Alice Walker on 1/19/2009

I just watched Alice Walker in Washington D.C. the day before Obama got sworn in to be president. I'm sure all know but if you don't, Alice Walker is a wonderful author, poet, activist and a strong woman. She wrote The Color Purple which I am crossing my fingers for the play to come to Indianapolis. She wrote an open letter to Barack Obama that I thought was very interesting. I was so happy to watch this. I have cable but I only have basic. She was appearing on Book C-Span and I didn't know if I had the channel. When I did, I hopped off the couch and said YAY! A little excited...I know but I love to listen to other authors speak. I'm sure I have several reasons why I was drawn to writing. I am a very shy person. I love to read poetry but I always get really nervous reading it in front of people. Writing novels allowed me to be behind the scenes and live through other people-my characters. I often wonder if other writers are the same-quiet, loners, people who would rather listen than speak. People who would rather write in quiet instead of talk in noise. I don't know...it could be just be. Alice Walker was so soft-spoken with a lot to say. She read a poem she wrote shortly after her sister died on December 27, 2008. It was pretty long poem but one thing I remember was that her sister didn't believe in voting. That's not a surprise to me. She was from a generation who saw men, women and children die trying to vote. When Barack was elected, all I heard from myself as well as everybody I spoke to said they've never see this day or never would have thought that we'd see a black president. I said it. I still said it. I was watching Head of State with Chris Rock the other day and remembered thinking when the movie first came out back in 2003 that we would never have a black president. That is why this is a movie. The majority of movies are make-believe. They're supposed to be. One movie made out of comedy did actually come true in reality-Barack Obama is our 44th president. YAY OBAMA! I just had to say that. Alice Walker and Toni Morrison are two women whom I'd love to meet. Not only because they are writers, but strong women who express themselves through word so well that it's literally incredible. They are so intelligent and hush but so powerful. That is a great thing.