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The Universal Language of Life
More Details at: http://www.maxinethompson.com
Three years ago, when I received the call from www.voice.america.com, asking if I would be interested in hosting a literary Internet radio show, I knew in a heartbeat that this was what I wanted to do. I didn’t have to sleep on it. I didn’t have to call and consult with anyone. I said a quick prayer and called right back. Committing to do the show for at least 13 weeks just felt right. I decided to name the show, "On The Same Page," taken from the name of my Internet Column, because writers are generally on the same page as dreamers.
This blessing reminded me of an experience I had just before I began hosting on the show. A few weeks earlier, on a Sunday, I accidentally stumbled into a Spanish congregation at my place of worship. At first, I started to leave, but then decided to stay and see how much of the meeting I could understand. (I hadn’t taken Spanish in over 30 years.)
I felt like an outsider and it struck me. Most creative artists write from a point of outside observation. Many writers tend to live on the fringes of society. Even many famous stories are about “Outsiders” such as in classics like Nathaniel Hawthorn’s The Scarlet Letter, Theodore Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, or Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. As an African American I can identify with the alienation explored in Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man.
That day, though, even as the outsider, I was surprised at how many things I understood—in spite of the language barrier. Because I could not understand the language, I tuned into the sounds of babies crying and young children stumbling over words as they tried to read from their Bibles. I watched young mothers comfort their children; proud father’s easing sleeping babies out of their mother’s arms—giving the mothers relief. I studied young newly weds holding hands and sneaking intimate peeks at one another. At the close of the meeting, when we sang, I recognized the emotion in the songs I knew by heart, even if they were sang in a different language.
From this experience, I got an idea. Just as it is the writer’s job to be a student of life, ever looking at old experiences with a fresh eye, it is also our job to help connect humanity. Our writing should be so universal that if it were translated, say into Spanish, with its romantic-sounding rolling r’s, the reader could still relate to the human longings, the foibles, and the frailties.
I had learned something from this meeting. There are 3 languages—-the language of the home, the language of the world and the language we all share—-the universal language of life. In addition to writing and publishing issues, these are some of the subjects I’d like to cover on On The Same Page Internet radio show at www.voiceamerica.com. I wanted to examine our differences and similarities as explored through the works of different writers from diverse backgrounds.
I have done the show for another reason. I like interviewing writers. They are often visionaries and generally peace makers. Writers have started revolutions of change, thoughts and ideas with the power of the pen. In addition, writers can give insights into their works that readers may or may not have recognized. It’s like that old saying, "If a tree falls in a forest and no one hears it, is there any sound?" It’s about the stimulus and the receptor.
In order for people to understand each other there has to be communication. One of the first diversity trainings I attended as a social worker dealt with being non-judgmental. As a writer, how do we do this? We put ourselves inside the character’s shoes and as that old Indian proverb goes, "we walk around in another man’s moccasins."
In the wake of 911, it is imperative that people begin to understand how to walk in another man’s shoes. I want to dive beneath the surface and talk about the issues we as humans beings face. We must learn to connect to one another and embrace that we are all part of the family of man in order to communicate, to learn, to understand.
From this end I have done shows on Voiceamerica.com since 3/5/02, Artistfirst.com since March 2004, and I hosted on harambeeradio.com for a six month stint.
Now I am gearing up to begin the Maxine Show in January 2005. This show will be dedicated to authors, readers, entrepreneurs in the Internet marketing or literary arena. I will be interviewing experts in order for listeners to learn the art of "How To Do various skills.
The show will be broadcast through live365.com and found at my website at http://www.maxinethompson.com.
These are the benefits of on-line radio.
1.You get to discuss your book, as well as tell who you are as a human being. Many readers like to get inside of a writer's heads.
2. You can read excerpts from your book and answer call-ins or emails.
3. You get to give out your websites, or places your books can be purchased and you get experience with being interviewed by the media.
4. You get to build a larger fan base through the archives.
5. You get to connect emotionally with your readers.
6. Your interview is not limited to one geographical area such as in off-line radio.
Why is Internet radio cost-effective for authors?
Who can better sell our books than us? In order to compete on a global scale, we must make use of this new technology.
A book is the perfect gift for Christmas. Please order my books at
http://www.maxinethompson.com/ebookstore.html
http://www.maxinethompson.com/Catalogue.html
http://www.maxinethompson.com/literaryservices.htmlLink: http://www.maxinethompson.com
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