This Issue

Jan/Feb 2010

This month Cicada® shoots for the stars!

In "25 Miles to Athens," you'll meet Thomas, whose goal is to win the Chicago Marathon. He devotes years to rigorous training, rising early every morning to run along Lake Michigan. "Thomas, it is always you run," observes Josef, the elevator operator. You bet. Thomas is shooting for the stars.

While hard work and love of the game can get you partway, reaching the stars also involves sacrifice. You'll see this in "Stars" as Akshay and his parents, newly arrived from India, adjust to life in Toronto, Canada. Akshay discovers the painful truth that sometimes the only way to fulfill your potential is to stand on the shoulders of those who go before you.

Of course, you'll stumble across an ambitious soul or two whose goals are questionable and, frankly, just plain weird. In "William T. Anderson," Gary announces that he's going to "be governor, and then be senator, and then be president, and then be king of the world." As a teen, he finds the perfect role model in one William T. Anderson (that T is important), and he plans his life with obsessive zeal.

When you're done reading the following selections from Cicada, go to www.cicadamag.com/submitwork and answer the Call for Creative Endeavors. Your Challenge theme: Reaching for the Stars. Everybody aim high!

© 2009 by Carus Publishing Company