Robert Lopez, Nicki Pombier Berger, Rebecca Resnick and Elizabeth Gaffney read at KGB Bar on May 14, 2010. 

Here’s a teaser from Metropolis, Elizabeth Gaffney’s novel featuring such historical underwater escapades as exploding caissons in the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Westfield ferry disaster …

From Metropolis:

Then a second boom echoed through the great chamber below thee bottom of the river and there came a roaring and a rush of air and water. All three lamps and candles went dark, and a flood of river and mud swept Harris off his feet and sucked him under …

Underwater New York is brimming with proof that creativity can transform underwater trash to narrative treasure. So we were psyched when Significant Objects asked us to team up to convert once-underwater objects into actual cash to benefit  826 National, the non-profit that tutors kids in creative and expository writing. How cool is that? Chris Adrian, Deb Olin Unferth, Kathryn Davis, Robert Lopez and Tom McCarthy  invented significance for five objects found on our excursion to Dead Horse Bay last fall and then the objects and stories were put up for auction on eBay. 

Did anyone bid on them? DID THEY EVER!  

Our beloved Kangamouse, auctioned with Chris Adrian's story, made the third most money in Significant Objects' history: $162.50. Tom McCarthy and Deb Olin Unferth's story/object combinations were also among the top 25 bids ever. We were sad to see Kangamouse, Partial Mermaid and Pan Flute go, but thrilled to help out a great charity.  

And--the stories and objects live on. They're on our site, of course, as well as the Significant Objects site. What's more, they are part of the awesome Significant Objects anthology which published 100 of the project's finest stories--all five from our collaboration made the cut. You can buy it here!

It was an underwater reading … to the death!

David Hollander, representing UNY, threw down at the Literary Death Match at the Bowery Poetry Club. He made a valiant stab at victory with his story, but alas he was not victorious. Who was? Robert Lopez, who would go on to contribute his own amazing story to UNY.

So we all won in the long run, right?