I was encouraged to read aloud in class and vocalize.

It's also a more personal medium. It seems to go directly to one's brain. There are no pictures to distract.

I'm still excited at being at a microphone and talking to listeners. I love that. It's the most basic element of what I do and I still enjoy it very much.

Some are pre-taped interviews because maybe we can't get that person live or maybe we're not sure it's going to work out right so we tape it an hour in advance.

People are always ready to admit a man's ability after he gets there.

Nobody cares about your wardrobe, what your tie looks like, or even if you're wearing one, and I don't.

But when you see personal artifacts relating to - by genealogy at least - a living human being, it was just more impressive to me than just about anything I've ever read about slavery before.