Letter from the Board President

Welcome to the 7th volume of the Cotton Alley Writers’ Review. As we publish this edition of our journal that features the award-winning short stories and poetry from the 17th Annual Literary Competition and the 9th Annual Youth Literary Competition, we are facing the 8th month of our new normal. An unprecedented time for most in our community, the COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be a profound moment that has altered our reality in ways that we are still discovering.

"Sometimes you find yourself in the middle of chaos, and sometimes in the middle of chaos, you find yourself." — Boonaa Mohammed, spoken-word poet

We now find ourselves living more simply. We live with intention and take measured risks. We have given ourselves permission to slow down, look inward, and reassess how we live our dayto-day lives. Many have turned to writing to retain or discover their sense of self. The creativity contained within the pages of the 2020 Cotton Alley Writers’ Review reflects these struggles and metamorphoses faced by the artists and society today.

The Arts Council would like to thank the Perehilion Book Club, the jury, staff, and to all those who submitted to this year’s competitions.

We hope you enjoy the works contained within the 2020 Cotton Alley Writers’ Review.

Priscilla Nealy Arts Council of York County Board President

The Cotton Alley Writers’ Review is an independently published annual journal founded in 2014 by the Arts Council of York County. The winning poems and short stories from the Arts Council’s Annual Literary Competitions comprise the writings contained within.