UPDATE: I’ll be reading as the narrator for the College of Saint Rose Women’s Initiative’s presentation of Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues Saturday night at 7pm. The show plays on Sunday at 3pm with my fabulous colleague and friend Angela Ledford as narrator. Tickets benefit Equinox. Girls Next Door will be performing at the interval.

The desk wombat announces (though the odd angle makes it look like a two-legged creature, eh?) that there is some news to share. First, that my William Blake-inspired short story “Eating the Dream” has received the FEMSPEC: The Best of the Second Five Years first prize in fiction. They’re going to announce the prizes at the Popular Culture Association Conference in San Antonio and also at Wiscon, but I won’t be able to be there. FEMSPEC also gave prizes for criticism, memoir and poetry. A big party has been planned to celebrate. Congratulations to all the winners!

The other good news is that I have my ticket to Rome for spring break where I will be staying with the fabulous Alessandra. I can’t wait! I’ve never been to Italy. I was hoping to go last fall, but things didn’t quite work out. So tell me your useful Italian phrases and recommendations! I definitely want to see the Caravaggios and probably the Coliseum and the catacombs and who knows? Dance in the Trevi Fountain! I want to relax and eat good food and drink good wine and laugh and talk. Whatever happens, I’m sure I will have a wonderful time.

Kit Marlowe has been busy, too, talking about making book trailers at Tease Publishing’s blog and she’ll be reading from The Mangrove Legacy for the Tuesday Talking Teaser this coming week over at JoJo’s Books.TODAY! Kit is the Friday Guest at Isabel Roman’s blog: stop by!