|
 1. What is your favorite thing about hosting UNC-TV'sNorth Carolina Bookwatch?
There are so many wonderful things that it is impossible to pick just one. First of all, I have the special privilege of having 30 minutes to talk, without interruption, with some of the most interesting people in North Carolina. Then, after the program airs, I get to talk to people who have watched and have them tell me what they learned from the featured author.
2. What is your fondest memory of hosting the series?
After we taped the program with John Hope Franklin this year, some of the crewmembers came up to tell him how much they enjoyed watching and listening. Then, Dr. Franklin started telling them about some of the stories about the days of segregation. A crowd gathered. Dr. Franklin’s sense of humor let him laugh at the terrible situations he had encountered. I looked at Bookwatch producer Morgan Potts and said, “This is even better than the program we just recorded.” Morgan responded, “We should turn the cameras back on and make another program.” Now, when Morgan and I talk about that day, we wish we had done just that.
3. What were some of your impressions from this season's interviews?
For me, every interview is special and wonderful. Will Blythe’s father grew up in the same part of Mecklenburg County that I did. Having the chance to talk to Will about his dad, whom he loved and respected so much, was very moving.
When Allan Gurganus discussed why he believes that southern fiction is so much richer and better than the literature of other regions, I laughed at his humor and learned from the serious points he made at the same time.
When John Hope Franklin, at 91 years, joined us for a taping after flying in from Boston the same morning, I was amazed. I won’t even mention that he came in looking fresh and vibrant.
Dot Jackson told us about her book and its characters, also relaying the “inside scoop” about her own family and the people who were the models for her fiction. The truth was, perhaps, even better than her fiction.
4. What were some of your favorite interviews over the years?
Visiting with the world-famous Elizabeth Spencer (Light in the Piazza) was a special treat for me. Light in the Piazza was the first piece of fiction that I ever read in The New Yorker. That was more than 45 years ago. I started reading the story because it was about a Winston-Salem family in Florence, Italy—and the daughter’s European romance. I had just returned from Europe where I had a wonderful summer romance with a young woman from Winston-Salem; so it all seemed to fit. The story turned out to be quite different from my experience, but it was wonderful and gave me an appetite for more of the kind of lovely, provocative writing that Elizabeth Spencer exemplifies.
Another favorite for me was when, without advance warning, I asked Sheila Kay Adams to sing one of the ballads she mentioned in her book, My Old True Love. She took a deep breath and sang the loveliest tune you could ever hear.
5. Is there a particular genre of writing that you especially enjoy discussing?
I have always been interested in history and politics; so, I enjoy the times when I get a chance to talk to someone who really knows and cares about something that touches on these topics.
6. What makes North Carolina authors so special?
While I don’t know for sure, North Carolina has a tradition of nurturing writers, whereby its successful writers almost always help and inspire younger ones. North Carolina has a rich and diverse history and culture that provides a great resource and inspiration for wonderful stories. One thing is for sure: we are blessed to have so much talent surrounding us.
7. Who are some of your favorite local authors?
Allan Gurganus, Elizabeth Spencer, and Lee Smith—all great and important authors. Each of them has become a good friend and is a favorite.
8. What are some of your favorite local books from the last ten years?
I have really enjoyed the books that taught me about the geography and history of North Carolina— Mount Mitchell and The Black Mountains, How to Read a Beach, Looking for Longleaf, and First to Fly.
On the fiction side, Steven Sherill’s Visits From A Drowned Girl stretched my imagination in a very enjoyable way. Lee Smith’s The Last Girls took me down the Mississippi River with characters I felt I had known all my life.
9. What are some of the universal themes that pervade theNorth Carolina Bookwatch interviews?
Although North Carolina has changed so much over the past few years, many of its best writers are still telling us stories set in small towns and dealing with the themes of family, race, and struggle.
10. As a local columnist and writer yourself, what is the best advice you've received from local authors?
Our guests have given lots of good advice for other writers.
Two suggestions have been of special importance to me:
- Read a lot and pay attention to the techniques from the best books, stories and articles that you encounter; and
- Write regularly and rigorously.
|
