Sherry Fairchok's first book of poems, The Palace of Ashes, was published by CavanKerry Press in December 2002. In March 2002, it was named a finalist for the ForeWord Magazine Poetry Book of the Year Award. Ms. Fairchok is also the author of "A Stone That Burns," which won the 1999 Ledge Chapbook Award. Her poems have appeared in the Southern Review, DoubleTake, Hayden's Ferry Review and other journals. In 2002, she was awarded the Pablo Neruda Prize in Nimrod International's Hardman Literary Awards. Ms. Fairchok works as a technical writer in Stamford, Conn.