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Labor Day Special 2011
Dear Sport Literati,
With Labor Day now in our review, I hope you’ll take another small break from your workaday life to sample some of our leisurely reflections. Below is a late-arriving essay from Graham Hillard on his physical education. Hillard will be in the late fall print issue, as well, so this is your taste test. If you haven’t ordered a copy, please do so. We’re open online, and it’s a $12 investment in literary bliss.
And speaking of the print issue, we’re still in need of good poetry for our contest. The essays are spoken for, but we’re extending the poetry contest deadline to the end of September. Calling all Walt Whitmans. Sing the sporty songs of yourselves and send the verse our way. Guidelines here.
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SL Essay
Physical Education
By Graham Hillard
I was a spectral child, a haunter of sidelines. Forced into soccer cleats,
basketball shoes, or far-right fields, I stood motionless, toying with the
drawstring on my shorts rather than joining the scrum. I was submissive,
a wuss, une lanterne rouge. Yet I might have been otherwise. I might
have scored.
In one of the clearest recollections of my childhood, I have broken away
from the pack and am dribbling a soccer ball toward the opposing goalie,
a feeble waif whose ineptitude rivals my own. How I’ve come into
undisputed possession of the ball is a mystery, but I’ve learned enough |
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| by watching the other children to make my way down the field without incident. Imagining the scene now, I see both teams slowing to a walk behind me, mouths agape, but in the moment I am conscious of nothing but my destination: a white line marking the spot from which I will take the first shot-on-goal of my career. Though only six, I understand the precise stakes of what I'm attempting. Score here and life will be peach fuzz — an endless reverie of money and easy sex. Fail and it's the accountant's desk, the coal mines, the Department of Motor Vehicles and every morning a Monday. Read on... |
Graham Hillard teaches English and creative writing at Trevecca Nazarene University, in Nashville, Tennessee. His work has been published in The Oxford American, Prairie Fire, Puerto del Sol, Fugue, Regarding Arts and Letters, and many other journals. |
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SL Writer Awarded
Best in Chess
Congratulations to Dale Rigby, Sport Literate friend and alumnus whose essay, “My Playing Weight,” was recognized by the Chess Journalists of America (CJA). In August, CJA awarded Rigby the Excellence in Chess Writing, Mainstream Media Award. It’s nice to know that we’ve been baptized into the mainstream. We just need more subscribing swimmers. You can find living proof of the honor here. To read his poetic prose, go here. |
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Bookshelf Builder
Consider this our summer clearance. We’ll send you the last five issues of Sport Literate for $35. We’ll even handle and ship it. No questions asked. You’ll get the same four issues you see pictured above, plus one. For readers, it’s a chance for a displayable set for yourself, or a worthy friend, that’s sure to be a conversation builder. “Sport Literate?” a nosy neighbor might inquire. “Is it literature about sports?” Heck yeah, it is. For writers, it’s key to discovering what the editors are looking for in essays, poetry and interviews.
Act now, right now, by sending $35 through PayPal to bill@sportliterate.org. Put “bookshelf builder” in the subject of the email so we don’t think it’s a donation to the tailgate beer pong fund. You can also send a check, payable to Sport Literate, to our PO box in Chicago: 2248 West Belmont #20, Chicago, IL 60618. Then brace yourself for the following.
- 15th Anniversary Issue (2010)
- Something to Cheer For (2009)
- Our Football Best (2008) — named a notable issue of the year by Best American Essays
- Winners and Losers (2008)
- Another Issue of the Big Shoulders (2007)
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