Let's make this birthday one to remember.

55 years old (Born on June 28, 1969)

Happy Birthday, Aimee Bender! You're the literary magician who dances on the edge of reality and surrealism, gifting us worlds as curious and charmingly strange as *The Girl in the Flammable Skirt*. We've loved losing ourselves in your whimsical creations—from emotionally charged short stories that won you two Pushcart Prizes to novels significant enough to score Hollywood adaptations. (Jessica Alba starring? Now that's how you turn invisible signs into very visible stars!)

Here's wishing another year filled with dazzling adventures where ordinary moments bloom wonderfully odd. May each new tale keep reminding readers everywhere: life's sweetness is always more fun sprinkled with a dash of weirdness—just like yours.