Thank you for your enthusiastic response to my nasty letter contest. Your submissions were notable for their energy, incisiveness, and unabashed candor.

A number of you made a point of telling me how much you appreciated my sponsoring such an event.

Beverly, for example, opened her message to me with a compliment: "I think an idiot like you should stick to writing so-called columns, because as a contest manager you are totally inept."

Then, as any good writer would do, Beverly supported her point with examples:

"First, what numbskull would initiate a contest without a word limit? Maybe you don't have a life and would relish reading 2,000-worders?

"And second, what imbecile would stage a nasty letter contest without a deadline? With your I.Q., the cut-off was probably yesterday -- or maybe it's sometime in 2010?"

If I am interpreting her gentle irony correctly, Beverly is saying she appreciated the open-ended nature of my contest.

She wasn't the only person to pay me a backhanded compliment. Another reader, who gave his name as "Ramsey Clarke," wrote: "You must be dumber than brewer's yeast if you think anyone bothers to even skim your inane drivel you mindlessly call a 'column.'"

And so it went, one lively entry after another, writers in their element, writers having a little fun, writers expressing themselves crudely, even obscenely, and every one of them demonstrating a certain tenderness toward yours truly. To say that I was overwhelmed would be an understatement.

And the winner of the Nasty Letter Contest? Ah, the winner.

For me to single out one person as the winner -- with so many worthy contestants -- would be a disservice to all the good people who took time to share their thoughts with me.

And so I hereby declare every one of them a winner, knowing that my decision is likely to inspire them to even greater efforts to express their appreciation of me, my contest, and my column.