Kenny Brechner

Few things are more important to the success of a literary venture than an author’s relationship with the imagined audience of the book. In the case of children’s books the imagined audience is often not a real child but instead an imaginary child, one who enjoys being told what to think and feel while being immersed in soupy emotions, importuning rhymes, over the top silliness, and wisdom dispensed by rabbits, bears, wizards, older siblings, friends, pets or grandparents.

The modernizing challenge is a response to the dawning of a new trend in publishing: the modernizing of already contemporary works of fiction. This noble task is being undertaken to make sure these books contain the most current technology and cultural references.

As I approached the Glade of Years for my annual interview with the New Year, I hardly knew what to expect. What sort of person could be able to manage the broad-ranging tumult and uncertainty that the temporal horizon promises? For all my unsettled thoughts, I was still taken aback by what I encountered. Kenny: There are two of you! How can there be two years at once?! Are you twins? The Year 2026: Greetings, Kenny. The Year 2026: Yes, certainly we are twins.