Two Sylvias' Weekly Muse: April 7, 2024
Two Sylvias' Weekly Muse: April 7, 2024
Issue 102 (Free For Everyone To Read!)
Hello, Muse Readers!
We are entering the second week of National Poetry Month, and we would like to offer you an idea that’s not only poetic but could provide some benefits to both you and to someone in your life. In an article penned several years ago, freelance journalist Susan Shain sings the praises of snail mail—remember those handwritten cards and letters that used to fill our mailboxes back in the day? In a survey conducted in 2022, nearly half of adults in the US had not sent a personal handwritten letter via snail mail in over five years. Who needs to bother with stationery and ball point pens when we have, at our fingertips, email, texting, and social media posts?
In her article, Shain cites a study by Steven Toepfer, an associate professor of human development and family studies at Kent State University at Salem, in which participants were asked to compose three “letters of gratitude” in the span of thirty days. The participants could write to anyone, as long as their content was positive and expressed some sort of thanks. With each hand-written letter, the participants experienced higher levels of happiness and general satisfaction with their lives, and importantly, much lower levels of symptoms of depression. Toepfer told Shain that we all have “a base of gratitude” inside of us, which can lead to positive psychological effects. He stated, “But we have to tap into it—and use it—to get its benefits. I think writing letters does that.”
Shain also mentions the research of Saeideh Heshmati, an assistant professor of psychology at Claremont Graduate University, who studies the things that “make people feel loved.” She discovered that “small gestures in everyday life,” like being supported by others who do not expect anything back or being shown compassion during rough times were what participants most agreed caused them to feel loved. Since handwritten letters and cards require more effort than email, Heshmati said that recipients will “feel more loved because you took the time to do that for them.” She also stated, “It’s the care that comes with it that signals the love.”
As a way to continue to celebrate National Poetry Month, and to both give and receive some positive emotional and psychological benefits, we suggest handwriting a letter to a family member or friend in which you quote something uplifting and encouraging from a poem. Perhaps someone in your life is going through a tough stretch and finding a personal note from you along with a few lines of poetry would bring them a smile. Or maybe simply surprise someone out of the blue with a life-affirming stanza from a Robert Haas or Jane Hirshfield poem.
Wishing you a vintage and retro week filled with paper, pens, stamps, and envelopes!
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We so appreciate your support of our small press! Thank you for subscribing to the Weekly Muse! If you come across any issues involving the Muse or if you have any questions, you can email us at:
If you missed Susan Rich's and Diane Seuss's incredible reading and conversation on April 2, you can watch it here:
The evening was filled with inspiring moments—Diane talking about poetry: Why not write into the highest stakes around? And Susan discussing how writing about trauma made the bad dreams end as it gave it place for it to live.
It was such a rich (pun intended!) evening of poetry and conversation, we hope you get a chance to watch. You can also find it directly on YouTube here.
You can purchase Susan’s collection of poems, Blue Atlas at Indie Pubs, Bookshop, Seattle’s Elliott Bay Books, and Seattle’s Poetry-Only bookstore Open Books. You can purchase Diane’s Modern Poetry at Bookshop, Kalamazoo’s indie bookstore This is a Bookstore, Seattle’s Open Books, or Amazon.
Grief Poems
For this week’s prompt, we will write poems in remembrance of those we've lost. Before starting, reflect on the individuals who have impacted your life and those you still mourn. Be mindful that writing these poems might rekindle some grief or sadness, so treat yourself with kindness. If you need to pause or take a walk, please do so.
As poets and readers ourselves, one insight we’ve learned about grief poems is that writing about loss can help your readers understand and/or get through their own loss. Although these poems may be challenging to write, their presence in the world is valuable.
Below are four prompts to help you begin. As always, we recommend selecting a number between 1 and 4 instead of reviewing all the prompts. This approach can infuse your writing with spontaneous energy.
#1. My Grandmother Sends Me Hummingbirds from the Afterlife
Think about someone you've lost and write a poem about a moment you felt they gave you a sign or about a strange coincidence that made you feel connected to them. Perhaps you're writing about your mother, who adored butterflies, and at her funeral, a butterfly landed on your shoulder. Or maybe you received a wrong-number call where the caller asked for “Elmer”—the name of your recently deceased grandfather. Let the details and moments convey the story (think: show don’t tell) to allow your reader to experience the event alongside you. For extra credit, let the moment recur in various ways throughout the poem or reappear at the end.
#2. After My Friend Carrie Died, I Think About Us as Teenagers in 7-11 Buying Nachos, Charleston Chews, and Idaho Spud Bars
Write a poem, elegy, or lament honoring a loved one or friend who has passed away, exploring the legacy they left behind and/or the memories you shared. As you write, weave in specific anecdotes, details, and moments that capture your shared experiences. Use imagery and narrative to prevent the poem from becoming overly sentimental—you may even want to create a wordlist beforehand of words you wouldn’t expect in an elegy, such as hammer, tuxedo cat, telescope, carnival, high heels, etc. Consider using a prose poem format to convey your memories.
#3. Telling My Late Wife, I Always Love Her Pancakes
Write a poem that imagines a conversation between you and a lost friend or loved one, discussing something you never had the opportunity to say while they were alive. Perhaps during a walk, you realize you never asked your grandfather about his favorite flower or maybe you have a conversation with a late spouse expressing how much you appreciated their support and patience. It doesn’t have to be a deep topic— maybe you just want to tell your mom how much you miss the way she called you Sweetie, or you would like to tell your brother that you think about him when someone brings up the Boston Red Sox. Address one (or several) unresolved questions or express feelings that were left unspoken—no matter how small or large. For extra credit, consider allowing the dialogue or response to be unexpected or surprising.
And when you have finished a poem, check out our “Places to Submit Your Work” as Quillkeeper Press is publishing an anthology on grief.
Two Sylvias Answers Your Questions
I was traveling in South America several months ago and a press to whom I had submitted my manuscript contacted me by email to tell me there was an issue opening my manuscript document. I didn’t have a way to access my writing folder on my home computer because I was traveling, and I told them they would have to wait until I returned home. Before my trip was completed, I received another email from this press with a note saying, “Thank you for submitting to (press name). We have a reading deadline and have made our final decision. Since we could not open your document, we are refunding your reading fee.” I feel terrible about this! I was a finalist with this press last year. I have improved my manuscript, and I believe I could have been one of the winners this year. Do you have advice for how I can prevent this issue from happening again in the future? I have a new job that requires travel.
Two Sylvias:
Thank you for writing to us and explaining this unfortunate situation with your manuscript. As a press, we have had this happen several times—we can’t open a manuscript and when we contact the poet, they are traveling without access to their writing documents.
We realize that some travelers do not bring along tablets or laptops, relying solely on their phones for communication and internet access. It’s difficult (and might not be possible) to edit a manuscript and create an entirely new document on your phone.
Below are a few ideas for how to be prepared if you should have to resend a copy of your manuscript to a press while traveling:
Use Cloud Storage Services. Using cloud storage services like Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, or iCloud allows you to access your files with your phone as long as you have internet access. Save your manuscript in one of these cloud services before your trip. These services have mobile apps that make it easy to access and share your files from your smartphone.
Email Yourself (and a Friend) a Copy of Your Manuscript. It’s a simple technique but effective. Emailing yourself the latest version of your manuscript before your trip ensures that you have access to it via any device. You might also consider emailing a copy of your manuscript to a friend / family member / fellow writer before you travel. If you are unable to send an attachment for any reason on your trip, you can email your friend and have them forward the manuscript to the press.
Download a Remote Desktop App. If you prefer to keep files on your home computer and not in cloud storage, consider setting up a remote desktop application like Google Remote Desktop, TeamViewer, or Microsoft Remote Desktop. These apps allow you to access your home computer from your smartphone or tablet, given that your home computer is turned on and connected to the internet.
We would also suggest having your manuscript available in at least two formats (for instance, an MS Word Doc and a PDF) in case there is an error you cannot fix while traveling—you have a second formatting option to send to the press.
It’s important, too, to have access to your bio and your acknowledgements if a press should request these while you are traveling. It would be wise to have these items available in two separate documents, either uploaded to cloud storage and/or emailed to yourself.
Before you leave on a trip, do a quick test to ensure you can access and edit your documents from your phone. This might include opening the document from an email attachment, accessing it through a cloud service app, or connecting to your home computer via a remote desktop app.
Your situation is a good reminder for all of us to plan ahead in terms of our writing lives, especially when we are traveling without full access to important materials. We hope one of the above strategies works for you the next time you are planning a trip!
For Questions to the Editors: email any questions you have about writing poems, submitting your work, book contests, etc. to: and we will choose a question to answer every other week!
My Flattened Spool Wound with String
Our poetry exercise this week calls on you to reminisce a little about the past—specifically, we invite you to think about a physical object about which you have nostalgic thoughts. Choose something from a few years ago (your childhood, teen years, early adulthood, early parenthood) and reflect on not only why this object might evoke nostalgia, but also the many ways this object could be used and/or the many things this object might represent. For instance, maybe you had an old yo-yo that had belonged to your father when he was little. The yo-yo was in rough shape—the string had broken but had been reattached with knots. It didn’t exactly “yo-yo” smoothly, so you often rolled in down the driveway or used it as a round chair for Barbie or G.I. Joe. Sometimes you would launch the yo-yo into the air, imagining that if it flew high enough, it would cause rain.
Our example poem is a wonderful piece by Dorianne Laux titled, “My Mother’s Colander” in which Laux explores the many “uses” for a simple, gray-metal strainer from her childhood.
My Mother’s Colander
Holes in the shape of stars
punched in gray tin, dented,
cheap, beaten by each
of her children with a wooden spoon.
Noodle catcher, spaghetti stopper,
pouring cloudy rain into the sink,
swirling counter clockwise
down the drain, starch slime
on the backside, caught
in the piercings.
Scrubbed for sixty years, packed
and unpacked, the baby’s
helmet during the cold war,
a sinking ship in the bathtub,
little boat of holes.
Dirt scooped in with a plastic
shovel, sifted to make cakes
and castles. Wrestled
from each other’s hands,
its tin feet bent and re-bent.
Bowl daylight fell through
onto freckled faces, noon stars
on the pavement, the universe
we circled aiming jagged stones,
rung bells it caught and held.
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Inspired by Laux, think of an object from your past that holds some sentiment and nostalgia. Allow yourself to “riff” on this object—remembering and imagining all possible uses for this thing from the practical to the fantastical. Like Laux, take your object from “dirt” to “universe” in your reminiscing and musing. Pack your poem with descriptive images so that your readers come away with a clear picture of your special “thing” in their minds.
If you would like, compose your poem in four or five-line stanzas with relatively short lines. You can also directly address your object throughout your poem—“Your knotted string gave you a lopsided spin… we picked at the green-flaking paint on your wooden body…” And lastly, reference the object in your poem—“Broken String.”
Try Some Avant-Garde
This week’s journal / creativity exercise finds inspiration in the early 20th century art movement known as Orphism. Founded by French artists Sonia Delaunay and her husband Robert Delaunay, Orphism was named after the Greek god of music, Orpheus, as the artists of this movement arranged “color harmonies” after the model of musical scales and chords. Orphism grew out of Cubism, but unlike Picasso, for instance, the Delaunays emphasized bright colors in their artwork to convey movement and energy. Orphic paintings capture the complexity of the modern experience, as they reflect the rapid changes and technological advancements of the early 20th century. Often, the paintings of both Sonia Delaunay and Robert Delaunay show multiple angles of a subject simultaneously.
Below are two paintings by Sonia Delaunay (Autumn and Flamenco Dancer):
We invite you to bring some Orphism into your poetry! Drawing inspiration from Sonia Delaunay’s paintings and the main concepts of the Orphic movement, we have created several prompts for you to try this week. We suggest responding to the prompts initially in your journal—write your ideas rapidly without paying attention to your internal editor, and don’t worry about being grammatically correct.
Overload Your Senses: Choose a particular setting that carries some emotion and vibrancy for you (the Grand Canyon, a beach during an intense storm, an intense fireworks display, a crowded protest march downtown in a busy city, walking by a new mural painted by teenagers at the local skateboard park, etc.) Describe the scene using impassioned, vivid imagery that engages sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. Focus especially on capturing colors. Aim for an intense immersive experience that transports your readers in addition to overwhelming their senses.
Fragmented Narrative: Choose a recent (or not so recent) event that was emotionally charged for you (the death of a loved one, a divorce, an argument with a close friend, achieving a long-term goal, moving to your dream home, etc.). Rather than conveying this event in a linear and straightforward manner, use fragments and pieces from the event—mix up the order, only tell part of a scene, begin a descriptive recounting of some aspect of the event, but then simply trail off using ellipses at the most exciting point, leave gaps in the story in a literal way by utilizing your white space on the page, etc. Allow your writing to be dreamlike, surreal, and incomplete.
Life’s Coming At Me Too Fast!: Inspired by Orphism’s theme of technology and change in the early 20th century, write about life in 2024—what’s coming at you too quickly these days? What newfangled inventions and technologies cause you to feel overwhelmed? What aspects of life in 2024 make you wish for life in 1984—MTV, big hair, and Pac-Man Cereal? What parts of your life would you like to slow down? Capture the complexity of being alive in 2024 and the dynamic (as well as confusing) nature of contemporary existence.
After you have completed several (or all) of the prompts above in your journal, look back over what you have written and circle the sections that are begging to become poems. As you compose a poem inspired by Orphism, consider listening to a piece of classical music as the Orphic artists were inspired by the emotions evoked by musical notes. Also feel free to peruse more artwork on the internet by doing a search for Sonia Delaunay or Robert Delaunay.
Black Gold; Texas Tea
In the 1910s, Encyclopedia Americana came up with an interesting way to entice people to buy their set of encyclopedias. They purchased plots of land in undesirable areas and then gave away property parcels as a bonus for buying their encyclopedias. Encyclopedia Americana purchased several property lots in Southern California in the Huntington Beach area (paying only a few dollars per acre), which was mostly made up of gullies, hills, and swamps. The city of Huntington Beach and the encyclopedia company were initially glad to have made some money from these useless portions of property—until oil was discovered in the area in 1920. Many of the customers who had bought a set of Encyclopedia Americana became quite wealthy when they sold their “undesirable” property plots to drilling companies.
Quillkeeper Press Grief Anthology / Deadline: April 28, 2024 Editor-in-Chief: Stephanie Lamb Editor & Project Management: Lisea Silvers Reading fee: $2 Send up to 5 poems. They “hope this collection will honor those we've lost and comfort those still grieving.” Contributors will receive a PDF version of the anthology. https://manager.submittable.com/opportunities/opportunity/265709 Simultaneous Submissions: Yes. Boulevard / Deadline: May 1, 2024 Editor: Jessica Rogen Managing Editor: Griffin Reed Poetry Editor: Peter Grandbois Reading fee: $3 to submit online. No fee to submit by post. Send no more than five poems at a time. Each poem should be 200 lines or less. They “do not accept light verse.” They pay $50-$250 (sometimes higher) for accepted work. https://boulevard.submittable.com/submit/926/poetry-general-submission Simultaneous Submissions: Yes. Bracken / Deadline: April 22, 2024 Founding Editor: Alina Rios Reading fee: $3 Send up to 5 poems that are no more than 100 lines per poem. They prefer natural-world elements in the poems they receive. They pay $30 per poem. https://brackenmagazine.submittable.com/submit/286958/poetry-submission-issue-xi Simultaneous Submissions: Yes. New Letters: Patricia Cleary Miller Award for Poetry / Deadline: May 20, 2024 Editor-in-Chief: Christie Hodgen Managing Editor: Ashley Wann Reading fee: $24 Send up to six poems. These poems need not be related. The maximum page count for poetry entries of up to six poems is thirty pages. Include one cover sheet stating the genre (poetry) and the titles of each poem. Personal information should not appear anywhere on the entry. “The mission of New Letters magazine is to discover, publish and promote the best and most exciting literary writing, wherever it might be found.” https://newlettersmagazine.submittable.com/submit/100519/the-2-500-patricia-cleary-miller-award-for-poetry Simultaneous Submissions: Yes. Orchard Keeper Writers Residency / Deadline: Ongoing Owner: Denton Loving Application fee: $0 Residencies are open to writers of all genres and artists who are at least 21 years of age. Applications are currently being accepted for one-week and two-week sessions. Residency fees are $25.00 per day. To apply, send an email with 1) a letter of introduction that includes a description of your current writing project, 2) contact information for yourself and three references and 3) three proposed time periods for your residency. A CV is welcome but optional. Submit applications to OrchardKeeper.WritersResidency@gmail.com. Note: The website says they are “currently accepting applications for one- and two-week residencies from March through December 2023.” We reached out and confirmed they are accepting applications for 2024. https://dentonloving.com/orchard-keeper-writers-residency/ Leslie McGrath Poetry Prize / Deadline: April 10, 2024 Publisher: Stefania Calafiore Poetry Editor: Rishika Parmar Judge: Ben Grossberg Reading fee: $10 Send one poem of any style, but with no more than one hundred lines. The winner receives $1000 and publication. https://helixmagazine.submittable.com/submit/241997/leslie-mcgrath-poetry-prize?step=submission Simultaneous Submissions: Not specified. First Matter Press Chapbooks / Deadline: April 15, 2024 Lead Editors: Ash Good, Emily Moon, Lauren Paredes, and Hailey Spencer Reading fee: $5 Send a maximum 20-page excerpt of your manuscript, including any working title(s). The press “is a not-for-profit publishing collective centering community and craft… authors own 100% of their copyrights and receive 100% of sales proceeds.” Authors may submit from any part of the U.S. They are best able to support authors based in the Pacific Northwest. #ProTip: The editors are seeking, in particular, work that pushes the boundaries of genre, hybrid works combining poetry with essay or prose, and chapbooks focused on a subject or theme. https://firstmatterpress.submittable.com/submit/288829/open-reading-period-poetry-hybrid-genre-expanding Simultaneous Submissions: Yes. Gasher Poetry Books / Deadline: May 15, 2024 Publisher: Whitney Koo Book Editor: Remi Recchia Reading fee: $15-$25 Send manuscripts of 48-90 pages. Authors receive 20 free copies. They pay 30% royalties. https://gasherjournal.submittable.com/submit/285336/2024-poetry-books-open-reading Simultaneous Submissions: Yes.
We hope your National Poetry Month is off to a wonderful start!
For those attempting the poem-a-day challenge for National Poetry Writing Month (#NaPoWriMo), remember not to let perfection hinder completion. As author Gretchen Rubin writes: I was inspired by an observation by Voltaire, "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good." In other words, instead of pushing yourself to an impossible "perfect," and therefore getting nowhere, accept "good." Many things worth doing are worth doing badly.
And remember that inspiration for poems can be found everywhere: in the daily news, dreams, something you watched on TV, personal experiences, or even a favorite painting. If you're struggling to start (or write!) a poem, consider setting a timer for anywhere from 8 to 20 minutes. Often, the pressure of a deadline can jumpstart your creativity.
When students were having trouble writing, William Stafford wisely advised—lower your standards—which might sound opposite of what we’ve been told poetry should be! But Stafford believed every poem did not need to be “perfect” (especially first drafts) and that the consistent dedication to your writing practice will, over time, ensure growth and even stronger poems in the future.
We wish you an inspiring April, whether or not you're writing daily poems!
Subscriber News and Inspiration
We are thrilled to share that many in our Muse Community are part of a soon-to-be released anthology titled Braving the Body. The anthology, which will be published by Small Harbor Publishing, includes poems by Gail Martin, Susan Rich, Jeannine Hall Gailey, Ren Wilding, Diane Seuss, Melissa Fite Johnson, Marianne Worthington, Connie Post, and Kelli Russell Agodon. You can purchase or learn more about this anthology here. And if there is anyone we missed, please let us know and we’ll share it in the next Weekly Muse!
Gary Bullock writes: “I wanted to share with you that my poem, “This Sacristy” was chosen for publication and awarded “First Prize in Adult Poetry” for the upcoming 2024 edition of Tidepools Magazine at Peninsula College in Port Angeles, WA. The 2024 Tidepools will be the 60th Anniversary edition of this student-produced and faculty supported annual of art and literature.” You can see all the winners here.
Dianne L. Knox’s writes: “Peninsula College's Tidepools Magazine has chosen my poem, "Salmon Deposits," as one of the Adult Poetry winners! My poem, "All the Earth's Senses" has been selected to be featured in Bainbridge Island's 2024 Poetry Corners celebration, part of the Bainbridge Island Poet Laureate Program and will appear on a professionally printed poster to be on display for Poetry Month in downtown Bainbridge. In addition, my "Song of the Pluviophile" along with "All the Earth's Senses" will be included in the Poetry Corners 2024 anthology. I will also be reading at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art on Saturday, 4 May, beginning at 5pm. Please come to this well-attended event. March has been out like a lion for me!”
(A Note from the Muse: We would like to point out that two of the three winners of the Tidepools poetry prize were from our Muse Community! Fantastic news—we loved the the surprise of this! Congrats to Gary Bullock and Dianne L. Knox!)
Charlotte Hussey has just published her 3rd poetry collection And If I Go with Child: Reimagining the Mysteries of Tam Lin with Ritona Press. You can learn more about Charlotte’s book here.
Melody Wilson writes: “A big thank you to the editors of Iron Horse Literary Journal for choosing my poem “Shadow Birds” as a finalist for their beautiful 2024 NAPOMO Issue. And a big congratulations to my friend and fellow Zaloner Shelly Cato whose poem was selected as winner. My poem is on page 23, Shelly’s on 34. I hope you’ll check them out!” Melody’s poem “I’ve figured out why” is also published in Poetry Breakfast and you can read that poem here.
Wendy Mannis Scher writes: “I am honored that my poem, "Understory" has found a home in the Ecology issue of Panorama, The Journal of Travel, Place, and Nature.” You can read Wendy’s poem here.
Lana Hechtman Ayers writes: “Thanks to EAP for publishing my poem on the first day of Poetry Month.” You can read Lana’s poem “Every Hour” here.
Michael Dwayne Smith writes: “Dear Friends, the spring 2024 issue of Gyroscope Review has just dropped, and it is with great joy I debut my poem "Come from the Blinding Light and Hear" within its pages (page 13 to be precise), alongside talented poets like Ann E. Michael, Chrissy Stegman, Dick Westheimer, Genevieve Creedon, Linda Neal, Richard Jordan, Roderick Bates, and many more.” You can read Michael’s poem here on page 13.
Chrissy Stegman writes: “My poem in Spring 2024 issue of Gyroscope Review! Ekphrastic. This Baltimore girl is showing some Baltimore love for the BMA.” You can read Chrissy’s poem “Dear Pine Forest II by Gustav Klimpt” on page 22.
Laurie Kuntz writes: “Happy to kick off National Poetry Month with 3 poems in Impspired. Gratitude to Steve Cawte, editor for a fine curation of poetry in this issue.” You can read Laurie’s poems here.
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We would also love to share your successes in the Weekly Muse. Please send along any publication good news to:
Please consider joining our private group of Weekly Muse members on Facebook in order to share your thoughts on writing, your poems, your challenges, your successes, etc. Request to join here:
The Weekly Muse Zoom Classes & Salon Calendar: https://twosylviaspress.com/weekly-muse-calendar.html
If you’re new to the Weekly Muse and would like to know where you can watch all of our past Zoom Series Classes and Salons, you can click on the links below! Enjoy!
TO GAIN ACCESS TO THE CLASSES BELOW, BECOME A PAID SUBSCRIBER!
Kelli Russell Agodon: Generating New Poems
Jeannine Hall Gailey: The Art of Promotion & PR for Poets
Maggie Smith: You Could Make This Place Beautiful with Poetry
Susan Rich & Kelli Russell Agodon: Demystifying the Manuscript
Diane Seuss: Modern Poetry
January Gill O’Neil: Line by Line: The Practice of Revision
Susan Rich & Diane Seuss: Reading & Conversation
*****
Now Open! The Two Sylvias Press Annual Chapbook Prize!
If you have a chapbook manuscript of 17 - 24 pages, consider sending it to our annual chapbook prize! All poets are welcome to submit and international submissions welcomed.
Judge: Oliver de la Paz / Deadline: May 31, 2024
Past winners: Cecilia Woloch, Jasmine An, Lena Khalaf Tuffaha, Hiwot Adilow, Stella Wong, Christopher Salerno, Meg Griffitts, Saul Hernandez, Majda Gama, and Andrew Robin.
View the full guidelines on our website: https://twosylviaspress.com/chapbook-prize.html
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Have a wonderful week!
