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For the Love of Libraries

An Essay and Interview with E. Ethelbert Miller

Kathleen Hughes

Miller is the founder and director of the Ascension Poetry Reading Series, one of the oldest literary series in Washington. He currently serves on the boards of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation and the Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts (WALA). He is the vice president of the board of the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS). He is also an advisory editor for the African American Review, a contributing editor to Callaloo and a commissioner for the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities. He has served as a board member of the PEN American Center, the Associated Writing Programs (AWP) and is a founding member of the D.C. Humanities Council. For several years he hosted the popular weekly radio program “Maiden Voyage” on WDCU-FM as well as “Vertigo on the Air” on WPFW-FM. He can often be heard on National Public Radio (NPR).

In 1979, the Mayor of Washington D.C. proclaimed September 28, 1979, as “E. Ethelbert Miller Day.” Miller was awarded the Mayor’s Art Award for Literature in 1982, the Public Humanities Award from the D.C. Humanities Council in 1988, the Columbia Merit Award in 1993, the O.B. Hardison Jr. Poetry Prize in 1995, and the Stephen Henderson Poetry Award by the African American Literature and Culture Society in 1995. He received an honorary doctorate of literature from Emory & Henry College on May 18, 1996.

PL Managing Editor Kathleen Hughes interviewed poet/writer E. Ethelbert Miller on August 10, 2000. Below is the text of a talk that Miller gave at the D.C. Public Library on June 9 followed by a Q&A with the very busy, yet very accommodating, Miller.

Going Steady: My Love Affair with Public Libraries

E. Ethelbert Miller

If this is true, our libraries must be seen as kitchens, as places of warmth, where families gather. Our libraries must become sacred places, places where we learn to break bread, places where we define our communities and ourselves.

I believe that the world is beautiful and that it is changing. Our kitchens now must complete with fast food establishments, Starbucks, and malls that offer freedom of consumption. Our libraries must also compete. We must be able to present an atmosphere and setting as attractive as any designed by Borders or Barnes & Noble. We must be able to convince our community that there is a joy in standing in line in a library and talking to someone about a book, instead of ordering books online from Amazon.com, looking at words on a screen instead of into someone’s eyes.

How do we do this? How do we help our libraries grow and develop? What is the future of our libraries? All institutions rely on people. I consider everyone working inside a library to be a guardian of our culture, a protector of our history and values. Our libraries are sacred. We might not be monks and nuns, but we must understand the importance of our work when we walk around these corridors, when we sit at our desks, and when we answer the phone. If we fail to understand where we are, then we fail to strengthen the cornerstone of our society. If we show no dedication to our work, if we claim that we are tired or frustrated then what will happen to the people who look to us for information, for knowledge, for direction?

I believe that the world is beautiful when I visit a library. I need to see that beauty reflected. It is important to show concern for our physical space. Our libraries must be beautiful, starting with the outside of the building and it’s surrounding grounds. The physical maintenance of our libraries is first priority. In my neighborhood, when my son and I go out to play basketball in the early morning hours on the weekend, one of the first things we do is clean the court. I try to remind my son that he might have “game” but he also has trash on his court and if he loves the game, then he loves the court…the court becomes a sacred place…and you take care of it.

I love libraries and I am certain that this is something close to your own heart. The physical care and concern we have is like the foundation of our faith. The library becomes the rock on which we stand. All institutions rely on people, but what is the spirit of the people? What is the climate like inside of our libraries? I think it’s important to think of the word fun when we think of the library. Is the library fun? Is it a fun place to be? If we wish to attract our young people, our children, our new audiences, then we must encourage fun.

With an increase in leisure time in our society, with more attention and money being placed in entertainment, then our libraries must be at the center of how we spend our free time. Activities and programs, physical design and use of space, as well as staff training to increase morale can stimulate fun. Along with fun comes creative imagination. Our libraries must be institutions where new ideas are appreciated, as well as experimentation and taking risks. If we live during a time in which the book itself is being redefined, what does this mean for our public libraries? If we can access any book, download an eBook, or obtain information from the Internet while sitting in our beds in pajamas, why should we drive, take the metro, or walk to the library?

One visits the library, because people like you are here…you are doing things that matter. You should be doing things that are also new and exciting. If you don’t, you won’t be able to compete with other institutions. Here in our libraries, we must connect people with ideas. We must enter into innovative partnerships with our neighbors. Here at the Dr. Martin Luther King Library, for example, we must be the place that embraces controversy and political and cultural differences. It is essential to have a strong working relationship with Chinatown, and the MCI arena.

We are investors upholding democracy. cred places, places where we learn

Tomorrow, my friend Joann Stevens and I will become the new co-chairs of the Humanities Council of Washington, D.C. We are looking forward to serving our city and its diverse communities. It is impossible to talk about the humanities and humanities programming without discussing a partnership between the council and library system. We hope to have a good relationship with the D.C. Public Library System as well as the newly created D.C. Center for the Book.

We hope to begin talking about a Humanities Renaissance in our city. This discussion follows the important self-examination the D.C. Public Library System has recently undertaken. By the end of 2002, we should be doing new and wonderful things. It will be very important to have library hours that better serve our communities. I think downtown branches of libraries in major cities should be open 24 hours a day. But not without staff having input into their personal scheduling; and libraries also accepting responsibility for security issues.

If we are to talk about building community, then we must lay the first cornerstone. This begins with you. As our city grows, so must our libraries. In your job you should be learning new things everyday. If the library is responsible for disseminating knowledge and new ideas, then its first consumer must be you.

If we are going to talk about the rapid changes in technology and information sharing, then it is critical that all library employees be trained and represent one of the most skillful workforces in our communities.

If we are going to talk about the rapid changes in technology and information sharing, then it is critical that all library employees be trained and represent one of the most skillful workforces in our communities.

I also see librarians as teachers and cultural workers. Stop and ask yourself…what is it that you do? Libraries and librarians don’t exist in isolation. You are part of the network of educational institutions in our society. On a daily basis, you interface with schools, parents, and children. You also handle matters of culture.

Culture can be very explosive as well as very fragile. When we think about culture, we think about issues of identity. When we think of riots and wars…we think of culture—of cultures clashing and colliding. But when you think of culture, you also think of all the beautiful things the human has created.

Here in Washington, D.C. we see different cultures coming together and attempting to live together in a common place, a place that is also our nation’s capital. If we adopt a library theme of “building capacity, for building community” then we are in the forefront of attempting to revitalize our city.

If we are cultural workers, then we know our profession is radical and not conservative. Our libraries must be the place where conflicts are examined.

I wanted to call my comments today, “Going Steady: My Love Affair With Libraries.” I think it forces one to look at libraries the way we look at being young. There is something exciting about that first date, that first kiss, that first summer when one is in love.

This is the way it must be for the child, the senior citizen, the new immigrant, who opents the library door. Once inside, he or she must fall in love. . . with the resources we have, with the technology and programs that are free and available.

In a recent issue of American Libraries, I have an essay titled “A Writer’s View: A Journey to a Sacred Place.” I mention in that essay that ”the public library was a place my parents considered to be just as important as the church.”

You might remember when you first went steady how your parents wanted to know everything about that person. Where did they live? What did their parents do? Well, we must ask similar questions about the public library. We must ask where is its funding? How is it doing? We must be concerned about our library’s health. We must continue to check up on increased funding, good management, wonderful staff leadership, and vision.

Interview

A. The early influences on my work begin with popular recording artists like Bob Dylan and Paul Simon. I have a special love for the work of Phil Ochs and Leonard Cohen. Langston Hughes is important because of his direct style and the subtle simplicity of his poetry. I admire Hughes because he successfully made a living as a writer. He was also supportive of other artists. When I decided to seriously pursue my artistic journey it was around 1969. Poets like Amiri Baraka, Don L. Lee, Norman Jordan, and Sonia Sanchez were my first models. They were connected to the Black Arts Movement. I matured as a writer during the 1970s. My poetry changed because of the many women writers whose work I fell in love with. I was influenced by Ai, Thulani Davis, June Jordan, Ntozake Shange, and Lee Howard. I would not make a connection between Pound and my work. I admire Ferlinghetti but feel closer to Ginsberg and Frank O’Hara. Ishmael Reed has produced a number of things that still make me laugh. I think his fiction at time overshadows his poetry.

Q. You are known not only for the poetry you write, but also for your attempts to bring poetry to people’s lives, especially those that might never experience it. Do you find this interferes with your writing? Or does it inspire you to work harder? In “Fathering Words” you mention visiting schools and prisons. What affect do you perceive these visits to have?

A. I have a busy schedule. I define myself as a literary activist. I place emphasis on service. I try to be accessible to new writers and members of the literary community. Networking and sharing information is very important to me. I always find time to write and read. I take naps in order to work during the early morning hours. It is important to share one’s work with people living in shelters and prisons. Art is a gift from the heart. We should never create borders and boundaries between people. Love is the common language, which embraces freedom.

Q. Also in “Fathering Words” you mention that a career should be thought of as a journey, not a destination. Where are you in your career’s journey? You are a prolific publisher of poetry, and now you’ve published your memoirs. What are you working on now? Is there a possibility of any fiction in the future?

A. I feel I am beginning a new cycle in my life. This year I will be 50. I am presently working on a novel, a collection of poems influenced by my reading of Buddhism, and a two-volume anthology of black poetry (Beyond The Frontier) to be published by Black Classic Press. Along with the scholar Hazel Ervin (Morehouse College) I am editing the work of the literary critic Stephen Henderson. I have also written several essays that will appear in various books coming out in the next year.

Q. What do you think about the state of the literary world today?

A. I think our literary world is going through a significant transformation. The idea and concept of the book is changing. How we publish and distribute our work has become more democratic thank to the technology. It is vital that we have a global outlook. I continue to place emphasis on multiculturalism and learning to appreciate the art and culture of other people. More attention should be given to translation. The writer and translator Don Mee Choi (in Seattle) has been sharing with me the work of contemporary Korean women writers. My friend, the novelist Charles Johnson is learning Sanskrit. It’s an example of how many artists are entering this new century doing wonderful things.

Q. What are you currently reading?

A. Well here is a short list of books I recently read: The Blue Bedspread by Raj Kamal Jha; Waiting by Ha Jin, and Finding My Voice by Diane Rehm. I have a number of unpublished manuscripts by new writers to read. On my desk right now is a copy of Al Gore’s Earth In The Balance and Winston Napier’s anthology African American Literary Theory.

Q. What do you hope to accomplish in your work with the Humanities Council of Washington D.C.?

A. I think Washington D.C. has the potential to be a great city. As co-chair of the Humanities Council of Washington, I want to be able to help residents understand and appreciate their history and culture. I want them to gain better insight into their heritage as well as their changing neighborhoods. We must answer questions like, who are we? Where are we going as a city? I hope to coordinate a series of programs that will examine the influence of sports on our lives. How does our love for certain games define our American values?

Q. What advice can you give public librarians for staging successful poetry and events at their libraries?

A. It’s important for librarians to form partnerships with writers. Library events are free and special. Programs should highlight talent but they should also bring people together. I often describe the library as being a sacred place. It we view it in this manner, then our actions must be similar to faith made visible. We must continue to do good deeds. More people need to know about the good things libraries across America are doing. Maybe we need commercials on public television.

Q. You are a ver active poet/writer—constantly promoting your work and poetry in general, touring, giving readings, getting involved in literary projects. What advice can you offer a fledgling poet or writer?

A. Writers must write. They must enjoy the beauty of language. To often we concern ourselves with publishing and promotion. I encourage all new writers to first prepare for the literary journey by listening to their hearts. The first word we should include in our work is love. We must learn to write about ourselves as well as the beauty in nature. Discover the world, find things to celebrate and sing about. Remember that you are the children of Whitman.

Note: E. Ethelbert Miller has been the director of the African American Resource Center at Howard University since 1974. He is the author of:

• Andromeda (1974)
• The Land of Smiles and The Land of No Smiles (1974)
• Migrant Worker (1978)
• Season of Thunder/Cry of Rain (1982)
• Where are the Love Poems for Dictators? (1986)
• First Light (1994)
• Fathering Words: The Making of An African-American Writer (2000)

He is the editor of the following anthologies:

• Synergy: An Anthology of Washington D.C. Black Poetry (1975)
• Women Surviving Massacres and Men (1977)
• In Search of Color Everywhere (1994)

• “Spirit & Flame” edited by Keith Gilyard
• “Trouble the Water, 250 Years of African American Poetry” edited by Jerry Ward
• “The Garden Thrives” edited by Clarence Major
• “The New Cavalcade” edited by Arthur P. Davis, Saunders Redding, and Joyce Joyce
• “I Am The Darker Brother” edited by Arnold Adoff
• “Erotique Noire/Black Erotica” edited by Miriam DeCosta Willis, Reginald Martin, and Roseann Bell
• “I Feel A Little Jumpy Around You” edited by Naomi S. Nye and Paul Jeneczko

Kathleen Hughes is the Communications Manager and Managing Editor of Public Libraries; khughes@ala.org. She interviewed E. Ethelbert Miller on August 10, 2000.