KEY, Fall 2006

The story was first presented to me in AP English class. It was in one of those big, short story anthologies - what some literature instructors refer to as a canon, though it seemed flatter and much less threatening than a piece of artillery to me. The piece was called Harrison Bergeron. The author was Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. And, I hated every word of it.

To start with, the language was too simple. Straightforward. Almost conversational. Second, the story line itself was borderline ridiculous: Sometime in the not-so-distant future, all Americans are finally created equal. No one is permitted to be any more talented or beautiful than anyone else, so certain handicaps are placed on those with exceptional qualities.

For instance, if you were to display a talent for dancing, the U.S. Handicapper General orders your legs to be weighted down. Or heaven forbid, if you were beautiful, you would be asked to wear a mask to hide your favorable appearance.

Even the names of the characters troubled me. Harrison Bergeron. Diana Moon Glampers, the U.S. Handicapper General. I labored through the story, faked my way through in-class discussions and forgot about it for the next three or four years.

But it's funny how things come full-circle. I went on to study the art and craft of writing in college. I made friends with other literate people and before long, a buddy let me borrow Vonnegut's classic novel, Slaughterhouse-Five. From the day I turned the cover, I have consumed everything Vonnegut, including Harrison Bergeron, which surprisingly ends with a climatic dance that is elegantly written, not as clumsy like this letter.

It was clumsy of me to dismiss Vonnegut so quickly. What had little or no meaning to me at all my senior year of high school is now a source of inspiration and part of what defines me as a writer today. And, tomorrow. So it goes.

A number of the articles in this issue of KEY are about more than just what's happening in your life now. They are about setting a clear path for your future. Whether you're reading Five Ways to Determine What College is Right for Me, Utilizing Your Financial Aid Options, or Do Test Prep Books Really Work?, our writers have faced these issues personally and want to help you make the best decisions.

In that sense, you can view our magazine as a canon of college information. Something inside these pages may be meaningful to you down the road or in the distant future, where everyone is finally created equal. And so on. To infinity.