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Learning to see the light behind closed doors, and how a rejection letter validated my journey as a writer. Photo by Melody Zimmerman on Unsplash

A few days ago, an email landed in my inbox. I could tell just by the subject line: it was a rejection. The piece I had poured my heart into for Claudine, an international journal I've always admired, hadn't found a home there.

I was sitting in my quiet room in my small town, holding my breath as I opened the notification. In that second, the distance between my desk and the international literary world felt so vast. For most writers, the word "No" feels like a full stop—the end of a road. But this email was different.

Instead of a cold, automated template, the editor, D.E. Hardy, wrote a deeply personal note.…