I'm very excited to see that the winner of PANK’s first chapbook contest is my good friend Aaron Burch, whose manuscript HOW TO TAKE YOURSELF APART, HOW TO MAKE YOURSELF ANEW: notes and instructions from/for a father will be published by PANK in January 2010.

Also recognized were the following finalists, many of whom are also friends or writers whose work I already admire: Tree Riesener, Paula Bomer, Tim Jones-Yelvington, Erin Fitzgerald, Ethel Rohan, Pedro Ponce, Laura LeHew, Stephen Mills, Jensen Beach, and Andrew Borgstrom.

Congratulations again to Aaron and all the other finalists, and to PANK for getting to publish what I'm sure is a great chapbook next year. I can't wait to read it.