by Walter Mosley
started 8/9/07 finished 8/12/07

In 1996 I was volunteering with the National Black Arts Festival in their literary department. I had just been laid off from my job and qualified for the maximum amount of unemployment. Since the summer Olympics was coming in less than a month, I knew it would be impossible to find a job with the city overrun with European tourists….so I didn’t even try. One of my many duties (and non-paid workers have lots more duties than the paid ones) was to set up the rooms for the lectures, booksignings and film showings. Fortunately, I didn’t have to work the evening events (my paid superiors did that so they could stay up late and drink and then sleep in the next morning while I run across the Peachtree Road Race to get the festival bookstore open…but I digress), and I had a pass to get into some events for free. So one evening I had to choose between a lecture with Walter Mosley or a performance and discussion with Gwendolyn Brooks and Sweet Honey in the Rock. The ladies won out. After setting up the room for Mr. Mosley, I let him know that I had read his latest book and could he please tell me if Mouse was really dead. He told me that if I stayed for the lecture he would tell me. I explained that I couldn’t, it was Gwendolyn Brooks and Sweet Honey in the Rock! He stood firm and I had to wait a few years for the next book to answer my question.
After reading Blonde Faith (due to be published in October), the latest installment in the Easy Rawlins series, I need to speak with Mr. Mosley again. “Sir, is _______________ really dead?”
Oh, and I loved the book.