Wilhelmina's comments (member since Apr 21, 2008)

Wilhelmina's comments from the Constant Reader group.

For August Wilson, music and the sound of language are crucial. We had a remarkable event here in Atlanta after his death. Our Tony-winning regional theater, the Alliance, had a close relationship with August Wilson, particularly through our former artistic director Kenny Leon who has directed a number of plays in New York, including some of Wilson's. For Wilson's memorial, a wonderful group of actors was assembled to read one scene from each of the ten plays of Wilson's cycle. The memorial was free and the theater was packed. Leon had worked closely with Wilson in completing the last play in the cycle, "Radio Golf". Leon did a scene from that final play, then he moved unexpectedly into one of the stomp-songs that Wilson used so effectively. The entire audience joined in the singing and especially the stomping until the whole theater shook. It was a perfect tribute to a great man.

I would strongly recommend the DVD to anyone who hasn't seen a performance of the play, because music is an extremely strong element in the play, one that is difficult to imagine from reading and is earth-shaking to hear.

I love Charles Dutton, and he was in both casts. S. Epatha Merkerson in the original and Alfre Woodard in the DVD are two of my favorite actresses. I'll pretty much watch anything with Alfre Woodard in it!

I'm hanging in, Sara. Thanks!

Hi, everyone! I suggested "The Piano Lesson", one of my favorite plays of the last 25 years. I hope that some of you have located a copy of the play. I have not seen it online - if anyone has, please let us know. "The Piano Lesson" is part of the cycle of 10 plays written by the great August Wilson, who died in 2005 at the age of 60. Each play is set in a different decade of the 20th century and explores African American life in that period. The complete cycle, with the dates of their original productions is :

. Radio Golf (2005)
. Gem of the Ocean (2004)
. King Hedley II (2001)
. Jitney (2000)
. Seven Guitars (1996)
. Two Trains Running (1992)
. The Piano Lesson (1990)
. Joe Turner's Come and Gone (1988)
. Fences (1987)
.Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (1984)

Most of the plays are set in the African Americn Hill District in Pittsburgh, PA. "The Piano Lesson", which takes place in the 1930's, is one of the 2 plays in the cycle to win the Pulitzer Prize.

Has anyone seen a production of the play, either on stage or in the television production? It's available on DVD and is superb.

Here's Frank Rich's review of the original production:
http://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/17/theate...

and here's a ton of information about August Wilson and his plays:

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/...

Thanks, Al and Pontalba and everyone else who watched the videos. It means a lot to me.

Thanks for watching it, Dash.

Good luck with the doctor, Suzanne.

Thanks, MAP. CR is a great joy for me.

There are a couple of clear indicators that differentiate depression from CFS. Depressed people usually don't feel like exercising, but feel better when they do. People with CFS want to exercise (in fact, we want to and try to do LOTS of things), but have a very specific post-exertional fatigue that hits 24 to 48 hours after the exertion. The result is that you don't know that you have done too much until it is too late! I've been to depression support groups, and they have no idea at all about this. The cognitive problems are very specific as well, and the differences show up on functional brain scans.

Doctors who have experience with CFS have no problem telling them apart. There is lots of literature available to help doctors who want to learn. The problem is doctors who think they know but don't.

The research is much better than it used to be. I have hope.

Thanks to both of you!

Sherry wrote: "You've really educated me today, Mina. I had no idea CFS had such serious consequences. Why don't they call it something else? The very name sounds like a disease where you're tired all the time, b..."

The completely stupid name has been a bone of contention since the CDC chose it back in 1989, Sherry. I hope that, as the research progresses, the name will change as well. Soon.

Thanks for the good wishes, everyone.

Thanks, Sherry!

So many of you have been so kind about my slump in health this fall that I thought you might be interested in these two videos on YouTube which were made to increase awareness about the illness I have - Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. The first is in response to a poll question, "What would you do tomorrow if you were completely well?"

The second is me, talking about how this illness has affected me, especially my ability to think clearly.

Both are listed on the right side of the home page for YouTube's Solve CFS channel.

http://www.youtube.com/solvecfs#p/a/u/1/...

Thanks so much for caring.

Thanks, everyone! My birthday was wonderful and filled with family. I'm looking forward to jumping back into the discussions.

Hi, everyone! I hate that I missed this discussion - Edward P. Jones is my favorite writer - but I haven't been in great health this fall, and posting has been hard, analysis harder. I'm doing better and should be back to my opinionated self soon.

I did want to make a couple of quick comments. Jones is just about my age and he reflects the DC in which I grew up perfectly. Ruth, this is one of his shorter stories - I overwhelmingly recommend the first and last stories in All Aunt Hagar's Children . That collection as a whole is really superb. This is undoubtedly set in the late '50s, but race shouldn't have been the issue with the two schools - I suspect that it was more of a class issue. DC, even in the '50s, had lots of division between upwardly mobile black folks and those who were less able to progress for educational, familial, and other reasons. Two public elementary schools could be close together physically, with similar populations racially, but with very different cultures.

And Steve is right - the word had to be "whore" or one of its synonyms. A child wouldn't use the "n" word to refer to an adult, even if he or she used it to insult another child.

All of the details in this story are perfect. Big recommendation for both of his SS collections, especially "Aunt Hagar". I'm wiped out now - I hope that was coherent! Be back soon.

Thanks, everyone! I've actually been keeping up with CR, but I haven't posted much. My stupid illness hit me very hard this fall, and, although I can still read, writing has been a little problematic. I always have a hard time in the summer, but all of the rain this fall was just too much. I'm approaching my normal self now, and I'll be participating in the Dec. discussions for sure.

Ruth, I love Alma Thomas! (Not to mention springtime in Washington, of course!) She was a neighbor of a friend of mine. That was perfect!

I like this.

Wonderful, Ruth! And I'm still pulling for the collection about your mother. I don't think that it would be too depressing; these days, a parent with dementia is an experience with which many people, myself included, can identify.

Have a wonderful birthday, Yulia, and a good year to come!

Constitution Hall! Amazing!