It's Hard Work Being a Person

And even more difficult to be a human.

I spent my morning with high school students at Exeter Academy today, reading from my work-in-progress Home Out There. It was a joy, in particular, to discuss my research on Langston Hughes. Young people are very honest; if they aren’t interested, they don’t hide it. It meant a lot to see that they were so focused on what I had to share with them.

I understand there’s some kind of event happening in Washington DC today, but that’s none of my business. I have work to do, as do you.

I explained to the students that it’s hard work being a person and it’s even more difficult to be a human. That said, the work is always worthy and it’s absolutely possible for each of us to become ourselves via our thoughts, words and deeds.

With that in mind, I’m happy to share that I joined The Stacks podcast for a special episode about Toni Morrison’s lecture “Goodness and the Literary Imagination.” You can listen to it here. I hope our conversation brings comfort and clarity.