Why I Write
This is a keynote talk for the Windham-Campbell Writers Prizes Festival I gave at Yale, September 20, with an introduction by Daphne Brooks. The whole context, with the presentation of prizes to eight writers, is at the start. Daphne's talk and mine begin at 29 minutes. With thanks to Michael Kelleher of the Windham-Campbell Prizes and John Donatich of Yale University Press, publishers of the Windham-Campbell Prizes annual Why I Write titles, where this talk, drawn from a much longer chapter, is scheduled to appear in the fall of 2024.
Thank you, Greil for sharing the story of your father with us. It could not have been easy to remember and retell the story of his death. Ironic that you and Robbie Robertson both had fathers whom you never got to know because they were killed before your births. Whether or not you and the late Mr. Robertson ever shared this information, I'm sure on some level it bonded you both to one another.
Oh my wow, Greil. What a powerful presentation! Brilliant - kind of a gut punch and a gut check, really, about being a creative human being. I loved this so much. I want to share, while knowing that having read most everything name-checked herein gives me somewhat of an advantage. But share i will. Thank you for this.