A Vision of Neon

A Vision of Neon is a story of two friends - one who survives the complex years of adolescence and one who does not - and the unconditional love and commitment between these young girls. Wild, sharp-tongued red-head Kelsey embodies the confidence that her shy and quiet best friend, the story's narrator, only dreams of. But as time passes, Kelsey's seeming confidence and acts of teenage rebellion become overshadowed by day-long crying spells, invented stories of fictitious friends and thin slashes of scab that mark her skin. In high school, Kelsey descends into mental illness, while the narrator attempts to maintain a normal teenage life, despite continuing efforts to support her suicidal friend. However, both girls must ultimately face one difficult fact: regardless of their longings, Kelsey's sickness has a debilitating stranglehold on them both.

Angela M. Graziano’s essays, poems and interviews have appeared in multiple print and online publications including Apple Valley Review, Ariel, Damselfly Press, Design*Sponge, Diverse Voices Quarterly, Lost, Portal Del Sol, The Sylvan Echo, and Talking Writing, among others. Additionally, her writing has earned her an artist grant from the Vermont Studio Center, where she was a writing resident in the summer of 2010. She has conducted research for major print publications such as In Style and In Style Weddings and has served as a reader for The Literary Review. She has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from the University of Vermont and a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Creative Nonfiction Writing from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She lives, writes, and teaches in Morristown, New Jersey. Her website is www.angelamgraziano.com.