I was selected for the Amtrak Writer’s Residency

Back in the spring, on a lark, I applied for the Amtrak Writer’s Residency. About 16,000 other people applied as well. Yesterday I was announced as one of the 24 winners

Twenty-three of those people strike me as real writers as opposed to bloggers/snarkmeisters. I have to assume I was some sort of affirmative action selection designed to improve the overall status off argumentative doofs with short attention spans. I’m not sure, though.

What I am sure of is that sometime in the next year I will be placed on a train going wherever I want for the sole purpose of writing whatever I want while I ride the rails. 

I am not sure where I will go. I am not sure what I will write. But I am immensely happy about this.

And a bit worried. Given what I’ve heard about Internet access on cross-country trains, I am unlikely to be online much. This is horrifying. What if I have a thought and I’m not able to immediately share it with thousands of strangers? WHAT THEN?!

Oh, wait. Maybe that’s the point.

Craig Calcaterra

Craig is the author of the daily baseball (and other things) newsletter, Cup of Coffee. He writes about other things at Craigcalcaterra.com. He lives in New Albany, Ohio with his wife, two kids, and many cats.

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