| 00:00:23 |
none, -
WONDERFUL SON, HIS ILLUSTRATOR, CHRISTOPHER MIERS. ON BEHALF OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, I WELCOME YOU TO THE SMITHSONIAN FOR THIS WONDERFUL OCCASION....
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| 00:04:21 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
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| 00:04:23 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
AUTHOR. AND OUR IDEAS ARE DIFFERENT
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| 00:04:27 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
BECAUSE WE HAD
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| 00:04:29 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES. WHEN I WAS GOING TO SCHOOL, AUTHORS WERE
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| 00:04:35 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
VERY DISTANT PEOPLE. PEOPLE THAT I STUDIED, NONE OF THEM LOOKED LIKE ME. THEY WERE EUROPEAN. WE NEVER HAD ANY AUTHORS THAT LOOKED LIKE ME OR WHO...
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| 00:09:19 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
NOW. HE WANTED ME TO
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| 00:09:22 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
GET A JOB, A J-O-B, SON. HE FELT THAT DRKS OH, INCIDENTALLY, I HEARD MY MOTHER SAY LATER ON IN THE DAY, SHE CALLED ONE OF HER FRIENDS AND SAID...
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| 00:12:32 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
YOUNG. I THINK IT WAS 1986 OR SO, I WAS 12 YEARS OLD. A
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| 00:12:41 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
WEEKEND AND MY FAMILY, WE HAD A VERY SERIOUS -- IT'S KIND OF -- I GUESS IT'S AN
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| 00:12:49 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
INTELLECTUAL RITUAL, AN ARTISTIC RITUAL. WE WOULD GO TO A PLACE CALLED O.T.B. IT'S OFF TRACK BETTING. AND WE WOULD GET THE RACING FORM IN THE MORNING...
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| 00:13:42 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
THE WEEKENDS. WE WOULD GO TO
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| 00:13:44 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
IN NEW YORK STAY, STRAND BOOKSTORE, BARNS AND NOBLES, WHEN THERE WAS ONLY ONE, AND WE WOULD GO TO THESE BOOKSTORES AND A COMIC BOOKSTORE, I USED TO...
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| 00:17:09 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
FOR A STORY TO TELL. I'M LOOKING FOR A STORY TO TELL THAT IS GOING TO BE IMPORTANT TO MY READERS AND I LOOK FOR THE MOST INTERESTING WAY OF TELLING...
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| 00:18:16 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
TRUE. >> I'M NOT HIS HARDEST CRITIC. YOU'RE ALWAYS YOUR OWN HARDEST CRITIC. YOU HAVE TO -- WHAT YOU HAVE TO REALLY DO IS LOOK AT -- LEARN TO LOOK...
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| 00:18:39 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
YOU READ. I SEE SOME YOUNG AUTHORS, THEY WANT TO BE AUTHORS BUT THEY DON'T WANT TO READ. AND YOU HAVE TO READ AND YOU HAVE TO READ THE BEST STUFF OUT...
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| 00:19:21 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
YOUNG POETS NOWADAYS, WHO ARE VERY INTO THIS KIND OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT THEY SEE AS A NEW FORM OF PERFORMANCE POETRY, YOU'VE SEEN ON DEAF POETRY JAM. AFRICA,...
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| 00:20:41 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
DIFFERENT. AND LET ME GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE OF THAT. CHRISTOPHER AND CHRISTOPHER AND I DID A BOOK TOGETHER. I DID THE WORDS FOR IT. I DO THE WORDS FIRST,...
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| 00:23:14 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
WHEN HE GETS IT, ALL HE HAS TO DO IS LOOK
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| 00:23:18 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
AT THING AND DRAW A FEW PICTURES. >> MAY I ASK YOU, HOW MANY PAGES IS THE MANUSCRIPT THERE? I MEAN FOR THIS BOOK. HOW MANY WORDS IN THERE, ABOUT FIVE?...
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| 00:23:42 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
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| 00:23:55 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
OK. WE ARE HAVING TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES.
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| 00:24:01 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
SORRY. >>
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| 00:24:16 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
SO I KNOW MY SHIRT IS LOUD. >>
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| 00:25:02 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
WELL, ONE OF THE THINGS PEOPLE ASK US OFTEN IS, WHAT'S IT LIKE TO WORK TOGETHER? WE HAVE A LOT OF FAKE ANSWERS THAT WE GIVE. WE LAUGH AND SAY, IT'S HORRIBLE....
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| 00:25:36 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
DISCUSSING. THE IDEA IS THAT IT'S INTERESTING TO SEE HOW WE HAVE VERY SIMILAR CONCERNS BUT WE EXPRESS THOSE CONCERNS IN VERY DIFFERENT WAYS. >> MORE...
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| 00:26:10 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
SO THE GUYS WOULD START
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| 00:26:13 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
SAYING IT WAS A FAMILY BOOK SO HE WAS ALLOWED TO BUY A BOOK, HE MIGHT
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| 00:26:22 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
BUY THREE. AND HE WOULD READ IT, I WOULD READ IT AND HIS MOTHER WOULD READ THE BOOK. FIRST THING, WE STARTED BUYING SETS OF BOOKS AND WE WOULD TAKE...
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| 00:26:58 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE." WHAT WAS THE OTHER ONE? IT WAS BY BALZAC. I WAS IN ONE OF MY MANY PHASES. >> THE FIRST BOOK WE READ WAS "A SEPARATE PIECE."...
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| 00:27:40 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
NO LONGER TALKING FATHER TO SON. NOW, I WAS TALKING ABOUT THE BOOKS. WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE BOOKS. SO WE WERE SHARING THAT IDEA. SHARING THE IDEA...
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| 00:29:17 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
IF YOUR FAMILY IS
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| 00:29:18 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
REALLY INTERESTED IN DOING IT WITH YOU AND IT'S NOT ABOUT THE SENDING YOU OFF TO DO SOMETHING, I THINK THAT YOU RESPOND TO IT. AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT,...
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| 00:29:36 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
DOING. IT IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS REALLY HELPED MY RELATIONSHIP WITH MY FATHER OVER THE YEARS, IS THAT WE HAVE THIS SEPARATE WORLD WHICH WE CAN...
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| 00:30:54 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
BETWEEN 4:30 AND 5:00. I NORMALLY GO FOR A WALK IN THE MORNING. AND I WRITE FIVE PAGES A DAY. WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, I I DID 10 PAGES
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| 00:31:08 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
A DAY. IF I WAS STARTING ALL OVER
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| 00:31:10 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
AGAIN, I WOULD DO FIVE. FIVE IS ENOUGH. I DO MY FIVE PAGES AND IT'S FIVE PAGES OF TYPING. OF SITTING AT THE COMPUTER, WHICH TAKES ABOUT 2 1/2 HOURS,...
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| 00:34:36 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
CALLED AND SAID, HE SENT ME A SCHEDULE, AND I HAVE
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| 00:34:42 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
MY SCHEDULE UP UNTIL 19 -- 2008. >> I MEAN, ONE OF THE THINGS RECENTLY SOMEONE WAS INTERVIEWING ME, AND I HAVE NOW GOT ABOUT 10 BOOKS OUT WITH POP,...
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| 00:35:11 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
POEMS BY E.E. CUMMINGS FOR TEENS. AND SOMEONE WAS ASKING ME, YOU HAVE NOW 10, MORE THAN THAT, BOOKS COMING OUT. HOW HAVE YOU DONE THAT? AND ALL OF THE...
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| 00:37:21 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
DIFFICULT. AND SO I'M VERY
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| 00:37:25 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
FORTUNATE THAT I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY -- IN FACT I HAVE NOT HAD A J-O-B --
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| 00:37:33 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
LISTEN, I HAVE
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| 00:37:34 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
HAD J-O-B'S. CERTAIN PEOPLE -- CERTAIN PEOPLE HAVE NEVER, NEVER, HAD A J-O-B. CERTAIN PEOPLE CALLED ME WHEN THEY WERE GOING TO BROWN AND THEY SAID THEY...
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| 00:38:29 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
OTHER WAYS OF LIVING HERE. THERE ARE OTHER WAYS OTHER THAN WORKING AT WHATEVER IS THE LOCAL STRIP MALL IS. WHICH IS COOL FOR SOME PEOPLE BUT YOU HAVE...
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| 00:39:27 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
DO. HERE IN HARLEM, THIS IS NOT OUT YET BUT WILL BE OUT IN ABOUT SIX WEEKS, THIS IDEA CAME
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| 00:39:37 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
FROM READING -- WHAT WAS --" MOON RIVER ANTHOLOGY." >> I READ THAT AS A KID AND I LIKED IT. I READ IT AS AN ADULT. I DIDN'T LIKE IT AS MUCH. BUT THEN...
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| 00:40:06 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
ENJOYED. >> I WONDERED IF YOU WRITE A PARAGRAPH, OR DO YOU USE THE OLD FASHION A AND B AND ALL OF THAT? >> I START WITH -- I SHOULD HAVE BROUGHT -- I...
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| 00:40:38 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
I STARTED WITH A SIXTH BOX, FOR FICTION, I STARTED WITH SIX-BOX
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| 00:40:47 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
OUTLINE. I DIVIDE EVERY MANUSCRIPT INTO SIX SECTIONS. AND THE FIRST SECTION I KNOW THAT I HAVE TO ESTABLISH CHARACTER AND THE CONFLICT. IF I DON'T...
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| 00:42:36 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
WRITER'S BLOCK. WHAT SHOULD I WRITE ABOUT TODAY? THIS OUTLINE SYSTEM, FOR EXAMPLE MBLES IS ONE OF THE MANY TYPE OF STRUCTURAL
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| 00:42:45 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
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| 00:42:48 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
ADVANTAGES. >> I WRITE. I WALK AROUND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT ENDINGS FIRST. I'M JUST WONDERING HOW DO YOU DO THIS? ARE YOU ENERGIES MORE BASED ON REALITY,...
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| 00:43:18 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
ENDINGS. IF MY CONFLICT IS INTERESTING ENOUGH AND MY CHARACTERS ARE INTERESTING ENOUGH, I KNOW I WILL SOLVE THE PIECE. BECAUSE AN EDITOR WILL WORK WITH
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| 00:43:37 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
YOU ON THE ENDING -- "SOMEWHERE IN THE DARKNESS" I BEGAN WITH A BOY WHO MEETS HIS FATHER AND THE BOY IS 13 YEARS OLD. YOU THINK HE'S 13 YEARS OLE. AND...
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| 00:46:07 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
I WANTED TO USE FAMILIAR LANGUAGE. I WANTED TO HAVE ACCESS, BUT HOW DO I KNOW AND HAVE IT JUST STOP. I WAS READING AT THE TIME DARRICK WALLCARD AND...
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| 00:46:53 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
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| 00:46:54 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
SONNETS, 14 LINES, THERE'S FOUR, FOUR, FOUR AND TWO. WHEN YOU COME UP WITH THAT SONNET FORM, EVEN IF YOU F YOU'RE DOING IT IN BLANK VERSE, THAT IS SUCH...
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| 00:48:45 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
MEAN, THESE ARE CLASSIC WESTERN FORMS LIKE SONNET OR NONWESTERN FORMS LIKE HAIKU. I HAVE BEEN RECENTLY INVESTIGATING SOME OF THE OLD TOASTS THAT PEOPLE...
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| 00:50:04 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
PERDUE, PROFESSOR. HE SAYS TO ME THAT I WRITE CONSISTENTLY ABOUT FATHER-SON RELATIONSHIPS. I SAY I NEVER WRITE ABOUT FATHER-SON RELATIONSHIPS. HE PULLED...
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| 00:51:23 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
TAKE ALL OF HIS IDEAS. >> AND THEY DON'T ASK YOU FOR ANYTHING. THEY DON'T ASK YOU FOR ROYALTIES. I LOVE
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| 00:51:41 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
KIDS! >> YOU SAID YOU WORKED ON FIVE PAGES A DAY BUT TWO,
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| 00:51:45 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
THREE PROJECTS A TIME. IS THE FIVE PAGES JUST WRITING? DO YOU PREWRITING AND REVISING AT A DIFFERENT TIME? OR IS THE FIVE PAGES IT OF WHATEVER? >> IT...
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| 00:52:03 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
OFTEN THE PREWRITING IS LYING IN BED, MAYBE LATE IN THE DAY,LY DO SOME
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| 00:52:18 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
REWRITING. >> CAN I -- DO YOU TAKE NOTES THAT THINGS THAT INTEREST YOU, AND WRITE THEM DOWN SENTENCES THEY HEAR OR THINGS -- I WONDER IF YOU DO THAT...
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| 00:52:40 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
ACCESSIBLE? HOW CAN YOU KEEP THAT STUFF -- I DO THAT BUT THEN I CAN NEVER FIND IT. IT ENDS UP IN PILES SOMEWHERE. >> THAT'S OK. IT ENDS UP IN PILES...
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| 00:53:09 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
A FEELING FOR IT. YOU ABSORB A FEELING FOR IT. I HAVE A BLACK NEWSPAPER ON MICROFILM FROM 1930 ON. MY HOUSE IS A MESS. YOU GUESSED THAT, RIGHT? I MAY...
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| 00:55:11 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
YOU'RE AT THAT POINT? SECOND QUESTION IS, CAN YOU DESCRIBE HOW DIFFICULT IT WAS F. AT ALL, TO GET A PUBLISHER TO ACCEPT YOUR VERY FIRST BOOK OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN
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| 00:55:25 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
PHOTOGRAPHS, TO CONVINCE A PUBLISHER, THIS IS MARKETABLE. IT WILL SELL. >> WE HAVE SOME HANDOUTS, ILLUSTRATED GUIDELINES. MOST PUBLISHERS WILL HAVE...
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| 00:56:05 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
MARKETABLE. IT'S JUST HARD. I
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| 00:56:10 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
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| 00:56:18 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
MEAN, THEY WILL TAKE A CHANCEMENT OR WITH CHRIS, THEY WILL TAKE A CHANCE. I RECENTLY SOLD A BOOK ABOUT AFRICAN-AMERICAN PILOTS WHO FOUGHT IN THE ITALIAN-ETHIOPIAN...
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| 00:59:13 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
TO KNOW IF YOU HAD ANY SUGGESTIONS. >> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IF THE WRITING INVOLVES A QUESTION -- CHRISTOPHER CAME HOME ONE TIME WITH AN ESSAY ON GEORGE...
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| 00:59:41 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
GC1 AND HIS ESSAY STARTED OFF, GEORGE WASHINGTON WAS THE FIRST PRESIDENT. HE IS DEAD NOW. HE WAS -- HE LIVED A LONG TIME AGO. HE WAS -- HE RODE ON A...
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| 01:01:24 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
GEORGE WASHINGTON? I DON'T SEE A LOT OF RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ME AND GEORGE WASHINGTON. HOWEVER, IF YOU ASK A KID TO WRITE ABOUT THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD ...
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| 01:02:17 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
THROUGH EVERY OTHER KIND OF
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| 01:02:19 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
NEIGHBORHOOD. THIS IS THE THING, IS TO TELL THE KIDS THAT THEIR LIVES ARE WORTH WRITING. AND EXPOSE THE KIDS FIRST TO OTHER WRITERS THAT ARE WRITING...
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| 01:03:09 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
BOOK CALLED "PATROL." AND "PATROL" WAS ABOUT YOUNG SOLDIERS IN VIETNAM ON PATROL. AND HE DID HARLEM. SO WHAT THEY DID, SOME KIDS DID, QUAKER KIDS,...
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| 01:04:07 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
REWRITE
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| 01:04:09 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
HIS BOOK, THEY REWRITE MY BOOKS.
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| 01:04:12 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
AND THAT IS A NICE WAY OF GETTING KIDS STARTED. YOU KNOW, HAVE THEM -- WELL, WHEN I WAS A KID, I REWROTE PEOPLE'S POEMS. AT BOTH HIS BEHEST AND MY OWN,...
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| 01:05:39 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
WAY. WITH THAT ENVIRONMENT, DO YOU WRITE WHEN IT'S QUIET OR CAN YOU WRITE WHEN CHILDREN ARE RUNNING THROUGH THE HOUSE? IS THIS A TIME THAT YOU WRITE...
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| 01:06:20 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
IF YOU CAME INTO THE ROOM I WORK IN NOW, AND SPOKE TO ME, YOU WOULD PROBABLY SCARE ME TO DEATH. BECAUSE I'M SO INTO WHAT I'M DOING. I CAN PUT THE...
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| 01:08:02 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
TRUE. >> I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU FOR WRITING BOOKS THAT INSPIRE KIDS TO READ. AND I JUST WANTED TO KNOW HOW IT FEELS LIKE TO WRITE BOOKS AND HOW YOU...
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| 01:08:26 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
THINK I WAS GOING TO
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| 01:08:27 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
HAVE A JOB AS A WRITER. IT WAS NOT MY INTENTION TO DO THIS AS A PROFESSION. BECAUSE NO ONE IN MY FAMILY DID IT. AND NO ONE THAT I KNEW WAS A WRITER....
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| 01:08:44 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
KNOW, YOU KNOW, MY DAD NEVER SAID TO ME, OH, SON, YOU CAN BE A WRITER ONE DAY. MY DAD WANTED ME TO WORK IN A POST OFFICE. HE SAID GET A GOOD JOB IN...
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| 01:11:15 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
LIGHTS. I LIKE TO, YOU KNOW, AND THIS CAN BE, IF YOU DO TAKE IT SERIOUSLY, IF YOU DO BRING THE STRUCTURE AND DISCIPLINE TO IT, YOU CAN SUPPORT YOURSELF...
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| 01:12:24 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
I WOULD
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| 01:12:25 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
LIKE TO END WITH IS THE
|
| 01:12:27 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
IDEA
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| 01:12:28 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
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| 01:12:29 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
THAT ON A
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| 01:12:32 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
CERTAIN LEVEL
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| 01:12:34 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
PEOPLE REACH 18 -- BETWEEN 18 AND 30, THERE ARE MANY, MANY, TALENTED PEOPLE. MANY, MANY, TALENTED PEOPLE.
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| 01:12:44 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
THE ONES WHO SUCCEED ULTIMATELY ARE THE ONES WHO PERSIST. NOT ALWAYS THE MOST TALENTED PEOPLE, NOT ALWAYS THE BRIGHTEST PEOPLE. BUT THE ONES WHO PERSIST....
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| 01:13:50 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
THERE. [INAUDIBLE] >> I WAS WONDERING, DO YOU GUYS ENJOY WHAT YOU WRITE AND DRAW? DO YOU ENJOY THE STORIES THAT YOUR DAD WRITES? AND DO YOU ENJOY THE...
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| 01:14:29 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
I'M PERSONALLY THRILLED THAT HE IS A SUCCESSFUL ARTIST BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE TO SUPPORT HIM NOW. HE BRINGS -- IF YOU HAVE A SON YOU CAN WORK WITH AND...
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| 01:14:51 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
WONDERFUL THING. I HAD VISITED -- I'M AN OLDER PERSON. I HAVE BEEN AROUND A LONG, LONG TIME. I HAVE VISITED PRISONS, JAILS, YOUTH HOUSES, AND TO...
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| 01:15:42 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
IT BECAUSE IT'S ABOUT MY COMMUNITY, IT'S ABOUT ME. IT'S ABOUT FATHERS AND SONS, THOSE KINDS OF RELATIONSHIPS. >> AND I'M SO SMART AND GOOD. >> HE IS...
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| 01:15:57 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
WORK. I LIKE BEING A PART OF IT. >> THANK YOU. >> THANK
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| 01:16:10 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
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| 01:16:11 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
YOU. >>
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| 01:16:20 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
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| 01:16:36 |
Unidentified Speaker, -
WE'RE
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NOTE: The transcript for this program was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.