Words from August Wilson

August Wilson is the highly acclaimed writer of plays such as Fences and The Piano Lesson which each earned him a Pulitzer Prize in Drama. His work tends to focus on "the black experience" in the US from the 1940's onward. Here are a few selected quotes from him:

Advice for life:
“Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing. Use the pain as fuel, as a reminder of your strength.”

Concerning attitudes toward music:
“Take jazz or blues; you can't disregard that part of the African-American experience, or even try to transcend it. They are affirmations and celebrations of the value and worth of the African-American spirit. And young people would do well to understand them as the roots of today's rap, rather than some antique to be tossed away.”

Concerning the Civil Rights Movement:
“I first got involved in theater in 1968. At the height of a social tumult, I was a poet.”