Recipes and Rejection, the recently published book by playwright and performer Karen Cecilia, who also plays the theremin, explores the topic of rejection, i.e., the stinging slap to the ego engendered by the negative response known as a rejection letter. Based on the 100 examples included in the book, rejections reflect a mixture of patterns that seem to come from standardized templates. Some cite the vast number of submissions – an anemic attempt to lessen the impact of the blow, while others include an invitation to resubmit in the future, implying a semblance of hope. Then there are the rejections that say your submission “does not meet our editorial needs,” akin to blowing smoke in your face. Some rejections are so homogenous they don’t even acknowledge you as a person and are address...