Jury Citation

Bright urgency surges through “BriannaSusannaAlana” like an electrical charge. Here is the heady fizz of a writer doing a loop-de-loop with language – the alphabet a yo-yo, a Slinky, a spinning top a-fire under Heather Birrell’s nimble guidance. Three sisters, a murder, swing sets, sexual initiation, and a rocket pod. The world’s tallest free-standing structure hovering like a sentinel in the distance. This is childhood both as paradise before the fall and as a state of emergency. This is only the beginning. —    2006 Journey Prize Jury ( Zsuzsi Gartner, Steven Galloway, Annabel Lyon)