Among the many outstanding people I was blessed to meet in Waco was Vanessa Ramos,  winner of the Dobie Paisano Writing Fellowship for 2008-2009 and holder of the Jesse Jones Fellowship. A native of El Paso, Texas, she is a poet, playwright, and creative-nonfiction writer. Her awards include a Many Voices residency at the Playwrights’ Center (2006 – 2007) and a Loft Mentor Series Award in Nonfiction (2005 – 2006). Her play, Cuentos, Stories, was showcased at the Waring Jones Theater in 2007.