Here's the winning entry for the 12th Annual Writer's Digest Short Short Story Competition by technology research copyeditor, Nicole Lesperance.

Nearly 2,300 poems were submitted to the seventh annual Writer’s Digest Poetry Awards, and Linda Neal Reising’s “An Educated Woman Explains Why She Likes Bluegrass” claimed the No. 1 spot. Her prize: $500, a copy of the 2012 Poet’s Market and a trip to the WD Conference in New York City.

Was it a stroke of marketing genius or a happy accident? Even Cheryl Strayed herself doesn’t seem sure. But whatever it was, it worked—big time.