I wrote poems and an essay about that weird language. We still remember it to a certain extent, and it still comes up when we're all together. It's so fundamental to how I think. Paul Beatty More Quotes by Paul Beatty More Quotes From Paul Beatty In The Sellout I tried to capture how we can talk and see race, how we see urbanity, and how we see our history. Paul Beatty capture race It's just never the same. At least for me.It's probably because it's just who I am, I never know what that [truth] is. It's so momentary to go, "Oh, yeah, that's true." That's a fundamental starting point for me - to figure out what's true from moment to moment to moment. Paul Beatty who-i-am moments fundamentals Like when you have the right title for something you're writing and you get lost - you can always go back to the title and go, "Yeah, that's what this is about." Paul Beatty titles writing lost It's all the same for me, how I teach, how I write, how I think. Paul Beatty teach writing thinking I'm hugely honored [with the Man Booker Prize]. Paul Beatty prize he-man men I forget how beautiful and calm California is. It's not so much about the place, but also the age that I came to the place and, well, other things. New York is hard. Paul Beatty california new-york beautiful I'm healthier in California, probably a little happier, maybe. Paul Beatty california littles If I'm in LA, I'm close to home, and that just brings up all these other things, good and bad. There is a reason why I am not there . Paul Beatty good-and-bad reason-why home I've written a little bit in Germany. Paul Beatty germany written littles I don't know exactly what a black Chinese restaurant would be, but I would sure love to see one. Paul Beatty sure-love chinese black I've also never written anything really in LA. Paul Beatty written There are certain things that happen in New York that just don't happen anywhere else. Paul Beatty certain new-york happens I'm not very pious about anything, fortunately, but I'm skewering myself first. I'm skewering things that I care about and things that are important to me and then just my own foibles. Paul Beatty care important firsts It's so hard to say what you really mean. For any number of reasons: to protect yourself, or if you just can't find the words. Paul Beatty reason numbers mean If all the students who slept through lectures were laid end to end, they'd all be a lot more comfortable. If all the world's a stage, I want to operate the trap door. Paul Beatty want doors world If New York is the City That Never Sleeps, then Los Angeles is the City That's Always Passed Out on the Couch. Paul Beatty cities new-york sleep I read an interview with a Japanese freestyle jazz musician once, and he said something like, "Everything I'm going to tell you is not going to be true." He's not saying, "I'm trying to lie to you." But he's kind of saying that you can never say what something really is. Paul Beatty musician trying lying There are always so many things happening [to us] at one time. We read Isherwood's A Single Man in class, and we had to ask: How is he talking about all this stuff: teaching, being lonely, all his memories, all at the same time? He's telling us: This is where my head is at, let me be straightforward. And of course, try be artful about it. Paul Beatty lonely teaching memories Even when it comes to writing fiction, how do you encompass all this stuff that's right on the tip of your tongue? You have to fold that into what you're working on. Paul Beatty stuff writing fiction I talk about folding it in often with Althea, my girlfriend. She's getting her doctoral degree at Berkeley and she talks about how even when writing these very academic, and, for the most part, serious papers there's just so much going on in her head and heart, and it's a reminder that there's a reason that she's studying these things. Paul Beatty girlfriend heart writing
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