Wonderful Words From Kurt Vonnegut:
Life. What is it?
Get up. Come home. Watch TV. Rinse and repeat. Is that all there is?
I often wonder if I am doing it right? Is life all about money? What is this happiness thing that we all strive for?
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It’s guaranteed here in America. So where is it?
For me, happiness comes from my wife and kids and from reading science fiction. Never a day passes that I do not read something sci-fi related. When I make breakfast in the morning, I steal a few glances at my e-reader to sneak in a few extra minutes of reading. Time for bed means more reading, and of course I read throughout the day. I once heard a librarian say that he only reads non-fiction books. To live a life without fiction is unthinkable and akin to a sword slashing through my heart.
Our primary goal at Offworlders Publishing is to bring joy to people by providing them with science fiction novels and short stories they will love and cherish. Literature is a window into the soul of the writer. It’s a truly personal experience. The best writing resonates with readers as it grows the soul of the writer. Kurt Vonnegut had a deep understanding of this principle. In 2006, Vonnegut was the only writer to respond to a class assignment given to some New York City high school students. The students were asked to send letters to their favorite authors and ask them to visit their class. Kurt was the only author to respond. He did not visit the class, but he sent this delightful letter to the students of Xavier High School:
Dear Xavier High School, and Ms. Lockwood, and Messrs Perin, McFeely, Batten, Maurer and Congiusta:
I thank you for your friendly letters. You sure know how to cheer up a really old geezer (84) in his sunset years. I don’t make public appearances any more because I now resemble nothing so much as an iguana.
What I had to say to you, moreover, would not take long, to wit: Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what’s inside you, to make your soul grow.
Seriously! I mean starting right now, do art and do it for the rest of your lives. Draw a funny or nice picture of Ms. Lockwood, and give it to her. Dance home after school, and sing in the shower and on and on. Make a face in your mashed potatoes. Pretend you’re Count Dracula.
Here’s an assignment for tonight, and I hope Ms. Lockwood will flunk you if you don’t do it: Write a six line poem, about anything, but rhymed. No fair tennis without a net. Make it as good as you possibly can. But don’t tell anybody what you’re doing. Don’t show it or recite it to anybody, not even your girlfriend or parents or whatever, or Ms. Lockwood. OK?
Tear it up into teeny-weeny pieces, and discard them into widely separated trash recepticals
God bless you all!
Kurt Vonnegut
Photo Credit: “Kurt Vonnegut, da morto”
by Daniele Prati is licensed under CC BY 2.0