In Mississippi Black lives did not matter. I am senator david jordan from greenwood who attended the emmett till trial and have written from a cotton field to the state senate and include one chapter in my book which has been not the bestseller but a very good seller. But its for sale, too, in the bookstore so you all should go buy one of his books affect. Yes. So i attended the trial but the experience that i had there on the outside forward where the news media were where my first time meeting and africanamerican congressman named davis was with mrs. Teal and i was just a freshman that Mississippi College state, college at that time. And we were asked to give a report. Sargasso 25 cents a gallon. We headed for summer mississippi but when we arrived there worth staying around on the outside for a few minutes a beautiful lady walked up to his welldressed and reporter said were going to ask you some questions. Whether emmett till will get a fair trial in mississippi. And she said, well, i dont know. They asked her again. She said, i have with me Charles Diggs all the way from detroit, michigan. The questioner was asking i did not we had any blank back to congressman. That was openly set on the outside were went in to the trial. Included a chapter emmett till store and i got included in my book which is, its out there who just want people to know that im a living witness of the trial. Everybody in the senate knows that because they are pressured to buy the book ive written on emmett till. And ive had the highways named after emmett till, but we requested, and unfinished, more than a decade ago that civil rights history should be taught in the Public School system. But the believe it or not people are reluctant to talk about. Im talking about both africanamericans and white americans as well. I think well have to amend that and make it so it shall be taught in the Public School system so everybody is learning about the history of the mississippi delta and other parts of mississippi. Thank you very much. [applause] that was a great panel. We will have to clue the room now to get ready for the next one, but before we do that please help me thank all of our participants. We hope you will see the next panel. [applause] [inaudible conversations] you for watching booktv, nonfiction authors and books every weekend on cspan2. Television for serious readers. Next from last month Miami Book Fair, Bryan Doerries is joined by Paul Giamatti and david strathairn. Good evening. Apparently the Miami Book Fair society has been renamed after me. So i think you all for that and thank you all for braving the monsoons attractive for joining us tonight. Up had to be representing the founding members of the book fair is literary society. We are the fairs newest membership category for young professionals, special welcome to our membership in the amazing seated in the front. If you want to find out more about it and join us for future events please go on to the website. Our purpose like all the other supported for positions is twofold. We want to make sure that the book there remains and said we want to promote book culture in miami yearround to issues of events to keep our groups together. Book fair is one of those times where you wish you had cloning technology, be everywhere at once but however there is always cspan, so thank you to them for 18th year of coverage. Even with all the wonderful programming going on tonight, just a place i would rather be other than he with our distinguished guests. Exactly a week ago last saturday i was in paris in the middle of the chaotic aftermath of the terrorist attacks. We all know, even after the talks as a we live in a world where the very nature of war and tom is changing everyday. Today it is my image pledged to introduce three gentlemen who are bringing their incredible talents to bear on classic theater and incorporate it into a very relevant modern issue. We are to have a phenomenal resume so pretty much capital. You know who they are go briefly introduced in both the first is Bryan Doerries, writer, director and translator and most important the founder of theater of war come a project that represents the readings of ancient greek place ever since then to service members, veterans, caregivers and families helping them initiate conversations about the visible and invisible wounds of war. He is a selfdescribed evangelist for classical literature and its relevant to our lives today because forthcoming book, the theater of war what ancient greek tragedies can teach us today will be published in september. Our next guest needs no introduction as well. He was so they recognized after Paul Giamatti. He yes. [applause] an accomplished actor both onstage and on the screen, he has too many credits to mention, some of my favorites though are cinderella man, sideways, and, of course, love and mercy. Our final guest is Academy Award nominated actor david strathairn. Yes. [applause] you know him from such great lows as a edward r. Murrow and goodnight and good luck, and also in Steven Spielbergs lincoln. However, for me the most disturbing thing is being backstage within an feeling like im some of an episode of the blacklist. [laughter] what is incredible about it is has been involved in the theater of war since its inception and he is that its among the most vital and rewarding experiences of his acting career. So without further ado i will get off the stage, turn over the mic to bryan and let them introduce our actress. Thank you. [applause] [cheers and applause] thank you so much. My name is Bryan Doerries, and founder of the theater of war in my book is not forthcoming in september. It was published in september. Thats why we are here. And it is on sale. We are delighted to be performing a 40 tonight from the book. The two actors, paul and david have joined he came down from new york city this afternoon to perform for you, are part of a Larger Company now close to 200 actors who when they get the call for me to want to fly in the back of the plane, stay and hold it in, perform greek tragedy for a thousand marines come in and talk about their feelings, they jump, they jump at the operative because they believe like i do theres nothing more important that we could ever do with our craft than what we do not tonight with the project that we perform. In our profession its rare to get we are of service with her talents comes with be able to be of service, to make a difference in peoples lives is significant to you were on. You were not mandatory to come. We appreciate your presence. I presume you came seeking something and so tonight were going to perform several such of my book, the theater of war what ancient greek tragedies can teach us today which was published in september, and then when we are done with the reading im going to come back out and joined actors and open it up to discussion. Both about what we do and what weve experienced, the communities we perform for the pentagon, shelters, churches, guantanamo bay, cuba, the middle east to your own personal reactions as youve heard it tonight. We will run all of the beyond our because we want to leave room for people to be heard, and without further ado im going to turn things over to paul and david for the reading of my book, the theater of war. [applause] learning through suffering. In the fall of fourth grade i had a small role in the production of euripides medea, or local committee called in virginia or my father taught and experiments in psychology. I played one of the illfated boys slaughtered and other pathological jealous mother. I can still remember my one line, which i belted backstage with abandon. No, no. The sword is falling. Director, a short fire german man with spiky want to end a black Leather Jacket always draped over his shoulders like a cape would scream at the casting result of the top of his lungs into we delivered our lines with the appropriate zeal. Zeal. Whenever our performance is. Whenever our performances reached the desired fever pitch he would jump up from his chair and explode with delight. Now, we are cooking. [laughter] during daytime performances from local high school students, the board of in the theater was as probable as the thick layer of humidity generated by sweaty adolescents whispering and blowing spit balls in a shadow waiting for the agony to and. Whenever i entered the stage wearing a tight old polyester tunic which clung to my eyes and pitched mercilessly, i heard rippling waves of laughter through the crowd. What was so funny, i wondered . Squinting into the stage lights. After the show closed after task order one and my fellow actors confirmed that the laughter had, in fact, been at my expense. Unaccustomed to wearing a tunic, i had provide a high school audience with an extended full frontal view of my underwear while perched atop a large granite boulder. Seeing my fruit of the looms was likely the most memorable event in those students mandatory encounter with euripides. Most of us probably developed an allergy to ancient greek drama in high school when some well intended an english teacher part of to replace like oedipus rex, antigone, prometheus bound, and rigid victorian translations, or force us to watch seemingly endless films featuring british actors in it was getting shes in golden sandals proclaiming the refrain behind masks. Your early encounters with the ancient greeks that you can ambition to avert pickup line again. You are not alone. Aeschylus is known that humans learn through suffering, but for most of us, studying ancient greek drama is just an exercise in suffering with no educational value. One hope of this book is to administer an antidote to the obligatory high school did on ancient greek tragedies. One concept that gets built into our heads in high school is state, the word for faith in ancient greek means horse. It was worshiped in the form of three goddesses, the spinner, the outlaw, and the untenable. Fate was older and more powerful than all of the gods combined and the entire cosmos was subject to its laws. No one left above it or be onto. Yet the greek concept of faith as it is encountered in greek tragedy, much settled that many of us generally understand. In tragedy the concept of fate is not mutually exclusive of the existence of free will, nor does the ancient idea of destiny negate the role of personal choices and human agencies. In 1976, the year i was born, my father was diagnosed with type two diabetes, and insidious, cruel disease that has meant his mind and body slowly, almost imperceptibly over a period of 33 years. Despite of the diagnosis he adamantly refused to adjust his lifestyle though he knew this choice would eventually come out a deadly cause. The nurse a newsfeed diverse. And the bones in his ankles collapsed. Then came the entry of illusions, the festering sores, about a collide, the kitty kelley, daily dialysis treatment, kidney transplant, septic infections, the endocarditis, the blind, dementia, seizures, horrifying hallucinations and finally after much suffering, a protracted, terrifying death doing what she believed that gaggle of black raven like a demons were swarming all around him waiting to take his soul to hell. The word diabetes comes from the greek word, to run through. The name derives from the signature symptoms of the disease, an unquenchable thirst combined with the constant need to urinate. Water runs through diabetes. A condition results from a deficiency in the pancreas which normally produces insulin, a hormone that regulates sugar levels in the blood. Without enough insulin sugars run wild kolzig among other symptoms extreme thirst while subtly choking off the blood supply to nurse and the disease leaves no organ unscathed. Type ii diabetes is a fitting metaphor for the human condition portrayed in ancient greek tragedy and for the interdependence of human action and fate. Those who are diagnosed with the disease often this is a genetic predisposition to develop it. It is written into their dna like an ancient intergenerational curse. And yet what diabetics choose to do with the knowledge of the condition has a direct impact upon their lives, and upon those who love them. Thus, in spite of the curse of the disease, diabetics still play a role in shaping their destiny. Faith describes the cards we are dealt. The portion were given at birth. Tragedy takes how our actions shape our destiny. No one ever said that change is easy but my father believed it was impossible. A few blocks from where i had groan up. I brought him a chocolate milk shake from montys dinner we had frequented. We had run out of things to said. I didnt notice his absence through a fade of black. We stopped in the darkness for a time and looked at each other with understanding and regret. Finally after my father closed his eyes, i tossed my coat over my shoulder and slow sli approached his bed and looking at him for last time. Suddenly without opening his eyes, he reached up and grabbed my arm pulling me towards his face with the desperation. Same thing is going to happen to you and your father. Its fate, its fate is his dementia talking and not him. Whenever i heard in my body we resisted the idea that humans resisted the ability, thinking about the way my father had interpreted fate placing concept at the center at selfdestructive, selfview, the objective of an shient greek tragedy was radically different frn what we have imagined for thousands of years. Fate requires human action or inaction in order to be fulfilled. Tragedy was designed to promote a possibility of change. In other words, the fate that awaits was avoidable and so was my fathers, so is yours and so is mine. The words sophomore comes from two greek words. During my sophomore or second year at small liberal school in ohio, i determined to take on the entire classical tripod, greek, lat inand latin and he brew. Hebrew was another story and i could not find a professional with the time and inclient occasion to teach me the language of the Old Testament so i had to improvise. I started teaching myself the alphabet, training my eyes to read from right to left. I hounded the one member of the religion faculty who might have been able to help with the hope of my conveying my unflagging passion and dedication. A door opened and a master appeared one afternoon i received an unexpected phone call from professor dean. In americas provessor culman might be able to take me on as a student but i would go meet with him to see if i was a good fit. As an under graj wait she had studied with dr. Cullman and knew firsthand the level of commitment she required of her students. The tone of voice conveyed optimism tempered by the possibility that after meeting me dr. Cullman might not be inclined to move forward with the independent study. Dr. Cullman lived on a mile of campus. Remained a figure, classical european and education that had reached its heights during the late 19th century. Rumor had it that dr. Cullman knew as many as 20 languages and according to one story in his career he had thought 11 classes over the course of one semester in five different departments, classic, psychology, religion. The academic distinctions were arbitrary. Child later completed undergraduate work in switzerland studying under martin bober. His house in rural ohio overflowed with broken furniture, over the stairwell leading to basement a fading poster of albert einsnein was larger than life. Set complete essays of collective shakespeare and the decline and fall of the rom and empire among many other that dr. Cuma believed to read. Each time he started reading the books, he started reading again. Once i started asking questions as a young student, he described what people were memorized. The students received in order of their rank, telephone smallest of mistakes, instructor would cut him off by saying, im sorry, but you have no promise. [laughter] and pointing to the back of the room. I vividly remember the day that i submitted myself to a 45minute interview at dr. Cumans home as he reviewed my febal academic qualifications at his dining room. Expecting me through black cock bottle glasses. It appeared to look straight through it. We began our studies in latin when you called elementary, greek in what you called middle school and we were Promising Students hebrew in high school, you have only one year of greek and no latin. What makes you think that you are qualified to study hebrew. His questioning continued in this fashion for at least another 30 minutes as he depicted the many challenges of hebrew gram ar and pronunciation apparently he had conducted his own background check that i was a disciplined student with atroshous handwriting who probably struggled with a mild undiagnosis dislexiai listened intently to his every word. In greek well, also silent. After he finally seemed to have expanded all possible argument he leaned closer, paused and said, but if you are willing to endure hardships that we will undertake together, i would be delighted to have one last student. That was the day my true education began. For three years i visited dr. Cullman every day to study classical languages and course that i had only dreamed off when i enrolled in college. My parents enrolled in a speedy reading course. Dr. Cullma i would read even more. At the end of the lesson we would spread out hebrew, latin and german, along with comment aries. Comparing translations and digressing for hours. The name for this meticulous method of reading almost completely lost to the world is exit jesus, a great word to lead out or to lead out from. Rather than scanning for surface level comprehension, the goal to extract layers upon layers to careful analysis and interpretation. As we move through sections and later sections, portions of epics, st. Agustins confessions, dr. Puman would recommend with provocative session. Before i could respond, he would answer. He was asked by Barbara Walters in the 20 20 interview. Why he wrote poetry, he replied to save the words. That is also the job of celebrities. The loving words made salvaging some from obscurity while discarding others. Nice in latin ig no ignorance. The greeks had at least three verbs that meant to love, each with subtle change of meaning. Hebrews the seed of emotion derives from the throat. Resides in the chest and guides decision making. I learned many things but perhaps the most important what i read in classical context. We treated this Daily Exchange of Current Events as an integral part of the session connecting the past to the morning. I vividly remember the day that new york city replaced time on a black and white layout with a la