The envelope, please

Volume 7 of the toughest NYT puzzles goes to (drum roll, please) Dan, for his tragicomic haiku:

Puzzle 1 begins.
Take a deep breath. Scan the grid.
Amy's hand goes up.

The prize is awarded in recognition of the haiku's humor and reverential attitude toward this blog's proprietor. (Flattery will get you everywhere.) Dan, please e-mail me your address (available via the profile to the right), and I'll get that book on its way to you.

We have a number of honorable mentions to distribute as well:

• Most evocatively poetic: Vic
• Most egregious puns: Lyell
• Flagrant namedropping not designed to flatter me: Craig K.
• Best deployment of crosswordese: Gary

Thanks for playing! Now, do you have any suggestions for another contest? All I can come up with is a round of "guess what word I'm thinking of"—surely someone has a better idea. So let's hear it, and we'll give away Volume 12.