Novelist, Short Story Writer Edward P. Jones in 2005
Summary
TLDRBorn in Washington DC in 1950, the narrator's early reading was dominated by comic books until a 1964 trip to South Boston introduced them to a 1930s British mystery novel. This pivotal experience led to a growing interest in literature, especially works featuring Black characters like 'Native Son' and 'His Eyes on a Sparrow.' High school and a 10th-grade English class furthered this shift from comics to classic literature. The narrator's journey culminated in college, where a creative writing course with Maurice Dage hinted at their potential as a writer, despite a lack of daily writing discipline.
Takeaways
- 📚 The speaker grew up in Washington DC in the 1950s, primarily reading comic books and illustrated stories from the library.
- 🎓 Despite the presence of television, the speaker still engaged in a lot of reading, indicating a strong interest in literature from a young age.
- 🕵️♂️ A pivotal moment occurred in 1964 when the speaker read their first non-comic book, a 1930s British mystery novel, which sparked an interest in creating their own mental images.
- 🏡 The speaker's reading journey continued to evolve through exposure to more diverse literature during family visits, including works by African American authors.
- 🌆 The books 'Native Son' and 'His Eyes on a Sparrow' resonated with the speaker, reflecting experiences and lives similar to those in Washington DC and the South.
- 📚 'Black Boy' marked a significant shift in the speaker's reading habits, moving away from comic books towards more serious literature.
- 🏫 In high school, the speaker's 10th-grade English teacher played a crucial role in furthering their interest in literature and reading.
- 📘 The speaker discovered Signet paperbacks, which introduced them to a wider range of books, including classics.
- 🎨 College exposed the speaker to creative writing, with Maurice Dage being a notable influence, suggesting potential in the speaker's writing abilities.
- ✍️ The speaker contemplated a career in journalism but stayed to care for their ill mother, highlighting personal responsibilities over professional ambitions.
- 🤔 The speaker emphasizes the importance of thinking in the writing process, suggesting that it is as vital as the act of writing itself.
Q & A
Where was the speaker born and raised?
-The speaker was born and raised in Washington DC.
What was the speaker's primary reading material during their childhood?
-During their childhood, the speaker primarily read comic books.
What significant event in 1964 changed the speaker's reading habits?
-In 1964, the speaker read a 1930s British mystery novel 'Who Killed Stella Pommel' which was the first book they ever read, marking a shift from comic books to other literature.
What was the first book the speaker read that was not a comic book?
-The first book the speaker read that was not a comic book was 'Who Killed Stella Pommel'.
How did the speaker's reading habits evolve during their summer visits to relatives?
-During summer visits to relatives, the speaker was introduced to more diverse literature, including 'Native Son', 'His Eyes on a Sparrow', and 'The Autobiography of EA Wers', which deepened their interest in reading.
What book in high school marked the beginning of the end of the speaker's comic book reading?
-The book 'Black Boy' in the 10th grade marked the beginning of the end of the speaker's comic book reading.
What was the impact of the Signet books on the speaker's reading journey?
-The Signet books with their red borders and nice paperbacks played a significant role in the speaker's reading journey, leading them to explore more books beyond comic books.
What was the speaker's initial intention after leaving college?
-The speaker initially intended to go into journalism school after leaving college.
What changed the speaker's plans after leaving college?
-The speaker's plans changed after leaving college because their mother took ill, and they stayed around to take care of her.
What was the speaker's first exposure to creative writing?
-The speaker's first exposure to creative writing was in a course taught by Maurice Dage during their second year in college.
How does the speaker view the importance of thinking in the writing process?
-The speaker views thinking as almost as important as writing, emphasizing the need to know what should come next in the narrative before attempting to write it down.
Outlines
📚 Early Reading Habits and Transition to Literature
The speaker recounts growing up in Washington DC in the 1950s, primarily reading comic books and illustrated stories from the library. Their reading habits were supplemented by television, but they still spent considerable time reading. In 1964, during a visit to South Boston, Virginia, the speaker discovered a 1930s British mystery novel, marking the first non-comic book they read. This experience was significant as it allowed them to create their own mental images, differing from the illustrations they were accustomed to. Despite this, they returned to comic books but later in the summer, during a visit to Brooklyn, they were introduced to more profound literature like 'Native Son' and 'His Eyes on a Sparrow,' which resonated with their own experiences and the stories they heard from adults around them. This marked a deepening interest in reading more serious literature.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Comic Books
💡Public Schools
💡Folktales
💡Mystery Novel
💡Native Son
💡High School
💡Black Boy
💡Creative Writing
💡Journalism School
💡Signet Books
💡Dell Publishing
Highlights
Born and raised in Washington DC in 1950, with a childhood filled with comic books.
Education in public schools and a love for illustrated fairy tales and folktales.
In 1964, discovered a 1930s British mystery novel, marking the first non-comic book read.
Experienced creating own mental images from text, a departure from relying on comic illustrations.
Continued to read comic books but also delved into deeper literature during summer visits.
Read 'Native Son' and 'His Eyes on a Sparrow', connecting with the characters and their lives.
High school introduced 'Black Boy', signaling the start of moving away from comics.
Began reading more diverse literature, including Signet paperbacks and classics.
Expanded reading to include a wider range of authors and genres beyond initial preferences.
Attended college with initial intentions of pursuing journalism.
Cared for ill mother, which led to a delay in formal education and career plans.
Never felt the urge to write daily but recognized the importance of thinking in the writing process.
Understands the significance of pre-thought in writing, valuing the planning over the act of writing itself.
Took a creative writing course in college, first exposure to potential as a writer.
Maurice Dage's influence as a creative writing instructor.
Realized the importance of thinking as much as writing in the creative process.
Transcripts
excuse me I was born and raised in
Washington DC 1950
[Music]
um and went to the public
schools uh and uh grew up reading uh
comic books um there were funny books in
Washington um and uh until about well
until 1964 the summer um I had really
never read anything but comic books and
uh went to the library and you would get
like fairy tales and things folktales
and they would always be Illustrated
with the
picture so that was my reading uh there
was television but I was still a whole
lot of reading in addition to television
so in ' 64 I was visiting uh my aunt and
my cousins in South Boston Virginia I
ran out of didn't have any any funny
books and my cousin who was married and
expecting her first child her husband um
was sort of a scrap guy we go to the
dump and get a lot of stuff and it so
happened one of the things he got was uh
this 1930s British mystery who killed
Stella
pomoy uh and that was the first book I'd
ever read uh I was 13 and rather
surprised that I could um create my own
pictures cuz I had always gone by what
you you know someone else's drawings and
everything
um I went back and uh sort of returned
to uh to funny books but the next summer
I was visiting another aunt in
Brooklyn and she had Native Son and uh
his eyes on a sparrow and the
autobiography of EA wers the actress and
so I was getting deeper and deeper into
this thing as uh unlike with the uh the
mystery of the previous summer you know
this was um these are black people that
I knew even though that was in Chicago
and Waters was growing up I think in the
midwest you know these are people living
lives that I knew about based on things
in Washington as well as what grown-ups
who had been born in in the South and
came to Washington were telling me about
their lives back
then um I think somewhere along there it
might have been maybe not that year but
maybe the next year I entered um high
school and I was getting sort of further
and further away from Comics although I
was still reading them and then um this
10 grade uh English teacher uh I think
the first book she gave was this black
boy and it was sort of the beginning of
the end in terms of the comic books and
all of that um and I got more and more
into reading just regular books and uh
the strange thing is that um black boy
uh came in there was a company called
Signet they had red borders nice nice
paperbacks and um I ordered some
from the back there's a little form
there one gold t on the mountain was one
of them and I would go to a bookstore
and I would never cuz when I ENT this
this Trover bookstore on 11 Street there
were cards and everything which I wasn't
interested in but there were um the
first books were the signant ones as
well as another division of signant that
had Classics like studs Lan and that's
all I did for for about a month a year
or so that's all I would I would get uh
I'm not sure why it is but then one day
I decided to sort of venture a little
further down a few feet beyond the
signant ones and there was Dell and all
the others and before you know it I was
reading just about everybody that I
could get my hands on and then I went to
college and I think it was the second I
think the second year um I took a
creative writing course um from Maurice
Dage and
uh that was the first um exposure to
someone saying that you know
that maybe um there was something there
um then and and later I never really was
one to get up every single day and write
um so I left college and uh my intention
actually was to go into journalism
school but my mother took ill and so um
I stayed around to take care of her and
um I still was never want to get up and
write every single day I thought I think
about it you know the thinking part of
it is important and I've come to realize
especially with the known world that the
thinking is almost as important as the
writing you know because I'm the kind of
person I don't want to sit down there
and think about what should come next I
want to be able to know what should come
next even though there might be a
struggle with getting it down um on this
on the computer
screen
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