Judge’s Comments on “Intensive Care” by Gabe Montesanti It was an honor to judge the nonfiction entries for the Rising Phoenix contest this year. The winning essay is “Intensive Care.” I was drawn to the frankness of this piece, the way in which the author bluntly states in the second paragraph, “Somewhere around Arizona, I was mooned by a guy getting head at a roadside stop.” The themes in this piece, although serious, are rendered with levity and precision. There is an exquisite balance of reflection to scene, and the piece concludes masterfully.
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