|
|
 Hello/Intro Murray |
Web Promo |
| Authors' Series #1 |
key: Culture / Arts |
| Authors' Series #2 |
key: UNH |
| Goodnight |
|
|
| Hello/Intro Murray |
Web Promo |
| Authors' Series #1 |
key: Culture / Arts |
| Authors' Series #2 |
key: UNH |
| Goodnight |
| Hello/Intro Murray Return to index of stories... |
Hello. I'm Beth Carroll. Welcome to this special edition of NH Outlook. In this program, we remember Donald Murray. The Pulitzter-prize winning author, teacher, mentor and Boston Globe columnist died December 30th, 2006. He was 82. Murray shared his lifelong love of writing and teaching with humorist Rebecca Rule in 2004. The two sat down at the inaugural authors' series program at the UNH Dimond Library. The interview was taped before a LIVE audience and was edited for this program. |
| Authors' Series #1 Return to index of stories... |
Rebecca: HELLO. I'M REBECCA RULE. WELCOME TO THE AUTHORS SERIES. TODAY'S GUEST IS DONALD M. MURRAY WHOSE RESUME OF ACCOMPLISHMENT AS A WRITER AND A TEACHER IS AS LONG AS MY ARM, MAYBE EVEN LONGER. MAYBE IT'S AS LONG AS HIS ARM. HE PUBLISHES NOVELS, POETRY, A COLUMN IN THE "BOSTON GLOBE", WHICH WAS AT FIRST, I THINK CALLED "OVER 60" BUT NOW A FEW YEARS LATER, HOW MANY YEARS, DON? I DON'T KNOW. I STARTED IN '87 AND IT'S STILL GOING. A COUPLE YEARS LATER AND STILL GOING STRONG. AND IT'S CALLED NOW AND THEN. BOTH ""BOSTON MAGAZINE"" AND THE IMPROPER BOSTONIAN HAVE NAMED HIM THE BEST COLUMNIST IN BOSTON. HE'S PROFESSOR EMERITUS OF ENGLISH HERE AT U.N H.AMONG OTHER THINGS STARTING A JOURNALISM PROGRAM, HELPED START A GRADUATE PROGRAM AND SERVE AS ENGLISH DEPARTMENT CHAIR. IN 1954, HE WON THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR EDITORIAL WRITING IN THE "BOSTON HERALD" HE HAS PUBLISHED TWO REMARKABLE MEMOIRS. MY TWICE LIVED LIFE AND THE LIVELY SHADOW, LIVING WITH THE DEATH OF A CHILD. MANY OF US KNOW HIM AS A WRITING COACH AND TEACHER. HE HAS A GIFT FOR HELPING OTHER WRITERS FIND AND USE THEIR VOICES. IT IS NOT AN EXAGGERATION TO SAY THAT HIS GROUNDBREAKING TEXT, "A WRITER TEACHES WRITING" TRANSFORMED THE WAY WRITING IS TAUGHT IN THIS COUNTRY. FIRST PUBLISHED IN 1968, IT HAS HAD MANY INCARNATIONS AND EDITIONS AND WAS RECENTLY REPUBLISHED AS AN HISTORICAL DOCUMENT. DON IS HERE, READY TO TALK AND HE HAS WRITTEN A BOOK "EXPECTING THE UNEXPECTED" I THINK WE CAN ALL EXPECT TO BE SURPRISED PLEASE WELL ME WELCOME DON MURRAY. Don: AS YOU KNOW WITH MY COLUMN, MY WIFE HAS SERIOUS DEMEANTIA. SHE HAS MOMENTS OF CLARITY. WHEN I WENT TO SEE HER, I SAID I WAS GOING TO BE INTERVIEWED BY BECKY RULE AND MY WIFE SAID SHE IS A GOOD WRITER AND A GOOD PERSON AND HAS A GREAT ACCEPTS OF HUMOR. THEN SHE WANTED ME TO SEE THE DOGS THAT WERE IN THE ROOM THAT WEREN'T IN THE ROOM, SO IT'S ONE OF THOSE ROLLER COASTER THINGS. BUT SHE CERTAINLY KNEW BECKY AND KNEW HOW GOOD SHE WAS. Rebecca: THANK YOU, DON. I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU. FIRST ONE IS I KNEW YOU HAVE BEEN PUBLISHING FOR AROUND ABOUT 50 YEARS. YOU HAVE BEEN WRITING FOR AROUND ABOUT 75 YEARS. IS THAT A GOOD GUESS? YOU'RE NOT PLANNING TO STOP ANY TIME SOON. IN FACT YOU GAVE ME THIS FULL PAGE OF WRITING PLANS AT 80. LUCKY YOU'RE NOT A BASEBALL PLAYER OR A GYMNAST OR YOU WOULD BE DONE BY NOW. BUT I'M WONDERING IF OVER TIME WHATS CHANGED FOR YOU IN YOUR PROCESS? -- WHAT CHANGED FOR NEW YOUR PROCESS? Don: IT DEPENDS ON THE PROJECT. OBVIOUSLY I'VE WRITTEN 800 OR 900 COLUMNS. I DON'T DO THE PRE-WRITING I WOULD DO WHEN I FIRST WROTE THE COLUMN. I HAD TO FIND TO BE COMFORTABLE IN THE LENGTH AND REVIEW OF THE COLUMN. NOW I DON'T WORRY ABOUT THOSE THINGS. FURTHER YOU WRITE, YOU GO ON. ANOTHER THING RELATED TO THIS IS I WRITE IN MY HEAD, WHICH IS ONE OF THE REASONS THAT I GET LOST DRIVING AROUND DURHAM. I HAVE BECOME MORE AWARE OF THE FACT THAT I DO MORE AND MORE REHEARSAL AND THAT I'M THINKING ABOUT WRITING ALL THE TIME AND THINKING IN FRAGMENTS. Rebecca: MY DAUGHTER SAYS I SHOULD HAVE A VANITY PLATE THAT SAYS "I AM LOST." I PICKED OUT A COLUMN, SINCE YOU MENTIONED THE COLUMN. THAT'S A BIG PART OF YOUR LIFE AND CONTINUES TO BE. THIS IS THE COLUMN FROM JUNE 8, 2004, AND I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE NICE. I'VE GOT SOME OTHER LITTLE PIECES. I THINK DON IS GOING TO READ SOME SHORTER PIECES BUT THIS IS A FULL COLUMN. I WONDER IF YOU WOULD READ THAT TO US? Don: SURE. I'D BE SURPRISED. Rebecca: DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT YOU WROTE? Don: NOT ALWAYS. AT ODD TIMES I'M HURLED BACKWARD. I CAN REMEMBER THE FEARFUL CONFUSIONS OF CHILDHOOD. MY FATHER WOULD NOT COME HOME AND I FEARED HE WOULD NEVER COME HOME. THE NEXT NIGHT HE WAS BACK. NO ONE EXPLAINED THAT HE WAS A BUYER FOR A DEPARTMENT STORE AND THAT EVERY WEEK HE WOULD GO TO NEW YORK AND MAKE THE ROUNDS OF THE FASHION MANUFACTURERS ORDERING WHAT HE HOPED WOULD BE POPULAR NEXT SEASON. I WAS SPANKED FOR USING THE WORD DARN, WHICH FATHER USED ALL THE TIME. I HAD TO EMPTY MY PLATE BECAUSE THE CHINESE WERE STARVING BUT NOBODY TOLD ME HOW THE LEFTOVER BRUSSEL SPROUTS ON MY PLATE GOT TO CHINA. I WAS TAUGHT TO LOVE THY NEIGHBOR THEN I WAS ORDERED NOT TO PLAY WITH THE BOYS IN OUR IRISH CATHOLIC NEIGHBORHOOD. WHEN MOTHER WAS MAD AT FATHER OR FATHER WAS MAD AT MOTHER, BOY DID I GET SPANKED WITH THE BACK OF MOTHER'S HAIR BRUSH OR FATHER'S SHAVING STRAP. I WAS RESCUED BY STORY. FIRST THE STORIES GRANDMOTHER BROUGHT FROM SCOTLAND, THEN BIBLE STORIES AND WINNIE POO AND BILLY GOAT GRUFF AND THE STORIES OF MY SECRET FAMILY WHO LIVED IN THE WALLS AND WERE HAPPY. IT WAS MY WAY OF EXPLORING AND EXPLAINING THE WORLD. IN COMBAT, AT MY DAUGHTER'S GRAVE, ON THE SURGERY TABLE, I TOLD MYSELF STORIES. THEY ALL HAD A BEGINNING, A MIDDLE AND AN END. THEY BROUGHT MOMENTS OF ORDER TO THE CONFUSION OF LIFE. I DISCOVERED THE IMPORTANCE OF NARRATIVE AS MANY MAY BEGIN TO LOSE WORDS THEN COHERENCE. AT FIRST I WAS HORRIFIED. THEN AS SAD AS I WILL EVER BE. WE COULD NO LONGER HAVE A CONVERSATION. SHE WAS A BRIGHT PERSON, BUT HER BRAIN HAS BETRAYED HER. THE HISTORY OF OUR 54-YEAR-OLD LOVE AFFAIR BECOMES JUMBLED AND AN EXPERIENCE IN 1955 IS JOINED WITH ONE A YEAR AGO. SHE SPEAKS FROM A WORLD I CANNOT UNDERSTAND. LONG AGO I STOPPED CORRECTING HER. WHAT DIFFERENCE DID IT MAKE THAT IT WAS NEW JERSEY NOT KENTUCKY. IF I COULD NOT UNDERSTAND HER STORIES, I COULD ADMIRE HER EFFORTS TO BRING ORDER TO HER UNIVERSE. TO THE BLURRED STAGE WORLD, IF I CANNOT TRANSLATE HER LANGUAGE INTO MINE, I CAN SIT AND LISTEN AND ADMIRE COURAGEOUS EFFORTS TO BRING STORIES TO PROVIDE ORDER. LOST IN A WORLD OF FEAR AND CHANGE AND CONFUSION, SHE IS HANGING ON BY NARRATIVE. I ADMIRE HER EFFORTS TO BRING A BEGINNING, MIDDLE AND END TO A WORLD OF DOMESTICIA AND PARANOIA. I DID THE SAME THING-- DEMEANTIA. I DID THE SAME THING AS A CHILD AND LONG YEARS OF OUR MARRIAGE. WE ARE COLLEAGUES HERE AND I HOPE HER STORIES BRING HER THE COMFORT MY STORIES HAVE GIVEN ME. Rebecca: THANK YOU, DON. YOU WRITE ONE OF THESE EVERY WEEK. Don: SOMETIMES I'M AHEAD A WEEK. Rebecca: BEAUTIFUL PIECE. Don: THANK YOU. Rebecca: WELL, ONE THREAD THAT RUNS THROUGH ALL YOUR WORK, I THINK, IS THAT WRITING SUSTAINS YOU. THAT IT IS AT THE CENTER OF YOUR LIFE. YOUR WRITING, YOUR TEACHING, ALL OF THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO YOUR LIFE, AND AS YOU LOOK FORWARD IN YOUR LIFE, YOU HAVE LOTS OF PROJECTS PLAN. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT? Don: I WANT TO CONTINUE THE COLUMN. THAT IS A NICE WAY TO MAKE ME AWARE OF THE WORLD. I DON'T LOOK FOR IDEAS, BUT WHEN IDEAS COME THIS WAY, I LET THEM STICK ON ME, AND SO I AM MORE AWARE PROBABLY THAN IF I WOULDN'T WRITE IT AND IT IS A GREAT COMFORT TO ME. IT'S ABOUT 500 WORDS. AND I CAN WRITE IT FAST AND IN MOMENTS OF CRISIS, WHICH I'VE, HAD ENOUGH. Rebecca: LET'S TALK ABOUT TURNING POINTS BECAUSE LOOKING BACK OVER A LIFE HERE, YOU'VE GOT A FEW YEARS TO YOU HERE. MY TWICE LIVED LIFE. AND I WONDER IF WOULD YOU JUST READ. IT'S JUST A HALF A PAGE OF THAT. Don: PEOPLE ASK ME IF I HAD A LIFE TO LIVE OVER, WOULD DO I ANYTHING DIFFERENT? I PONDER THE QUESTION I NEVER ASKED MYSELF AND EACH TIME SAY NO. BUT GO ON TO EXPLAIN THAT THIS IS AN ARROGANCE. I HAVE DONE STUPID THINGS, ALMOST NOTHING BUT STUPID THINGS IN GRADES ONE THROUGH 12. MADE UNWISE CHOICES, DISAPPOINTED OTHERS AND MYSELF. BUT IF HI TO DO IT OVER AGAIN, I WOULD PROBABLY MAKE THE SAME DECISIONS. TODAY I WOULD NOT MARRY MY FIRST WIFE AND I'M SURE SHE WOULD NOT MARRY ME, PUT IN WAR TIME, TRYING TO ESCAPE OUR FAMILIES FOLLOWING THE SOCIAL LANDSCAPE OF THOSE YEARS, NOT LIVING BEFORE MARRIAGE LIKE OUR DAUGHTERS DID, WE MADE THE WRONG DECISION. I LIVED THE LIFE I WAS GIVEN WITH THE MOMENT NOT WITH THE CLARITY OF AGE. I WAS STRUCK BY SLOW OFTEN OFFHAND CASUAL MOMENTS IN WHICH MY LIFE DID TURN. I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT THE HISTORIC EVENTS THAT WOULD CHANGE MY LIFE. MOMENT I HEARD A RADIO REPORT OF THE JAPANESE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR, I KNEW FOR CERTAIN LIFE WOULD CHANGE, AND IT DID. NEITHER AM I THINKING THOSE PERSONAL MOMENTS OF OBVIOUS TRANSITION, WHEN MINI SHOWED UP AS A SUBSTITUTE BLIND DATE, MAY NOT HAVE BEEN LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT BUT PURSUED AT FIRST NIGHT AND MARRIED IN 11 MONTHS. I KNEW MY LIFE WOULD BE CHANGED. THE MOMENTS I'M SPOKING OF SEEMED LIKE ORDINARY EVENTS. AS TIME PAST, I REALIZE THE SIGNIFICANCE. I FIND MYSELF LOOKING BACK TO THOSE MOMENTS FOR FLEETING MOMENTS OF WISDOM AND STRENGTH. THE MORE I'VE LOOKED BACK ON MY LIFE, THE MORE IMPORTANT I FIND DR. BARTLETT. LET ME READ ABOUT DR. BARTLETT. ONE SUCH MOMENT OCCURED WHEN I WAS 14 YEARS OLD. MOTHER SENT ME TO DR. BARTLETT FOR A ROUTINE CHECKPOINT. I RODE MY BOOK FOR TWO MILES IN WOLLASTON, LEANED MY BIKE AGAINST THE TREE LOCKING IT CAREFULLY IN THOSE DAYS WHEN MANY BELIEVED LOCKS WERE NOT NECESSARY. THEY WERE. I WENT UP THE SMALL PORCH TO HIS WAITING ROOM. NO NURSE, NO APPOINTMENTS, JUST HIS REGULAR VISITING HOURS AND A CROWDED CIRCLE OF PATIENTS PERCHED ON AN ODD ASSORTMENT OF KITCHEN CHAIRS SILENTLY WAITING THEIR TURN. DR. BARTLETT WAS THE ONLY AUTHORITY OTHER THAN GOD THAT GRANDMA AND THEREFORE MOTHER LISTENED TO. HE MADE HOUSE CALLS FREQUENTLY CLUMPING UP THE STAIRS WITH HIS BLACK BAG OF HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES. GRANDMA LAY IN THE BEDROOM WITH A STROKE AND MOTHER HAD AN INFECTED LEG WITH SORES. AND I HAD A SICKLY CHILDHOOD. DR. BARTLETT WAS THE ONLY PERSON WHO WAS NOT FAMILY WHO KNEW THE SECRETS OF OUR HOUSE. WHEN I WHEN IT WAS MY TURN TO ENTER THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE THIS DAY AND HAVE HIS COLD STETHOSCOPE PUT AGAINST MY CHEST HE CASUALLY ASKED HOW ARE YOUR FOLKS. THE USUAL I ANSWERED, THEN I APOLOGIZED, REALIZING THOSE TWO WORDS SOUNDED FRESH, SOMEHOW A BETRAYAL. DR. BARTLETT, A TALL DOWN EAST MAIN MAINER WITH MORE THAN A LITTLE INDIAN IN HIM WAS A SMALL MAN WITH HOOK NOSE AND BLACK EYES. SAND SMELL OF TOBACCO AND ETHER FROM THE OPERATING ROOM. HE STOPPED ALL MOTION AND FOCUSED HIS JET BLACK EYE ON ME AND SAID SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY MAKING EACH WORD A SENTENCE. "DONALD, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE LIKE YOUR PARENTS." |
| Authors' Series #2 Return to index of stories... |
Rebecca: WRITING I KNOW SUSTAINS YOU. BUT COMMUNITY CAN SOMETIMES SUSTAIN WRITING AS WELL. I KNOW THAT YOU CERTAINLY INSPIRED MANY WRITERS, BUT I THINK YOU'RE ALSO AT THE CENTER OF A COMMUNITY OF WRITERS IN SOME WAY. I DON'T KNOW IF THEY ALL COME TO YOUR HOUSE ALL THE TIME, BUT THERE'S CORRESPONDENCE, THERE'S E-MAIL. CAN YOU SPEAK ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT COMMUNITY IS TO THE SOLITARY WRITEER? Don: WHEN I SAY THAT YOU TAUGHT ME THINGS, YOU DID. IT'S SERIOUS. ONE OF THE NIGHTS THING ABOUT-- ONE OF THE NICE THINGS ABOUT TEACHING IS YOUR STUDENTS ATTEMPT THE SAME TERRITORY AND THE SAME TASK THAT YOU'RE DOING AND THEY DO INTEREST DIFFERENTLY. SOMETIMES IT'S BETTER. SOMETIMES IT ISN'T BETTER. SO YOU ARE PART OF A GROUP PEOPLE WHO CARE WILL LANGUAGE AND THE PARTICULAR GENRE YOU'RE WRITING ABOUT. IT'S ASTONISHING TO ME ALTHOUGH I HAVE NOT BEEN SURPRISED THAT ONE TIME WHEN MINI WENT TO THE NURSE HOME, THIS COMMUNITY HAS SUSTAINED ME IN ALL SORTS OF WAYS. IT'S ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL. AND SO WE NEED A COMMUNITY TO. BUT WE ALSO NEED TO STEER OURSELVES. I'VE BEEN TRYING TO CREATE A LIFE ALONE AND THAT'S WHAT THE WRITER DOES. I GET UP IN THE MORNING AND I MAY FEEL WELL I'M GOING TO DO THIS AND THAT AND THAT AND I GET A LITTLE. Rebecca: WRITING IS YOUR LIFE RAFT, YOU SAY. AND IN THIS BOOK, THE LIVELY SHADOW, WHICH IS A FANTASTIC BOOK. IF YOU HAVEN'T READ IT, IT'S FOR SALE. YOU CAN BUY IT AND READ IT. BUT I PICKED OUT JUST A SMALL SECTION THAT I THINK TALKS A LOT ABOUT PROCESS. AND I WONDER IF FOR A FINAL READING YOU WOULD READ AS MUCH AS YOU WANT. Don: MY DAY BOOKS ARE A COMMONPLACE BOOK WHERE I RECORD THE WRITERS AND ARTISTS OUTLINES AND RECORD FRAGMENTS OF LANGUAGE THAT MAY GROW INTO POEMS, ARTICLES, BOOKS. I LOOK AT WHAT I WRITE WHEN I WAS TEACHING SUMMER PROGRAM IN VERMONT AND I KEEP SEEING PAGES OF A NOVEL I'M NOT THE SAME PERSON NOW. THE PANELS WERE WRITTEN BY A STRANGER. THIS WAS THE NOVEL I'M WORKING ON NOW. NEXT ENTRY IS 10-4-77, ALMOST TWO MONTHS AFTER LEE'S DEATH. THE NOTE IS SHORT. TYPED 5-02. I'M WRITING AGAIN. THERE ARE A FEW NOTES ABOUT THE NOVEL WHICH I HAVE NOT YET ABANDONED AND SOME MANUSCRIPT PANELS ON 10-10, 10-11, 10-12. A JUMP TO 10-16 AND ON 10-22, THE FIRST REFERENCE TO LEE. 1957, 1977. A COLUMN OF AIR ICE HARD WAITS FOR AN OBO, A WOMAN, A SONG. THANK YOU. Rebecca: YOU SAY AT THE END OF THAT CHAPTER IN JANUARY 1978, YOU WRITE EVERY DAY. IN FACT I WRITE EVERY SINGLE DAY IN 1978. I HAVE GOTTEN A FIRM HOME HOLD ON MY LIFE RAFT AND AM NOT ABOUT TO LET GO. AND YOU'RE STILL ON THAT LIFE RAFT AND YOU'RE NOT ABOUT TO LET GO. I'M WONDERING WHAT'S GOTTEN EASIER FOR YOU AS YOU'VE GROWN OLDER AND MORE EXPERIENCED AS A WRITER AND IS THERE ANYTHING THAT'S GOTTEN HARDER FOR YOU? Don: IT GETS EASIER. DANGER IS THAT YOU'LL DO THE SAME THING OVER AGAIN. BUT IF YOU ARE FLIPPING A LOT OF PANCAKES FOR 20 OR 30 YEARS, YOU OUGHT TO BE ABLE TO FLIP A PANCAKE. SO THAT, YOU KNOW, FLUENCY IS A LITTLE EASIER AND YOU KNOW THE TRICKS AND AS YOU GET OLDER, IT'S LIKE WITH A SHAKY HAND, YOU ARE NOT WORRIED ABOUT MAKING A MISTAKE OR FEELING BEING FOOLISH OR WHATEVER. IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, THAT'S YOUR PROBLEM. TO WHERE PEOPLE ARE VERY UPSET ABOUT ME BEING UPSET ABOUT MY DAUGHTER'S DEATH, BELIEVE IT OR NOT. CLEARLY THAT WAS THEIR PROBLEM, NOT MY PROBLEM, AND SO THE STANDARD IS LOWER AS WILLIAM STAFFORD SAID. WHAT YOU GOT TO DO IS LOWER YOUR STANDARDS. AND THE STANDARDS ARE LOWER. THE COMPUTER HELPS BECAUSE YOU CAN WRITE LISTEN I WRITE A LOT MORE THAN I WOULD WITHOUT A COMPUTER BECAUSE I CAN MAKE A LOT OF MISTAKES, DO A LOT OF BAD WRITING, WHICH IS NECESSARY FOR GOOD WRITING. AND THEN YOU CAN QUICKLY EDIT AND CHANGE IT. AND SO YOU BECOME. I THINK AT THE AGE OF 65, MINNIE MAY SAID I BEGAN TO ACCEPT MYSELF. BEFORE THAT I THOUGHT MY WRITING WAS TERRIBLE BUT I HAD TO SEND IT OFF BECAUSE WE HAD BABIES, MINNIE MAY WANTED TO EAT, I WANTED TO EAT CERTAINLY. SO I USUALLY SEND IT OFF WITH A FEELING THAT THIS WASN'T GOOD ENOUGH BUT I BETTER SEND IT OFF. AROUND THE AGE OF 65, I BEGAN TO ACCEPT THAT I COULD WRITE AT A MODEST STAGE. Rebecca: BETWEEN COLUMN AND THE MEMOIR AND THE POETRY AND THE FICTION, YOU'RE ONE OF THE MOST OPEN PEOPLE I KNOW. I MEAN SO MUCH OF IT IS THERE ON THE PAGE, DON MURRAY. Don: EMBARRASSING, ISN'T IT? I FULLY EXPECT THE DURHAM POLICE TO COME IN WITH. AND SAY YOU'RE EXPOSING YOURSELF TO THE COMMUNITY AND I'D PUT OUT MY HANDS. Rebecca: IN A TRENCH-- GET A TRENCH COAT FOR GOD'S SAKE. ARE THERE TABOOS OR LINES THAT YOU SAY "I DON'T WRITE ABOUT THAT?" I, FOR EXAMPLE, DON'T WRITE MUCH ABOUT MY DAUGHTER BECAUSE SHE IS BIG AND STRONG AND SHE WOULD HURT ME. Don: MY DAUGHTERS WILL SOMETIMES SAY DON'T WRITE ABOUT THIS. WHEN MY DAUGHTER MOVED TO AND TOOK HER DAUGHTER TO THE BUS STOP, SHE FOUND OUT PEOPLE KNEW A LOT ABOUT HER, PEOPLE SHE HADN'T MET YET. I REALLY WORRY ABOUT THAT. Rebecca: YOU DO? Don: YEAH, WHAT I SAY IS I THINK IT'S A JOB OF WRITERS TO ARTICULATE THE FEELINGS OF THOSE CAN'T ARTICULATE. AND THE LETTERS I GET CONFIRM THAT MY SPEAKING ABOUT SOME OF THESE THINGS, SUCH AS THE UNSPOKEN THING, MINNIE MAY AND I AGREED WAY BACK WHEN I STARTED THIS COLUMN, IF THINGS TURNED OUT WAY THEY DID FOR EITHER OF US, WE WOULD TELL ABOUT IT. I'M NOT WORRIED ABOUT THAT. BUT IT'S A FUNNY BUSINESS TO SHOW, TO REVEAL YOURSELF AS MUCH Rebecca: AND REVEALING YOURSELF, YOU REVEAL THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU WHO MAYBE HAVE NOT SIGNED ON FOR THAT. NOT TALKING ABOUT YOU, TALKING ABOUT ME OR ALL WRITERS, REALLY. Don: AND IT CAN BE VERY SATISFYING WHEN PEOPLE FIND COMFORT OR SOMETHING AND YOU'RE SPEAKING FOR THEM. BUT WHERE IS THE LINE AND WHERE I DON'T WRITE, I DON'T KNOW. I ASSUME THERE ARE THINGS I WOULDN'T WRITE ABOUT BUT I DON'T WRITE ABOUT THEM SO I DON'T REMEMBER WHAT THEY ARE. SOME OF YOU MAY HAVE QUESTIONS FOR DON, AND WE'LL. IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION. Audience: MANY MUCH US WHO ARE TEACHERS ARE INCREASINGLY UNDER PRESSURE TO TEACH TO TEST BECAUSE OF STATE AND FEDERAL MANDATES. WHAT DO YOU SAY TO TEACHERS WHO ARE FEELING THIS PRESSURE WHO ARE TRYING TO TEACH THEIR STUDENTS TO BE WRITERS BUT ARE FEELING INCREASINGLY PRESSURED TO GET AWAY FROM CREATIVE WRITING AND ARE FORCED INTO THESE STRICT MODELS? Don: IN REALITY, I THINK YOU HAVE TO LEARN TO CHEAT. I HAD A. I HAD A CHIEF EDITORIAL WRITER THAT GAVE ME A HARD TIME IN REVISIONS SO WOULD I WRITE MY EDITORIALS, PUT THEM UNDER THE DESK BLOTTER AND THEN RIGHT BEFORE DEADLINE, GIVE THEM TO HIM WHEN HE DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO DO THINGS. YOU CAN FIGHT THE TESTS AND I CERTAINLY WOULD, BUT WOULD I TRY TO FIGURE A UNIT WHERE I COULD SPEND TIME ON THE TEST AND SEPARATE IT AS DISTANTLY AS YOU CAN FROM THE OTHER WRITING. Audience: MAY I TAKE MY RED SOX CAP OFF TO YOU. AND YOU, REBECCA. THANKS FOR BEING HERE. I THINK THE LONELINESS IS SOMETHING YOU TOUCHED ON AS BEING ONE OF THE DOWNSIDES OF WRITING AND BEING A WRITER. WHAT OTHER THINGS WOULD YOU DESCRIBE AS BEING DOWNSIDE OF WRITING? Don: WELL FIRST THE LONELINESS IS INTERESTING. WHEN I RETIRED FROM THE UNIVERSITY, I USED TO GO UP AND GET BREAKFAST OR COFFEE AND I STOPPED THAT AND I IMMEDIATELY FOUND HOW IMPORTANT THAT WAS. THERE HAVE BEEN SOME STUDIES WHERE THE GUY WHOSE NAME IS SO LONG THAT IT CZ STARTS OUT AND. CAN I GET A REFERENCE TO YOU IF YOU WANTED IT HE SAID THE CREATIVE PEOPLE SEEM TO BE AT THE EXTREME OF THE TEST, EXTROVERT AND INTROVERTS. THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHICH THEY WERE DEALING WITH. I NEED TO SEE PEOPLE AND BE PART OF THAT COMMUNITY AND I NEED TO WORK ALONE. AND I DON'T SEE THAT AS A DISADVANTAGE. I CAN'T IMAGINE LIVING OTHER LIFE AND I REALLY CAN'T. FOR ME THERE HAS BEEN NO DOWNSIDE. DOWNSIDES HAVE BEEN OTHER THINGS Audience: I'M 57 NOW AND I START WRITING SERIOUSLY TWO YEARS AGO. AND SO I JUST WONDER HOW REALISTIC, IN TERMS OF IT BEING A BUSINESS FOR SOMEONE SUCH AS MYSELF HAS COME OUT OF TWO OTHER LENGTHY CAREERS NOT RELATED TO WRITING. Don: IT IS A BUSINESS. I'D BE HAPPY TO GIVE YOU SOME ASPECTS TO THAT. I'VE WRITTEN MY COMPUTER OFF. Rebecca: 57 YOU CAN START TO BE A WRITER IN. THERE IS A GREAT ADVANTAGE TO BEING OLDER, JUST TREMENDOUS THAT MOST SIGNIFICANT QUOTE I THINK IS ONE THAT I RAN ACROSS A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO. WRITE ABOUT WHAT MAKES YOU DIFFERENT. WHAT MADE MY FAMILY DISLIKE OR WORRY ABOUT ME AND MY TEACHERS AND MY CLERGYMEN IS WHAT I'M LIVING ON. SO YOU HAVE TO BE YOURSELF AND YOU HAVE TO BE REALISTIC ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO DO. I MEAN IF YOU WANT TO WRITE A GREAT,000 PAGE EPIC POEM, FINE BUT DON'T EXPECT TO PUBLISH IT. I THINK YOU SHOULD TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR LIFE AND WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU AND WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT. I THINK WE WRITE IN IGNORANCE, NOT WHAT YOU THINK YOU NEED TO TELL SOMEBODY BUT WHAT YOU NEED TO EXPLORE AND WRITE. I WOULD TAKE ON MENIAL TASKS. WHEN I DO SOME P.R. WRITING OR THINGS LIKE THAT OR LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION OR SOMETHING THAT ARE NOT, YOU KNOW, NOT THE GREAT POEM, I'M STILL LEARNING TO WRITE AND SO IF I WAS STARTING OUT, I WOULD BE WILLING, AS I WAS. WHILE I WAS HERE, I DID GHOST WRITING FOR A CORPORATION AND I'VE WRITTEN FOR POLITICIANS I'M AFRAID TO SAY. AND IT ALWAYS WAS INTERESTING. IT WAS INTERESTING. I LEARNED FROM WRITING NO MATTER WHAT IT WAS. Rebecca: YOU HAVE TO DIVERSIFY SOME. WELL, THANK YOU, DON. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND THANK YOU TO THIS AUDIENCE FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION AND YOUR ENTHUSIASM. THANK YOU ALL ALSO TO THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE LIBRARY AND NEW HAMPSHIRE PUBLIC TELEVISION FOR THIS PARTNERSHIP WHICH BROUGHT US ALL TOGETHER TODAY. |
| Goodnight Return to index of stories... |
Minnie Mae Murray died shortly after this interview. Donald Murray passed away 2 years later on December 30th, 2006. This special edition of NH Outlook -- is in tribute to him. I'm Beth Carroll. Thanks for watching. |
| Web Promo Return to index of stories... |
VERSION ONE: Did you know that New Hampshire Outlook is available online on demand at nhptv.org? We've been streaming our broadcasts since the program premiered in September 2000. Whether you want to watch this show again, email it to a friend, search and watch past programs or get more information on thousands of stories and topics, you'll find it all at nhptv.org/outlook. VERSION TWO: Would you like to watch this show again? Maybe you want to email it to a friend? Are you looking for more information about our New Hampshire stories and interviews? You can do all that and more at nhptv.org/outlook. VERSION THREE: Would you like to watch this show again or email it to a friend? You can do all that and more at nhptv.org/outlook. |
| key: Culture / Arts Return to index of stories... |
NEW HAMPSHIRE OUTLOOK Air Date/Time: 7/15/07 HOST: Beth Carroll LENGTH: 25:40 Hello. I'm Beth Carroll. Welcome to this special edition of New Hampshire Outlook. In this program we bring you highlights of the UNH Authors' Series in which writer and humorist Rebecca Rule sits down with Pulitzer Prize winning author Donald Murray. The interview was taped before a LIVE audience and was edited for this program. PRODUCER/REPORTER: Rebecca Rule NAMES OF PARTICIPANTS: Rebecca Rule\Writer/Humorist Donald Murray\Author |
| key: UNH Return to index of stories... |
NEW HAMPSHIRE OUTLOOK Air Date/Time: 7/15/07 HOST: Beth Carroll LENGTH: 25:40 Hello. I'm Beth Carroll. Welcome to this special edition of New Hampshire Outlook. In this program we bring you highlights of the UNH Authors' Series in which writer and humorist Rebecca Rule sits down with Pulitzer Prize winning author Donald Murray. The interview was taped before a LIVE audience and was edited for this program. PRODUCER/REPORTER: Rebecca Rule NAMES OF PARTICIPANTS: Rebecca Rule\Writer/Humorist Donald Murray\Author |