Clearly Now, the Rain (20 page)

Acknowledgments

My gratitude is a Diaspora.

To the other three of the fabulous four—KC, Travis, and Jeff—for standing clear-eyed and shoulder to shoulder as the darkness came down and for chiseling the pieces of light out of it.

To Alex for being able to embrace me through and across her. To Jessica for priceless support and brilliant editing and for knowing that I'd make it by writing. To Isaac and Carrie and Helena and Danielle and Tom and Daren and Drew for coming through with validation at uncanny moments. To Marc for steady doses of unreasonable poetic courage. To Thomas Weitz, for being a moonbeam for her—and for his generosity. To Tim for understanding how to love her. To Baron Wormser, Cristian Pineda, Rebecca Rubin, and Christopher Watkins—for drawing forth sparks all around me in the very deep black of a February at Vermont Studio Center. To Rudi for breath while avalanche was still falling, and for her bright dark eyes always watching. To Rachel for always reminding me what it's about, always extending a hand, and especially for giving me safety to weigh my intentions. To Doug Stewart for believing and fighting. To Ryan Fischer-Harbage for believing and fighting. To Michael Holmes for believing and fighting (and putting it on the line). To Sebastian, my Original Mentor. To Sarah, my literary guru for life. To Margaux for materializing in the eleventh hour with a wild cache of wisdom. To Peggy Shumaker, for Dawn Marano. To Dawn Marano for midwifing to the final, correct version of this book—it would quite literally not have happened without you. To Aynsley for not ever stutter stepping through the hot messes that we've shared. To Leyla for trusting me, anyway. To the crew at ECW: Crissy, Rachel, Erin, Emily, and Sarah, for rolling up your sleeves to put this unwieldy product into a hell of a box.

To Vermont Studio Center in Johnston, Vermont, the Writer's Center in Bethesda, Maryland, the Wisconsin Book Festival, and the Cross Pollination Reading Series at Vancouver Public Library for giving me places.

And to Lili—for sailing right the fuck into my harbor through a hell of a storm and staying for the aftermath and repairs (ongoing). For helping me save my life.

Eli Hastings

lives in Seattle, Washington. He holds an MFA from
the UNCW and now manages the project at Juvenile Detention for
Pongo Teen Writing. He is completing his MA internship in youth
counseling. His first book,
Falling Room
, was published by the
University of Nebraska Press in the American Lives series in 2006.
Find him online at
EliHastings.com
.

Copyright © Eli Hastings,
2013

Published by ECW Press
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LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION

Hastings, Eli,
1977
–
Clearly now, the rain : a memoir of love and other trips / Eli Hastings.

ISBN 978-1-77041-077-0
ALSO ISSUED AS: 978-1-77090-292-3 (PDF); 978-1-77090-293-0 (EPUB)

1
. Hastings, Eli,
1977
–.
2
. Hastings, Eli,
1977
– —Friends and associates.
3
. Hastings, Eli,
1977
– —Travel.
4
. Friendship.
I
. Title.

CT275.H28725A3 2013 973.92092 C2012-907513-2

Editor for the press: Michael Holmes
Cover design: Bill Douglas
Typesetting and production: Carolyn McNeillie