T.D. Davis's Blog: Lights... Camera - Authors!, page 2
December 5, 2013
Moment with Mandela
The first and only front page byline of my journalism career was when the Austin American-Statesman printed a feature I wrote from Johannesburg during the election of Nelson Mandela to the presidency. News of his death today came like a punch to the gut and took me back to a soccer field in Soweto on one of the most amazing and privileged days of my life. In the summer of 1994, I wrote an essay commemorating the day called "Thirty Six Hours in April." I left it on yellowing paper in a box of memorabilia until about five years ago, when the fifteenth anniversary of Mandela's election led me to transcribe it. Below is an excerpt:
"The morning after my arrival took me through downtown Johannesburg just hours after a hotel bomb had taken the lives of ninety people. The expectation was that there would be another. The young American unfamiliar with terrorism that I was wanted to will the car to move faster, to take me as far away from ground zero as possible. But the journalist I was in the process of becoming wanted nothing more than to stay riveted to the scene, to miss nothing of what might follow.
"Since I wasn’t driving, the choice wasn’t mine to make. Chris, a friend from Texas, was in control of the transportation, and he had other plans for us on Election Day Eve. He was a photographer, also there to cover history. With him, I was not a tourist for the momentous occasion; I was a member of the press corps and all that that entailed.
"We went to Soweto that afternoon, arriving at the tail end of a pre-election rally. With his press pass I was able to stand within inches of Mandela, my camera’s shutter in a non-stop whirl as I lifted the lens above and around the heads of journalists taller than I.
"Bishop Tutu was also at the rally in the soccer stadium, and it took only moments within yards of him to know that the CNN sound bites could convey neither his eloquence nor his seemingly endless supply of joy. The magnitude of respect he commanded was evidenced by how quickly the crowd parted at the first glimpses of his purple robes and how silent it fell – even the photographers - with just the raising of his hands.
"I had time to snap only one photo of the bishop before he literally danced his way toward the underground exit. But it couldn’t have been a more perfect picture of him: his hands were raised toward the sky, and he had a blinding smile on his face, as the fingers of random citizens reached out toward him to get one touch before he disappeared into the darkened tunnel.
"In my mind, the photos of these icons were already enlarged and encased in expensive frames far less valuable than the imprint of time they encapsulated. All I could think about, as I involuntarily flowed along with the river of the massive traveling press corps, was that I had proof.
"The ten-year-old 35-millimeter Canon, with no working flash and a long-ago shattered telephoto lens attachment, looked like a toy amidst the mammoth pieces of equipment hanging around the necks of the men (for they were all male) who unwittingly carried me squeezed between them. But my little camera had been enough. I held proof on film that I’d stood inches from embodiments of courage, resolve and faith too great for me to properly describe. Whatever the quality of the photos that emerged, they would hang on my wall for countless years to come.
"And just when I thought my bruised arms could protect my camera no longer, I was expelled from the throng by simply standing firmly planted in one spot while the river of testosterone and technical gadgets took a right turn to follow the future South African president. When returned to full daylight, I had a moment to survey the scene.
"The stage was small compared to the expanse of the soccer stadium. It was white, with a white tent protecting the remaining dignitaries from south-of-the-equator, early-autumn sunlight. The light-blue and white seats of the stadium seemed to make the stage brighter and imposed a sky-like quality to the entire venue. The green grass was all that kept the place grounded; it otherwise could have been a party in the clouds.
"And a party it was. Nelson Mandela had given a speech to a stadium of empty seats. Everyone had been on the ground, around the stage, as close as they could get to their all-but-guaranteed new leader.
"There was an unmistakable sense of inclusion, solidarity - sameness. While he was sure to be thrust into a fortress of protection once inaugurated and divided from the people he represented by necessity, that was still a month or more away. On that day, Mandela remained very much a member of the masses he was soon to govern."
And he appeared to stay that way throughout his presidency and until his health took him out of public view.
Nelson Mandela changed a country and the minds of countless numbers of his countrymen, staying beloved and revered around the world until the end of a long and illustrious life. I feel lucky to have had a moment in his presence on a special and celebratory day.
"The morning after my arrival took me through downtown Johannesburg just hours after a hotel bomb had taken the lives of ninety people. The expectation was that there would be another. The young American unfamiliar with terrorism that I was wanted to will the car to move faster, to take me as far away from ground zero as possible. But the journalist I was in the process of becoming wanted nothing more than to stay riveted to the scene, to miss nothing of what might follow.
"Since I wasn’t driving, the choice wasn’t mine to make. Chris, a friend from Texas, was in control of the transportation, and he had other plans for us on Election Day Eve. He was a photographer, also there to cover history. With him, I was not a tourist for the momentous occasion; I was a member of the press corps and all that that entailed.
"We went to Soweto that afternoon, arriving at the tail end of a pre-election rally. With his press pass I was able to stand within inches of Mandela, my camera’s shutter in a non-stop whirl as I lifted the lens above and around the heads of journalists taller than I.
"Bishop Tutu was also at the rally in the soccer stadium, and it took only moments within yards of him to know that the CNN sound bites could convey neither his eloquence nor his seemingly endless supply of joy. The magnitude of respect he commanded was evidenced by how quickly the crowd parted at the first glimpses of his purple robes and how silent it fell – even the photographers - with just the raising of his hands.
"I had time to snap only one photo of the bishop before he literally danced his way toward the underground exit. But it couldn’t have been a more perfect picture of him: his hands were raised toward the sky, and he had a blinding smile on his face, as the fingers of random citizens reached out toward him to get one touch before he disappeared into the darkened tunnel.
"In my mind, the photos of these icons were already enlarged and encased in expensive frames far less valuable than the imprint of time they encapsulated. All I could think about, as I involuntarily flowed along with the river of the massive traveling press corps, was that I had proof.
"The ten-year-old 35-millimeter Canon, with no working flash and a long-ago shattered telephoto lens attachment, looked like a toy amidst the mammoth pieces of equipment hanging around the necks of the men (for they were all male) who unwittingly carried me squeezed between them. But my little camera had been enough. I held proof on film that I’d stood inches from embodiments of courage, resolve and faith too great for me to properly describe. Whatever the quality of the photos that emerged, they would hang on my wall for countless years to come.
"And just when I thought my bruised arms could protect my camera no longer, I was expelled from the throng by simply standing firmly planted in one spot while the river of testosterone and technical gadgets took a right turn to follow the future South African president. When returned to full daylight, I had a moment to survey the scene.
"The stage was small compared to the expanse of the soccer stadium. It was white, with a white tent protecting the remaining dignitaries from south-of-the-equator, early-autumn sunlight. The light-blue and white seats of the stadium seemed to make the stage brighter and imposed a sky-like quality to the entire venue. The green grass was all that kept the place grounded; it otherwise could have been a party in the clouds.
"And a party it was. Nelson Mandela had given a speech to a stadium of empty seats. Everyone had been on the ground, around the stage, as close as they could get to their all-but-guaranteed new leader.
"There was an unmistakable sense of inclusion, solidarity - sameness. While he was sure to be thrust into a fortress of protection once inaugurated and divided from the people he represented by necessity, that was still a month or more away. On that day, Mandela remained very much a member of the masses he was soon to govern."
And he appeared to stay that way throughout his presidency and until his health took him out of public view.
Nelson Mandela changed a country and the minds of countless numbers of his countrymen, staying beloved and revered around the world until the end of a long and illustrious life. I feel lucky to have had a moment in his presence on a special and celebratory day.
December 3, 2013
Old Spies and Feminist "Traitors"
Brian Kilmeade's evergreen story about previously-unknown spies in the Revolutionary era remains among the top five of the New York Times' best sellers. After his discussion this weekend with Founding Fathers expert and National Review senior editor Richard Brookhiser, it's not hard to see why.
Kilmeade talked about "George Washington's Secret Six," which he co-wrote with journalist Don Yaeger, with unbridled enthusiasm - and a fair amount of humility. His previous books, like Yaeger's, are on sports topics, and Kilmeade doesn't hesitate to defer to Brookhiser on several points of history that are concurrent with the timeline in his story but not covered by it. The result is a very watchable interview on an intriguing subject that seems to have genuinely engaged a couple of accidental historians.
http://c-spanvideo.org/program/Kilme
Later in the weekend, Christina Hoff Sommers, who earlier in the year released a new edition to her 2001 book, "The War Against Boys," answered critics of her assertion that the feminism of the 1980s and 90s was a far cry from the gender equity espoused by classical feminists. She also managed to dispel any image of herself as a right-wing conservative and accomplished with some callers what she says is the primary goal of her writing: changing minds.
http://c-spanvideo.org/program/Somm
This weekend, as some scrounge for the money and pull out the credit cards in this holiday shopping season, Michael Kimmel explains to Hanna Rosin why downward economic mobility, along with greater gender and racial equality, is creating many an "angry white man." A link to that discussion will post early next week.
Happy reading and watching!
Kilmeade talked about "George Washington's Secret Six," which he co-wrote with journalist Don Yaeger, with unbridled enthusiasm - and a fair amount of humility. His previous books, like Yaeger's, are on sports topics, and Kilmeade doesn't hesitate to defer to Brookhiser on several points of history that are concurrent with the timeline in his story but not covered by it. The result is a very watchable interview on an intriguing subject that seems to have genuinely engaged a couple of accidental historians.
http://c-spanvideo.org/program/Kilme
Later in the weekend, Christina Hoff Sommers, who earlier in the year released a new edition to her 2001 book, "The War Against Boys," answered critics of her assertion that the feminism of the 1980s and 90s was a far cry from the gender equity espoused by classical feminists. She also managed to dispel any image of herself as a right-wing conservative and accomplished with some callers what she says is the primary goal of her writing: changing minds.
http://c-spanvideo.org/program/Somm
This weekend, as some scrounge for the money and pull out the credit cards in this holiday shopping season, Michael Kimmel explains to Hanna Rosin why downward economic mobility, along with greater gender and racial equality, is creating many an "angry white man." A link to that discussion will post early next week.
Happy reading and watching!
November 28, 2013
Miami Revisited and Packer's Award
Happy Thanksgiving all! If you're one who has no interest in football before, during or after the big meal, check out the books and authors that peppered the campus of Miami Dade College last weekend at the 30th annual Miami Book Fair International.
On Saturday, Peter Baker took calls from viewers on his latest, "Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney." Click here for Saturday's coverage: http://c-spanvideo.org/program/BookFa...
Sunday's coverage included calls from the audience for Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) on her book, "For the Next Generation," and concluded with a talk by Chris Matthews on his latest, "Tip and the Gipper." Click here for Sunday's program: http://c-spanvideo.org/program/FairIn...
And if football - or relatives - are calling, and it takes too long to cyber-visit Miami, get a quick look at this year's National Book Awards ceremony, with winner George Packer. http://c-spanvideo.org/program/Nation...
On Saturday, Peter Baker took calls from viewers on his latest, "Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney." Click here for Saturday's coverage: http://c-spanvideo.org/program/BookFa...
Sunday's coverage included calls from the audience for Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) on her book, "For the Next Generation," and concluded with a talk by Chris Matthews on his latest, "Tip and the Gipper." Click here for Sunday's program: http://c-spanvideo.org/program/FairIn...
And if football - or relatives - are calling, and it takes too long to cyber-visit Miami, get a quick look at this year's National Book Awards ceremony, with winner George Packer. http://c-spanvideo.org/program/Nation...
November 22, 2013
Pressing Issues "Unwinding" in the Book World
A very busy time of the year for the book world and those of us who cover it! The National Press Club held its annual author night on Tuesday, and we talked with World War II experts, reporters who covered the bombing in Mumbai, a woman who endured degradation at a lunch counter in Mississippi in 1963, a biographer of Mary McLeod Bethune, an international aid worker who loves "Chasing Chaos," and a journalism team who celebrated the life and victories of the only Native America to ever win a war against the U.S. All that was just in the first room! Video links coming as soon as we air the interviews.
Wednesday brought us the National Book Awards ceremony, where George Packer took home the top prize for "The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America." In it , he explores the last 30 years of U.S. history by profiling numerous people, from blue collar workers to the former Speaker of the House. A link to the National Book Award coverage will be posted on Monday; meanwhile, here's Packer in his own words on his latest acclaimed work.
http://c-spanvideo.org/program/Unwin
http://c-spanvideo.org/program/Packer
Two dedicated lawyers from the Prisoner Advocacy Clinic at Georgetown Law, Abbe Smith and Vida Johnson, made their case for the underrepresented last weekend, talking about a compilation of essays from defense attorneys on the question they're asked most often (also the title of the book): "How Can You Represent Those People?" The most common answer, by the way, is that most "criminals" are poor people committing misdemeanors; so it's pretty easy to come to their defense. The compilation includes an essay from famed attorney Alan Dershowitz.
http://c-spanvideo.org/program/Abbe
Lastly, this weekend the 30th annual Miami Book Fair International will be livening up the streets around Miami Dade College, on Second Avenue. http://www.miamibookfair.com/ Links to the taped coverage will be posted on Monday, if you miss any of the live coverage. The weekend's line-up of authors is available here:
http://www.booktv.org/Program/15116/2...
http://www.booktv.org/Program/15117/2...
Have a book filled weekend!
Wednesday brought us the National Book Awards ceremony, where George Packer took home the top prize for "The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America." In it , he explores the last 30 years of U.S. history by profiling numerous people, from blue collar workers to the former Speaker of the House. A link to the National Book Award coverage will be posted on Monday; meanwhile, here's Packer in his own words on his latest acclaimed work.
http://c-spanvideo.org/program/Unwin
http://c-spanvideo.org/program/Packer
Two dedicated lawyers from the Prisoner Advocacy Clinic at Georgetown Law, Abbe Smith and Vida Johnson, made their case for the underrepresented last weekend, talking about a compilation of essays from defense attorneys on the question they're asked most often (also the title of the book): "How Can You Represent Those People?" The most common answer, by the way, is that most "criminals" are poor people committing misdemeanors; so it's pretty easy to come to their defense. The compilation includes an essay from famed attorney Alan Dershowitz.
http://c-spanvideo.org/program/Abbe
Lastly, this weekend the 30th annual Miami Book Fair International will be livening up the streets around Miami Dade College, on Second Avenue. http://www.miamibookfair.com/ Links to the taped coverage will be posted on Monday, if you miss any of the live coverage. The weekend's line-up of authors is available here:
http://www.booktv.org/Program/15116/2...
http://www.booktv.org/Program/15117/2...
Have a book filled weekend!
November 15, 2013
Promotion and Pakistan
Back from a short hiatus, which included coverage of the Self Publishing Book Expo in New York November 9th. In attendance were the owners and operators of IndieBRAG, a growing international organization that brings free exposure to the best self-published works. Click to hear how they work:
http://youtu.be/i0ac1DRxNsc.
Also this past weekend, we aired the well-reviewed analysis of one of the U.S. government's most complicated relationships with an ally. Former Ambassador Husain Haqqani talks about the history of his native Pakistan's interactions with American administrations in his book, "Magnificent Delusions: Pakistan, the United States and an Epic History of Misunderstanding." View his hour-long chat with South Asia expert Lisa Curtis here: http://c-spanvideo.org/program/Haq.
http://youtu.be/i0ac1DRxNsc.
Also this past weekend, we aired the well-reviewed analysis of one of the U.S. government's most complicated relationships with an ally. Former Ambassador Husain Haqqani talks about the history of his native Pakistan's interactions with American administrations in his book, "Magnificent Delusions: Pakistan, the United States and an Epic History of Misunderstanding." View his hour-long chat with South Asia expert Lisa Curtis here: http://c-spanvideo.org/program/Haq.
November 6, 2013
It's Old News. Period.
[In the face of the flap over implementation of the health care law, my journalism roots require me to depart today from writing about author interview programs.]
Be afraid. Be very afraid. That's the pervasive message being disseminated by the news media these days regarding the implementation of Obamacare. One cable news segment after another is reporting on how President Obama misled the American public on their ability to keep their health insurance. He pledged that the happily insured were not going to lose their coverage under the the Affordable Care Act, and the hot story right now is that the pledge was incorrect, the president knew it was incorrect, and he failed to set the record straight. What other shoe is going to fall?
But that story is wrong. And every reporter, producer, anchor and pundit watching the field day the president had at the 2010 House Republicans' retreat in Baltimore should know that. It was there, on January 29, 2010 - less than two months before the bill became law - that President Obama said: "...Some of the provisions that got snuck in [to the bill] might have violated that pledge." Here's the complete section of the remarks from the transcript on whitehouse.gov:
"The last thing I will say, though -- let me say this about health care and the health care debate, because I think it also bears on a whole lot of other issues. If you look at the package that we've presented -- and there's some stray cats and dogs that got in there that we were eliminating, we were in the process of eliminating. For example, we said from the start that it was going to be important for us to be consistent in saying to people if you can have your -- if you want to keep the health insurance you got, you can keep it, that you're not going to have anybody getting in between you and your doctor in your decision making. And I think that some of the provisions that got snuck in might have violated that pledge.”
Those few sentences seemed so significant when spoken that this producer remembers turning her attentions from the computer monitor to the television when she heard them. Wasn't the White House press corps listening to his remarks in their entirety? Wasn't any news media member who was covering Congress or health care or politics paying attention?
The subsequent White House press briefing was on February 1, and according to the transcript on whitehouse.gov, no one asked a single question about the president's remarks at the House retreat three days prior. So it would seem that the admission the pledge wasn't going to hold up was actually missed at the time by major news outlets. That certainly explains why the hot story is wrong now. The hot story shouldn't even be lukewarm. The erroneous pledge is big news now because it wasn't news at all when it should have been.
What other significant news is the American public missing? Shouldn't we all be a little afraid?
Be afraid. Be very afraid. That's the pervasive message being disseminated by the news media these days regarding the implementation of Obamacare. One cable news segment after another is reporting on how President Obama misled the American public on their ability to keep their health insurance. He pledged that the happily insured were not going to lose their coverage under the the Affordable Care Act, and the hot story right now is that the pledge was incorrect, the president knew it was incorrect, and he failed to set the record straight. What other shoe is going to fall?
But that story is wrong. And every reporter, producer, anchor and pundit watching the field day the president had at the 2010 House Republicans' retreat in Baltimore should know that. It was there, on January 29, 2010 - less than two months before the bill became law - that President Obama said: "...Some of the provisions that got snuck in [to the bill] might have violated that pledge." Here's the complete section of the remarks from the transcript on whitehouse.gov:
"The last thing I will say, though -- let me say this about health care and the health care debate, because I think it also bears on a whole lot of other issues. If you look at the package that we've presented -- and there's some stray cats and dogs that got in there that we were eliminating, we were in the process of eliminating. For example, we said from the start that it was going to be important for us to be consistent in saying to people if you can have your -- if you want to keep the health insurance you got, you can keep it, that you're not going to have anybody getting in between you and your doctor in your decision making. And I think that some of the provisions that got snuck in might have violated that pledge.”
Those few sentences seemed so significant when spoken that this producer remembers turning her attentions from the computer monitor to the television when she heard them. Wasn't the White House press corps listening to his remarks in their entirety? Wasn't any news media member who was covering Congress or health care or politics paying attention?
The subsequent White House press briefing was on February 1, and according to the transcript on whitehouse.gov, no one asked a single question about the president's remarks at the House retreat three days prior. So it would seem that the admission the pledge wasn't going to hold up was actually missed at the time by major news outlets. That certainly explains why the hot story is wrong now. The hot story shouldn't even be lukewarm. The erroneous pledge is big news now because it wasn't news at all when it should have been.
What other significant news is the American public missing? Shouldn't we all be a little afraid?
November 5, 2013
Beleaguered Biographer Sets the Record Straight
My Sunday afternoon at work began in a rather unexpected way. A story of the late Senator George Smathers playing voyeur to the apparent rooster-like qualities of President Kennedy’s sexual performance raised the eyebrows of every person in the control room, as we got underway in three hours of live TV with beleaguered and beloved biographer Kitty Kelley.
About 150 minutes later, eyebrows rose rather high yet again when Ms. Kelley provided an example, upon request, of a story that she didn’t include in one of her books, because it was either too awful or couldn’t be verified. It was a story of one of her subjects allegedly committing murder, but when the reported eyewitness hung up on her, she thought it best not to include the rumor in her book.
It was an entertaining show to say the least. Ms. Kelley showed herself to be a charming person and a consummate researcher who’s engaged in the issues, more considerate to her subjects than her critics would think… and a rather tough cookie. In short, it was the most fun I had at work on a Sunday all year. Click here for all three hours:
http://c-spanvideo.org/program/KittyK.
About 150 minutes later, eyebrows rose rather high yet again when Ms. Kelley provided an example, upon request, of a story that she didn’t include in one of her books, because it was either too awful or couldn’t be verified. It was a story of one of her subjects allegedly committing murder, but when the reported eyewitness hung up on her, she thought it best not to include the rumor in her book.
It was an entertaining show to say the least. Ms. Kelley showed herself to be a charming person and a consummate researcher who’s engaged in the issues, more considerate to her subjects than her critics would think… and a rather tough cookie. In short, it was the most fun I had at work on a Sunday all year. Click here for all three hours:
http://c-spanvideo.org/program/KittyK.
November 1, 2013
"The End of [Angry White] Men"
I first met Hanna Rosin in 2008 when her article on the destruction of public housing and the increase in crime in historically-quiet neighborhoods was a feature in the Atlantic. The article was engaging and her discussion of the research was worth turning on the television early on a weekday morning. Five years later, after publishing the provocative and popular title "The End of Men" and sitting for an energetic book discussion with Tucker Carlson http://c-spanvideo.org/program/Rosi, we finally got Hanna into the host chair and saw her skills as an interviewer in action.
Earlier this week, she spoke with Michael Kimmel on his new book "Angry White Men." The conversation between the two experts on gender roles in U.S. culture grabbed the attention of the control room crew, as Kimmel argued that "aggrieved entitlement" has many a working class white male venting anger at women and minorities, while Rosin explored the possibility of turning their frustration toward more appropriate targets.
The latest from the author of "Guyland" releases on Tuesday, November 5th. Look for a link to the Kimmel/Rosin discussion around the Thanksgiving holidays.
Earlier this week, she spoke with Michael Kimmel on his new book "Angry White Men." The conversation between the two experts on gender roles in U.S. culture grabbed the attention of the control room crew, as Kimmel argued that "aggrieved entitlement" has many a working class white male venting anger at women and minorities, while Rosin explored the possibility of turning their frustration toward more appropriate targets.
The latest from the author of "Guyland" releases on Tuesday, November 5th. Look for a link to the Kimmel/Rosin discussion around the Thanksgiving holidays.
October 28, 2013
Girl Power: Battling Booze, Cancer and the Taliban
The fall book season features several women helping themselves and others with moving stories of overcoming debilitating obstacles. They include S. Lochlann Jain, who battled cancer and later researched and revealed the big bucks involved in treating the disease, rather than curing it. Her interview with us on her book "Malignant" airs this weekend; the link will be posted a week from today.
Pakistani teenager Malala Yousafzai, who was shot by the Taliban for trying to go to school, is touring the U.S. with her book "I Am Malala." We caught up with her at Politics and Prose bookstore in Washington, D.C., where she spoke before a packed house. http://c-spanvideo.org/program/AmMa
Also before the cameras was former editor at large of Canada's Maclean's magazine, Ann Dowsett Johnston. She spent time in our studio discussing the rising incidences of alcoholism among women, in her book "Drink." Ms. Dowsett Johnston first published her findings on the damage alcohol inflicts on women alone as a fourteen part series in the Toronto Star. http://c-spanvideo.org/search/?keywor...
And if you didn't happen to be in Austin this weekend or planted on your couch in front of the television for thirteen hours, you can catch any and all of the Texas Book Festival's Saturday panels here: http://c-spanvideo.org/program/BookFe... and Sunday here: http://c-spanvideo.org/program/TexasB....
Pakistani teenager Malala Yousafzai, who was shot by the Taliban for trying to go to school, is touring the U.S. with her book "I Am Malala." We caught up with her at Politics and Prose bookstore in Washington, D.C., where she spoke before a packed house. http://c-spanvideo.org/program/AmMa
Also before the cameras was former editor at large of Canada's Maclean's magazine, Ann Dowsett Johnston. She spent time in our studio discussing the rising incidences of alcoholism among women, in her book "Drink." Ms. Dowsett Johnston first published her findings on the damage alcohol inflicts on women alone as a fourteen part series in the Toronto Star. http://c-spanvideo.org/search/?keywor...
And if you didn't happen to be in Austin this weekend or planted on your couch in front of the television for thirteen hours, you can catch any and all of the Texas Book Festival's Saturday panels here: http://c-spanvideo.org/program/BookFe... and Sunday here: http://c-spanvideo.org/program/TexasB....
October 24, 2013
14 and Counting...
Each time a state joins the short list of jurisdictions legalizing gay marriage, I'm reminded of one of my favorite interview productions on the topic. Gay rights advocate Jon Corvino and conservative columnist Maggie Gallagher debated the topic on paper and in front of the cameras, discussing their book, "Debating Same-Sex Marriage."
http://c-spanvideo.org/program/Corvi
Equally as entertaining - and significantly more moving - was the talk given by the first openly gay Episcopal bishop on his book "God Believes in Love: Straight Talk about Gay Marriage" http://c-spanvideo.org/program/GodBe. And for those wanting a fast-moving mix of many points of view from the book world, the following should hold one's attention very nicely:
http://c-panvideo.org/program/SameSex...
While I'm at it, I'd be remiss not to mention that a short literary essay on the issue by this author is free on Amazon prime, when time to return to reading. http://www.amazon.com/Changing-Hands-...
See you all on the other side of this weekend's Texas Book Festival!
http://c-spanvideo.org/program/Corvi
Equally as entertaining - and significantly more moving - was the talk given by the first openly gay Episcopal bishop on his book "God Believes in Love: Straight Talk about Gay Marriage" http://c-spanvideo.org/program/GodBe. And for those wanting a fast-moving mix of many points of view from the book world, the following should hold one's attention very nicely:
http://c-panvideo.org/program/SameSex...
While I'm at it, I'd be remiss not to mention that a short literary essay on the issue by this author is free on Amazon prime, when time to return to reading. http://www.amazon.com/Changing-Hands-...
See you all on the other side of this weekend's Texas Book Festival!
Lights... Camera - Authors!
Tidbits from my day job promoting non-fiction work to a national audience.
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