Laurie Rachkus Uttich teaches creative writing at the University of Central Florida. Her fiction and essays have been published in various literary journals, including Creative Nonfiction; Poets and Writers (Why We Write column); Iron Horse (fiction recipient of the 2009 Discovered Voices Award); So To Speak (recipient of the 2007 Creative Nonfiction award); The Writer’s Chronicle; The Pisgah Review; and other literary publications. She was lucky to be raised by a good man, smart enough to marry one, and optimistic enough to attempt to raise three more.