The Night Gwen Stacy Died (34 page)

This book was written over many years in many cities. The list of those whose influence
was necessary to its writing has been growing for a while.

I am indebted to my mentors during my time in the MFA program at Washington University
in St. Louis: Kathryn Davis, Marshall Klimasewiski, and Kellie Wells, as well as my
talented peers and readers. Thank you to Anton DiSclafani, Tim Mullaney, and Eileen
G’Sell; to Eric Lundgren, who helped me find a way to begin again; and to Teddy Wayne,
who read this book more times than anyone.

Thank you to my agent, Susan Golomb, for her belief in this book in all its various
forms; to my editor, Jenna Johnson, whose direction restored energy and sanity to
the revision process; to Anne McPeak for her meticulousness.

Marvel’s CD-ROM collection
40 Years of
the Amazing Spider-Man
provided an introduction to the first decade of Spider-Man comic books. Digital scans
of each original two-page spread, including readers’ letters and advertisements, simulated
a tactile reading experience and helped situate each comic book within a larger social
and historical context.

Many of the French lessons that appear in fragments throughout are modified from the
Living Language
All-Audio French
series. Thank you Gaia Bihr for extra help with the French. Thank you Katerina Meza
Breña for help with the Czech.

For assistance and asylum, thank you friends and readers: Brian Gilman for always
believing; Scott Polach for his faith in me during the toughest year; Claudio Gancedo
Guerra for being a closer reader in his second language than I am in my first; Rob
White for making lists with me; Stefan Merrill Block for his steadfast enthusiasm
and advice; Isidoro Duarte for his solidarity and patience. Thank you Luther Moss,
still one of the best storytellers I know; Christine Mladic for countless readings
and for her insight as a photographer and designer; Sarah Ferone for her artistic
collaboration and for allowing me to include her illustrations in this book.

Thank you Tim White and Leslie Wiedder for early encouragement. Thank you Tom Simmons,
whose classes were an incredible refuge my first years writing in Iowa.

I’m grateful to my family for invaluable guidance, confidence, and love, especially
my grandmothers, Rosemary Buishas and Eleanor Pignotti; my brothers, David and Michael,
allies and really smart readers; my parents, Jeanine and James, without whose constant
conviction and support this book would not exist.

S
ARAH
B
RUNI
is a graduate of the University of Iowa and the MFA program at Washington University
in St. Louis. She lives in Brooklyn. Visit
www.sarabruni.com
.