in our history we excerpted a novel in back-to-back issues, and the only other time was with mark neumuswe're correcting that now. it's a beautiful novel. next is karen russell. she's chosen as one of the best youngest novellest in 1997 -- 2007, sorry. you would have been 12 in that year. [laughter] she was chosen as one of the best writers under 40. they have not stolen karen. she is the author of st. lucie's home for girls raised for wolves and the author of the new brilliant novel that i'm sure you read about called "swamplandia." finally, francine prose, author of 25 books, fiction and nonfiction, including primitive people, and most recently, my new american life. very scarry alligator about to eat someone on the cover. since -- from march 2007 to recently, she was the president of the panamerica center, and she sat on the board of awards and her back about sexual harassment on college campuses and wrote nonfiction books and anne frank and gluttony. two different books. [laughter] she is a distinguished professor at bard university. one short announcement before we get started. in a