked it out. Thrilled with what I found, and eager to contribute and become a part of it, I sent in my first submission, a poem:

The World As We Know It
I have to go far, far away from this place . . .
Away from the world as we know it,
And never come back—ever, ever.
Give me the wings of the morning,
Let me fly
Guided by the light of the dawn,
Floating, soaring in the bliss of flight.
Let me gaze upon the city below and take in the beauty—
Take and share the pain of the people
So that I can reach out.
I want to kiss a star and laugh with the moon.
Let me delve into the deepest parts of the sea,
Uncovering new treasures and unknown wonders.
I have a need to roll in the bare, sacred earth of a wide, open plain,
Each spinning turn eroding layers upon layers,
Stripping away, exposing parts deeper and deeper,
Until there’s nothing
Left but
Me.

To my utter surprise, I received an email from Kent Curry, Executive Editor, and I, sentimental fool/memento hoarder that I am, printed it out and saved it:

Chantell,

I just wanted to thank you for your superb poem! I must admit, we get a fair amount of submissions & most of the poetry is, to put it kindly, unacceptable. However, yours excited us.

Please write more.

Please send more. (We promise we won’t reject most of it. :-)

Or write devotions, book/music reviews or whatever you need to develop your writing talent. ninetyandnine.com is a perfect forum for reaching others and strengthening yourself. Don’t miss out on it.

In His Service,

Kent Curry
Executive Editor—Content

I was excited because I finally found something relevant, something I could relate to. I found a network of like-goaled, like-minded people, and I was so happy for the opportunity to become a part of it.

Spanish word/phrase of the day: la poesía (lah poe-eh-SEE-ah) = poetry

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!