Activism with Heart and Soul: a Dialogue with Alice Walker Part One of Two with Alice Walker

Program Description

Speaking from the heart on a wide range of topics – poetry and writing, Mexico and the south, family and relationship, Buddhism and spiritual teachers, power and greed, politics and social change, death and transformation, and much more – Walker addresses these challenging times and how to live in balance. Her description of the beauty of solitude and having “hammock time” is captivating and reveals some of the source of her prolific creativity and personal integrity. This dialogue speaks to everyone concerned with the future of our society, our nation and our planet.

Alice Walker won the Pulitzer Prize and the American Book Award for her novel The Color Purple, which was made in a movie by Steven Spielberg. She is the eighth child of Georgia sharecroppers. After a childhood accident blinded her in one eye, she went on to become valedictorian of her local school, and attend Spelman College and Sarah Lawrence College on scholarships, graduating in 1965. Her other novels include The Temple of My Familiar, By the Light of My Father’s Smile, Possessing the Secret of Joy, and Now Is the Time To Open Your Heart. She is also the author of three collections of short stories, three collections of essays, five volumes of poetry, and several children’s books. Her works are heartful reminders of the strengths of family, community, self-worth, nature, and spirituality.

Topics Explored in this Dialogue:

• Where does creativity originate
• How to embody spirit in social activism
• How you can benefit from “doing nothing”
• What is “the raft” that takes us home

Program Number: 2963                 Host:                Interview Date: 7/22/2002