I Try To Do What Has Never

As For [amiri] Baraka, He And I Have Disagreements. I Mean, He Becomes A Demagogue When There's An Audience. He's A Nice Guy In Private. I Mean I Like The Guy; He's A Terrific Writer. I've Published Two Of His Books. Baraka Is One Of These Fundamentalists Who Is Prone To Idol Worship.

A Black Boxer's Career Is The Perfect Metaphor For The Career Of A Black Male. Every Day Is Like Being In The Gym, Sparring With Impersonal Opponents As One Faces The Rudeness And Hostility That A Black Male Must Confront In The United States, Where He Is The Object Of Both Fear And Fascination.

During The Last Decades, Films About The Black Experience Have Been Produced, Directed, And Even Scripted By White Men. Some Of Them Are Excellent. But Most Reflect George Bernard Shaw’s Warning That 'if You Do Not Tell Your Stories Others Will Tell Them For You And They Will Vulgarize And Degrade You.'

Howard University Holds Something Called "heart's Day," An All Day Ceremony In Which A Writer Is Honored. I Was The Recipient Of This Honor. It's A Wonderful Ceremony That Eleanor Traylor Chair Of English At Howard University Organizes For Writers. Writers From Around The Country Came To Pay Tribute To My Work. It Was Very Flattering.

If The British Prose Style Is Churchillian, America Is The Tobacco Auctioneer, The Barker; Runyon, Lardner, W.w., The Traveling Salesman Who Can Sell The World The Brooklyn Bridge Every Day, Can Put Anything Over On You And Convince You That Tomatoes Grow At The South Pole.