Foreword by Al Letson? Who is that guy?
(Don't feel like reading? Skip down to the VIDEO, if you prefer.)
My good friend, Al Letson, was kind enough to act as master of ceremony by contributing the opening words to my novel, Breaking Gravity. I realize that some of you might not be familiar with his work, so I thought I take a moment to introduce him.
Al Letson is a celebrated poet and an acclaimed playwright, but he is probably most well known as the creator and host of State of the Re:Union (SOTRU), a nationally syndicated radio program on NPR. SOTRU recently won a national Edward R. Murrow award for the second year in a row (2013, 2014).
The thing about Al is that his accomplishments don't define him. He does not wear them on his sleeve. If you met him on the street, you'd have no clue. You'd like him instantly (because who wouldn't?), but there would be no hint to the amazing life experiences hiding behind his smile.
The fact that he is such a laid back guy, and that he is more interested in talking about others than himself, is what eventually caused me to open up and admit I was a writer. At the time, I was totally in the closet about it, very few of my friends even had a clue.
That was kind of a watershed moment for me, owning up to my embarrassing little secret. Right away he was very encouraging, even dragging me to his old writers group. Bottom line, were it not for Al, Breaking Gravity would have just been tossed onto a stack of about twenty other unfinished novels.
Al Letson is accomplished writer. He has used his creativity to carve out an amazing career path, a trail that is littered with two lifetimes worth of trophies, awards, and works to be proud of. But, perhaps more important, he's a genuinely good guy.
Look, the dude has a national radio program and he still mows his own damn yard. Talk about keeping it real!
Alright, I'm sure Al's sick of this by now, but I still love it. Plus it's short which means you're more likely to watch it. This is Al doing some spoken word on HBO's Def Jam Poetry back in the day:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a2aW...
My good friend, Al Letson, was kind enough to act as master of ceremony by contributing the opening words to my novel, Breaking Gravity. I realize that some of you might not be familiar with his work, so I thought I take a moment to introduce him.
Al Letson is a celebrated poet and an acclaimed playwright, but he is probably most well known as the creator and host of State of the Re:Union (SOTRU), a nationally syndicated radio program on NPR. SOTRU recently won a national Edward R. Murrow award for the second year in a row (2013, 2014).
The thing about Al is that his accomplishments don't define him. He does not wear them on his sleeve. If you met him on the street, you'd have no clue. You'd like him instantly (because who wouldn't?), but there would be no hint to the amazing life experiences hiding behind his smile.
The fact that he is such a laid back guy, and that he is more interested in talking about others than himself, is what eventually caused me to open up and admit I was a writer. At the time, I was totally in the closet about it, very few of my friends even had a clue.
That was kind of a watershed moment for me, owning up to my embarrassing little secret. Right away he was very encouraging, even dragging me to his old writers group. Bottom line, were it not for Al, Breaking Gravity would have just been tossed onto a stack of about twenty other unfinished novels.
Al Letson is accomplished writer. He has used his creativity to carve out an amazing career path, a trail that is littered with two lifetimes worth of trophies, awards, and works to be proud of. But, perhaps more important, he's a genuinely good guy.
Look, the dude has a national radio program and he still mows his own damn yard. Talk about keeping it real!
Alright, I'm sure Al's sick of this by now, but I still love it. Plus it's short which means you're more likely to watch it. This is Al doing some spoken word on HBO's Def Jam Poetry back in the day:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a2aW...
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