The Power of Observation

By nature, I’m am observer, a disposition shared by many writers and other creative people.

I think it goes back to my childhood, which was unique. Most of my schoolmates lived in Central Monrovia and played with each other after school. My afterschool playmates on Bushrod Island attended different schools, so they didn’t know my “school friends.”

To make matters more interesting, some parents of my schoolmates were well-to-do and powerful while the parents of some neighborhood friends were fishermen, stevedores and school teachers.

Moving between different age-groups and communities nurtured my stance as a “watcher.” That’s not to say I’m introverted, just a keen observer.

My writing career grew out of an early love of storytelling and reading. My earliest entertainment consisted of folktales, riddles and eavesdropping on adults telling jokes, some bawdy and off-color. Until television became available in 1960, I listened to radio a lot, mainly ELBC, but also music from Voice of America, stories of Spider the Trickster told by “Aunt Clara” on ELWA, and the newscast from the BBC World Service.

My passion for reading was fueled at home. My parents didn’t attend college, but they believed in the transformative power of education.

Although we were Presbyterian, they scraped and sacrificed to send all their children to Catholic schools, given their reputation for high quality and discipline. In addition, they bought magazines like National Geographic and the UNESCO Chronicle, as well as a set of encyclopedia.