It was my considerable pleasure to have an extended chat with E. Ethelbert Miller last week on his weekly WPFW show “On the Margin.“
A bit more about Ethelbert, here.
Not surprisingly, Ethelbert was an informed and generous host, and it was supremely gratifying to have a wide-ranging discussion with him. We talked at some length about passages from my memoir Please Talk about Me When I’m Gone. Then we explored a handful of my essays (all collected in Murphy’s Law, Vol. One), including a number of personal favorites: O’Connor and Coltrane: Saints of American Art; God Is Not Dead: Let Us Give Thanks and Praise for Jimi Hendrix; Robert Johnson: The Centennial of an American Genius; Amy Winehouse: Lack of Love is a Losing Game; we even managed to briefly address one of my beloved topics, Beethoven.
Oh, and he also provided me time to talk about the Virginia Center for Literary Arts. I hope you’ll listen (and FYI, the sixty minute program is split in two; the first half focuses on my writing, the second is all about VCLA), and I’d love to hear from you if this conversation prompts comments or suggestions, etc. Needless to say, I’m grateful for this opportunity, and I encourage anyone interested or curious to contact me with questions, ideas, and ways to get involved. We’re actively raising funds to complete reconstruction of our beautiful property in downtown Winchester, and while we work toward that milestone, we are rolling out an incredible events program including author readings, free seminars, and workshops. We welcome philanthropic contributions, and your help spreading the word is both critical and hugely appreciated!
(If you have any trouble with the audio, below, you can go directly to the WPFW site and under “Archived Shows” page, our conversation is from 2/7.)
