August Wilson/Suzan-Lori Parks interview

In the middle of the summer, American Theatre magazine asked me if I would interview August Wilson for an article that would accompany the publication of Radio Golf, the last play in his unparalleled epic 10-play cycle. I’m a fan of Mr. Wilson’s and was grateful I’d been asked. I began to prepare: rereading his plays and taking deep breaths. Although I’d met him several times, now I was actually going to have an in-depth conversation with one of my literary heroes. On the day of the interview, just an hour before I was scheduled to talk to him, I got a call from a friend telling me that Mr. Wilson had just announced to the press that he was ill and he had been given only a few months to live. An hour later, when we spoke, my heart and mind were clouded with sadness. I could hardly keep from crying, but Mr. Wilson was clear, focused, funny and, as always, brilliant as hell.
         -- Suzan-Lori Parks, August 2005