auria “Hussein” cortes

I’m not sure why the embedded video chokes me up. Maybe it’s the song or the happy people from all over the world. Or maybe it’s because the dance is something I can see my little brother doing.

Art comes in so many different forms.

Players:

Mrs. P, my first grade teacher
Mrs. Peterson, my second grade teacher

Setting:

Huntington Elementary School

Scene:

“How do you think Mrs. Peterson felt when you gave me a Valentine’s Day gift and not her?” That’s the question Mrs. P asked me in the school hallway.

I began to tear because I didn’t mean to do anything wrong. “Don’t cry. You’re not trouble. I just want to know how you think she felt?”

“Bad,” was my reply. 

“You’re probably right. I thought the same thing. I went to the store and bought this for her. Here.” She handed me Valentine’s Day chocolate.

“I want you to tell her that you bought this gift for her.”

“I will. Thank you.”

That was my first lesson in empathy.

His name is Norman Rockwell. During his lifetime he created 4,000+ paintings/illustrations. His work is featured in Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. But he’s best known for capturing the American life on canvas and magazine print.

Her name is Ruby Bridges. She is the first black child to attend a white school in the South (1960). At the time, she was only six and she made her way to school surrounded by protestors.

Rockwell painted The Problem We All Live With where he depicts Bridges ordeal. The painting, embedded above, has the word nigger painted on the wall. I’ve seen this picture many times. And like a tape recorder, my mind plays the same thoughts.

The first is that I can’t imagine how she felt attending a school where she wasn’t wanted. A brave child she was. A hero, without a doubt.

Then my mind selfishly comes back to me. More specifically, my artwork. I wonder if, as an artist, I’ll someday capture the human spirit like Rockwell.

Slowly, my thoughts shift to the school yard in Huntington Elementary School (late 1970s early 1980s). I was about the same age as Bridges when she made headlines in the 1960s. Give or take a few years.

The chant:

Fight! Fight!
A nigger and a white.
If the white don’t win,
We’ll all jump in.

It didn’t matter who was fighting. Whether it was black on black. White on white. Or a combination of the two. Clearly we had no idea what the term nigger meant. Well in hindsight, I’m pretty sure that the black kids knew what it meant. I mean, I knew what it meant to be called a spic.

We sang this schoolyard taunt in front of teachers. Every time they heard it, they’d laugh. Back then, I thought it was because they found us to be clever. Now, I’m not so sure of the reason. Even more puzzling is why they never told us what it meant or why we should stop.

When I think about Huntington Elementary, the school yard chant comes to mind. Tomorrow I’ll tell you another side of Huntington Elementary.

ETA: I realized today is Thursday. I’ll post another Huntington Elementary story on Monday instead of today.

Based on yesterdays underwhelming responses, I’ll take that as a hint that you guys aren’t interested in author interviews. So I’m scrapping that idea.

However, Diane came up with some really good questions. I’m going to answer some of them. Feel free to do the same in the comments section.

• If you knew what you wrote would deeply hurt a friend, would you write it? Where do you draw the line? Based on what? Why? If it were an associate or someone I knew, I would write the book. If it were a true friend then no. I wouldn’t write the book.
• How important do you consider the cover? Very important. I sometimes buy books based on the cover, with zero intention of reading the book.
• What was the first book you ever read? I don’t remember the first book, but I do remember loving Curious George.
• Did your parents read to you? No. My parents never read to me.
• What is the longest time you have ever kept an unfinished story in your soul? About sixteen years.
• Do unfinished works ever haunt you? Damn. It would sound so romantic if my response is ‘yes.’ But, no. I’m never haunted.
• Have you written your perfect novel? Do you want or need to? I like this question. No, I haven’t written a perfect novel. And honestly, I don’t intend to. I’m expecting to write a “good enough” novel. Since that is my expectation, then most likely that is what I’ll write.
• Do you consider your audience? To what degree? If not, isn’t that arrogant? Oh man, love the arrogant part. Yes, I consider my audience. Before I write something I determine if the piece has a place in the market. If it’s no, then I won’t write the story.
• Is it easy for you to fall off a horse and get back on again? I never fall off the horse. Sometimes I’m off balance, but never completely on the ground.

When I first started this blog, I conducted author interviews for two reasons. The first was to provide a platform for authors to publicize their books. The other was so that aspiring novelists can gain knowledge or inspiriation from published authors.

I found, however, that the interviews were somewhat boring. So I stopped.

Now, I want to take another crack at it and need your assistance.

James Lipton from the Actors Studio always asks guests the same questions towards the end of the interview (see embedded video). They are silly questions such as, “What is your favorite word?” and “What thing turns you on?”

I’d like to develop standard questions that are fun in nature for each author to answer. This is where you come in. What questions should I ask? What would you like to know?

Also, I need to ask a few serious questions. So here is where I need your assistance once again. What type of information would interest you? What type of questions would you like for me to ask? I guess I’m asking, what is it that you would like to see that will hold your interest.

And now here’s the kicker: you may dislike author interviews so much that you will swear not to visit my blog any more if I choose to include such rubbish. If that is the case, I’d like to know that as well.

Rarely do I solicit comments, but this time around I ask that reguluar commenters and lurkers (there are thousands of you lurkers, I see you. I know) provide thoughts.

Yes, you read that correctly. Quotable Sunday is now Quotable Thursday (I don’t plan on blogging weekends any longer*) I’m dropping Thursday Thirteen and will continue Conversation Thursday when there’s a notable conversation to mention. So on with today’s quote.

“I suggest that the only books that influence us are those for which we are ready, and which have gone a little farther down our particular path than we have yet got ourselves.”  ~E.M. Forster, Two Cheers for Democracy, 1951

ETA: The weekend includes Friday.