I love stories. Stories in books, stories in paintings, stories screaming from a friend’s tense expression… even stories in a leaf drifting down to the earth. I watch and wonder: Why are you leaving your tree? What have you seen? And of course, I love the storytellers. Those rare, wondrous people who can spin a tale so rich, so vivid, that I gladly lose myself in the world their words create. Some of my favorites? William Shakespeare , he of the twisty, sardonic phrases that dance between comedy and tragedy. Emily Dickinson leaves me with more questions than answers — her prose a puzzle I return to again and again. Oscar Wilde , with his irreverent wit, prances across the page like a well-dressed fox. And even e.e. cummings , whose words never sat where they were supposed to — but somehow still made perfect sense. I’ve read their works over and over again. Each time reveals something I missed before — a tiny gem, a secret tucked between the lines. But storytellers like these are ...