Fab 5 Winners November 12, 2021

Welcome Vocal Fam! We want our winners to know why they won and to uplift the collective by letting everyone read the peer reviews. Thank you to all the dedicated moderators who help read the entries every week; we couldn't do it without you. - Les

Not sure what the Vocal Social Society is all about? Check out our welcome article:

WINNERS

(Unless otherwise specified, intros penned by Caroline Jane.)

You can be more than one thing: Imagine being told you can only eat one type of food for the rest of your life – Amelia Michels

Oh, my days – just imagine if that were the case. Even if that food were chocolate… morning, noon and night... Oh man, it would be a living purgatory. Amelia captures the essence of one of our greatest fears in this article – to have to live a one-dimensional life. It resonates because it exposes a nerve. A short, punchy, and easy piece to read.

"For so long I’ve been trying to find my ‘niche’. In that, I’ve found multiple things that I really enjoy, various career choices I would be satisfied in doing. A few different paths I could imagine, would be pleasing to go down. But how do you begin to go down just only one, when you want to take two or maybe 3 different routes?"

Belated Postcards: Senior Class Trip – Babs Iverson

The title is a wonderful entrance into a beautiful memory. Babs recalls her senior year trip with huge affection and gives a personal and authentic insight into an educational trip to New York circa 1964. There are some great pictures from that day which will have you smiling and, as ever, Bab’s nostalgia is full of warmth and happiness.

"Leaving our high school early morning, it was only a four-hour trip by bus to New York City. Remembering the first sights of the skyline of the city, my heart and mind were filled with excitement and enthusiasm. The skyline was impressive. Our accommodations weren't luxurious. Who cared. We were in New York City!"

A Wedding Toast from Father of The Bride: The One I Didn’t Get to Give – Dana Crandell

This is a novel way to toast a newly married couple and like many people have commented, you really can hear the Irish Brogue tumbling through it. We would have loved to have been at a wedding where this was the Father of the Bride speech – we could imagine ourselves toasting the lovely couple and then dancing the night away Ceilidh style.

"My daughter's hand was never meant

For anyone but you, Sir.

Please, hold her tight

And treat her right

And never, ever lose her,"

If I were Silvertongue: Why Inkheart remains my favourite fantasy novel of all time and what I would do if I were Silvertongue – Rachel M. J.

Rachel M.J. will cringe when we say this… but... she is an EXPERT on fantasy. Like all authentic experts Rachel’s reviews have that diamond quality to them in that they compel everyone to want to read what she reviews. You will find yourself charmed by the descriptions, awestruck by the chosen prose, and delighted with the personal and characterful way that Rachel brings this fantasy genre review to life. Even if you don’t usually do fantasy – walk in, you will find a warm embrace and, likely, some inspiration too.

"The crux of the fantasy is that Meggie's father Mo is beseeched with the rare and otherwise unheard of ability to read things into existence. With the lilting tones of his honey-sweet voice he can conjure sounds, smells, objects, and even people into his world, from any other contained within a novel."

The Mathematics of Nature’s Beauty – Tony Stauffer

“The complex is nothing more than a child of the simple”. In this comprehensive overview of the intrinsic beauty of maths Tony shows how complex natural design originates from the simplicity of 0 and 1. Tony has brought a unique voice to Vocal with this article. Its content is as far away from clickbait for reads as you can get - a celebration of logic in all its ingenious simplicity. We love it!

"Everything is mathematics. It’s not just found in a textbook, or on a chalk board. It’s not limited to calculating your coupon savings at a grocery store, or even to the deeply complex world of quantum mechanics. Everything is mathematics… The universe, and everything in it is mathematics. The body that you live in everyday, the consciousness that lives in your mind, even the etheric soul that drives you, it’s all mathematics. Nature is nothing but numbers. And they are beautiful!"

Congratulations winners! Your peers at the VSS salute your efforts.

Until next time, reminding you we are 'better together'.

Psst...have you joined Great Incantations yet?

First published by Call Me Les for The Society pages - a mini magazine in The Vocal Creators Chronicle family on November 8, 2021