My poem, “Nun Gowns” was awarded an honorable mention in this year’s Paterson Literary Review awards. It appeared in the annual collection which is edited by Maria Mazziotti Gillan. Maria has been a heroine of mine for many years for her brave writing and also for her dedication to honoring poetry by all ages, in all situations, from all cultures. This is a ‘true’ poem from my childhood. My mother was a widow who taught at the Catholic school I attended. Once during the winter we all got terribly sick. The nuns sewed us flannel nightgowns, an act I honored in this poem.