I am nineteen and newly arrived in Manhattan to become a writer. The editor of a popular magazine needs an editorial assistant and wants to see my resume. I've no college education, no relevant work experience—only unbounded enthusiasm. I leave my typed resume with the receptionist on the fourteenth floor. In the elevator, I realize with horror: Typo! In a panic, I return and ask for the resume back. Too late, it’s in the editor’s hands. I leave her a note: “I know high school is two words.” I start the best job of my life the following week.
Brian Cox is a fiction writer, newspaper editor, playwright, New York Times crossword constructor, and the artistic director of Pencilpoint Theatreworks in Ypsilanti, Michigan.