A Reason to Be Here

One-hundred-year-old best-selling author Alice Bainbridge is being feted by a convention of authors who variously admire or worship her. After her brief remarks, she has just one request for those who want to talk to her after the program: Forget the lavish praise, the gushing love, the groupie tears, she just wants to hear stories.
So that's what they did. Twenty-five intrepid storytellers stepped forward to answer Alice's challenge. These are their stories.