WRITER’S AS NATIONAL TREASURES

I recently attended the local Willamette writer’s meeting in Portland, Oregon, which featured an interesting literary couple, Salli Slaughter and George Mason, who are spending their retirement years, traveling around the country in an RV named “Hardscribble Hacienda” with their wonder dog Ella, video-interviewing renowned authors, such as Tom Robbins, Jim Harrison, and Laurie R. King (twenty-seven artists to date) and sharing those interviews on their website: www.authorsroad.com free of charge.
What is quite unique about this couple is that they realize the inherent value that will be lost to society if these artists die off without their story being recorded. They have taken it upon themselves to document their stories, recognize them for what they truly are – praiseworthy purveyors of culture.
Using the couple’s own words: “We are doing this to honor one of America’s greatest natural resources — its writers. We know writers by their work, their impact, or their awards and reputations – but we know little about why writers write, how they write, and what they see as the future of this art.”
I have watched two interviews: poet, novelist, screenwriter, Jim Harrison & writer, publisher, labor activists, educator, and Fulbright scholar, Dennis Stovall. Both were well-worth the trip. The website again is: www.theauthorsroad.com and I highly recommended it….