My Work Holds Up The Mirror To

When I Say Afro-american Aesthetic, I'm Not Just Talking About The United States, I'm Talking About The Americas. People In The Latin Countries Read My Books Because They Share The Same International Aesthetic That I'm Into And Have Been Into For A Long Time. And It's Multicultural.

My Generation Of Writers Has Been Prone To Premature Illness And Death, Especially The Women. When Black Male Writers Meet It's Like A Session Of The American Diabetic Association.

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.

I Reached The Age Of 70, Because I Have Cultivated An Association Of Multicultural Intellectuals Who Are Informed And Alert To Whatever "tricknology" That's Laid On Us By The Powers That Be. These Include White Ethnic Intellectuals- People Who Know Their Roots- As Well As Native American, Asian American, Hispanic And Black Intellectuals. These Are Thirty, Forty-year Associations With Some Of The Best Minds Around. Minds That Are Ignored By The Media.

I'm Beginning To Believe That Killer Illiteracy Ought To Rank Near Heart Disease And Cancer As One Of The Leading Causes Of Deathamong Americans. What You Don't Know Can Indeed Hurt You, And So Those Who Can Neither Read Nor Write Lead Miserable Lives, Like Richard Wright's Character, Bigger Thomas, Born Dead With No Past Or Future.