Julia Pierpont - Among the Ten Thousand Things

The diamond flecks in the sidewalks were never diamonds, and the black spots weren’t dirty gum. Some were, but most weren’t.

In the lobby of their old building, the doorman asked if he could help them. “We live here,” they answered. “Well, we used to,” one said. “We have keys.”

An inevitably incomplete list of inevitably insufficient thanks to:

Noah Eaker, alarmingly insightful editor and jelly-bean benefactor, and everyone at Random House, especially Susan Kamil, Caitlin McKenna, Maria Braeckel, and Janet Wygal.

Elyse Cheney, who went so far above and so far beyond. Also the wonderful Alex Jacobs, Adam Eaglin, Sam Freilich, and Tania Strauss.

Jonathan Safran Foer, impossibly wise, impossibly generous, simply the best.

The remarkable writers I have been lucky enough to call my teachers.

The Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House at NYU, and Deborah Landau in particular. Also the Bobst Library, for its late hours and lax policy on outside food.

The Rona Jaffe Foundation, for making my time at NYU possible.

Some of my favorites, for their feedback and my sanity throughout: Austin Bone, Anna Breslaw, Julie Buntin, Rebecca Dinerstein, Jane Esberg, Rafi Ginsburg, Grace Kallis, Tiffany Peón, Sarah Peterson, Jennifer Rice, Nina Rouhani, and Shiva Rouhani.

My family: Robert Pierpont (tireless reader), Bob and Mary Pierpont, Shirley “Baba” Roth, Allan Roth, Doris Garcia, and Diana Garcia. You have given me so much.

And to Claudia Roth Pierpont, the most good. Thank you for always coming to get me.

JULIA PIERPONT is a graduate of the NYU Creative Writing Program, where she received the Rona Jaffe Foundation Graduate Fellowship as well as the Stein Fellowship. She lives in New York City.

@JuliaPierpont