Almost 14 years ago, I carefully glued all of my grad school rejection letters into a scrapbook, and amused myself by highlighting the word ‘regret’ in all of them. I think I sensed that someday, I might want to reflect back on them. My two favorites:

Reflection day is upon me. I am currently experiencing a lot of fortune with the Cake, like really more than a playwright could dream of or hope for (though honestly the bar is low, as having a play produced, in itself, is a miracle.) Meanwhile, I  somehow winded up working on a hit show that is managing to heal and to warm those that watch it (though, so did Switched at Birth, just on a smaller scale.) Reflecting on both of these career fortunes it’s easy to forget all of the Regret to inform You’s, but  I want to remember them and celebrate them, and I don’t know, maybe just a hair bit Gloat? So without further ado, I was rejected from: Columbia graduate Playwriting! NYU Graduate Playwriting! Yale Graduate Playwriting! Boston College MFA Playwriting! Post-grad school, I was rejected not once, not twice, but three times from Julliard, with nary even an interview, and I’ve been rejected by New Dramatists (an elite playwriting residency in NYC)  count ’em, 7 times! STILL STANDING, Y’ALL! WHAT DOESN’T ACCEPT US TO THEIR PROGRAM MAKES US WORK HARDER TO SHOW THEM WHAT.