In March 1933, in an attempt to secure some writing work, twenty-three-year-old Eudora Welty sent this charming solicitation to the offices of The New Yorker magazine and gently laid her cards on the table. It’s difficult to imagine a more endearingly written introduction to one’s talents and it’s both a surprise and a disappointment to learn that her perfectly formed plea fell on deaf ears, initially at least. The New Yorker later rectified its error and Welty went on to write numerous pieces for the publication. Multiple awards followed, including the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1973. for her novel The Optimist’s Daughter and, seven years later, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.