Mr. Keillor,
I was going to enter your Talent Contest for People in their Twenties only to find that what I regard as my talent - the writing of prose - does not qualify. Being a former struggling writer yourself, I am sure there is no one who can better appreciate the struggle of the writer in their twenties: the stream of rejections, the doubt (should I give up? Should I have given up three, four, nine years ago?) and the anguish of watching your best efforts disappear into the void of silence, unread... Remember how it was: before the book deals, before you saw your name in The New Yorker's index? How about expanding the definition of 'talent' to include prose?

Scott B.
Chagrin Falls, OH

If we expand the contest to include prose, then we'll have to plan on an eight-hour show, which is longer than what I care to do. A prose talent contest is sort of like a dance marathon or a six-day bicycle race: it takes a man with more stamina than I possess. But good luck to you. And don't sweat the rejections. I still get rejected all the time. Shake it off and get a good night's sleep and try again in the morning.