This is my first ever Pay It Forward Curation contest. I've seen it several times and thought, One of these days, I'll enter that contest. This is one of those days.

From the original PIFC announcement.

It's a good thing, too, because I was considering entering this week's Steem Monsters fiction writing contest. But since I've won multiple contests in this series and placed as a runner-up in many more, I decided to skip it and promote some up-and-coming Steemians. After all, they deserve it.

But it proved to be more difficult than I expected, because several of the ones who immediately came to mind hadn't posted anything new in over a week. That left me scrambling to find someone to fill a slot. Still, I stand by my claim that both of these Steemians are worth paying attention to.

Numero Uno - @quillfire (50)

From the original post.
Let's get one thing out of the way real quick. @quillfire isn't for everyone. He's smart, almost as good looking as me, and writes long-form #content. If your motto is TLDR, then you can skip him. But if you like well-written long-form content about subjects most people have nightmares about, then here's your guy.

The post I think you should start with is "Derivatives -- A Series About Fixing Steemit - Part 3." If anything, you'll learn what derivatives are, and no education is complete without knowing that. Secondly, @quillfire (reputation 50), has some definite ideas about what is wrong with Steemit and how to fix them. You may agree or you may disagree. Either way, he'll discuss it with you in the comments of his post. It's well-written, thought-provoking, and fiery. What more could you want?

Second Selection - @seifiro (54)

From the original post.
I have been reading @seifiro's #poetry for quite some time. As far as I can remember, this is the first piece of fiction I've read by him. It is no disappointment.

In fact, I was so impressed with it, I extended a personal invitation for him to enter my second farmpunk fiction writing contest. I don't do that very often.

This story, titled aptly "The Anguish of Freedom," starts with the narrator wondering who he is and where he is at. You can't go wrong with that kind of mystery looming. By the fourth paragraph, he's dropping F-bombs and invoking God in one breath. This story is dark, brooding, and contemplative. And it's short enough to whet your appetite for what else @seifiro has to offer, which is a lot.

His reputation is 54.