Hannah Judy Gretz, your gift—from a stranger to a stranger—continues to astonish me. I loved my time at Ragdale and thank all the people there who support and nourish art, but no one more than you and the gesture of your gift.
I’m beyond grateful to work with an editor who is not only committed and wise but also willing to challenge me, and challenge me, and challenge me again. Sarah McGrath, you are extraordinary. I’m fortunate to have you help me grow. Likewise the excellent and talented Danya Kukafka, Lindsay Means, and Alison Fairbrother. Thanks to Chandra Wohleber, for copyediting in a way that is an art, a craft, and a blessing all in one, and to Claire Vaccaro for somehow translating my linguistic babble into visual sense. My deepest gratitude to Geoff Kloske and the whole Riverhead crew.
With no less feeling but at the limit of my capacity to articulate it, I thank three stalwarts: Barney Karpfinger, Stuart Pizer, and Oscar Cohen, and three inspirations: Joe, Rosy, and George.