tilleman. [applause] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] speenine during the tvs recent exhibit to tulsa, we took a look at 60 prominent authors and their connection to the state.

>> across the country comes one of the great achievements of our time. a human revealing story that instantly becomes the most discussed novel. >> is a lot of stereotypes of oklahoma that come from some very powerful images. first of all the grapes of wrath. when i was growing up that was the one book my father would not allow me to be. i could read anything as long as it wasn't the grapes of wrath because he felt a defanged oklahoma. so many stereotypes about oklahoma and many from the book. that is not to say there wasn't the dust role poll in oklahoma and we're not a gospel forever. on the book we have this powerful john ford film with all of the images of the mesmerizing black-and-white images that the

dust blowing. so of course they've lingered with you both. of course people see oklahoma in that light. opposite hinted that we have the movie musical oklahoma! because oklahoma is a place where corn goes place where corn goes as high as an elephant died. that is not true either. oklahoma riders have had the extra challenge of reclaiming the oklahoma landscape in oklahoma people from stereotype that we are not all people that use that grammar, that we are not people that live in metal shacks and struggle against the dust. essentially that is the case for all oklahoma writers. we tell our story, reclaim our landscape in showing what is here. there's so many other things as well. the oklahoma writers exhibit is a vision of mine to help make oklahomans more aware of their literary heritage.

so many people, oklahomans included cds list for oklahoma is way down the bottom of the route when it comes to literacy, when it comes to competency in other academic skills and yet we have this rich literary history. so the exhibit is awaiting a press more aware of that. it's just the beginning. i've got to tell you. at 60 authors feature. we could feature 600. we are at a little bit behind. we have exhibited several opinions and they do this in conjunction with okay pop in oklahoma history center. the writers are part of our lives in several different locations in the several different activities embrace these writers and bring them into our scope. to become a part of everyday life inside a leading books on the shelf that we might forget sometimes. this is part of our multi-venue

exhibit. a bit of various tableau. this station is at the society and museum. this is my favorite quote from the entire exhibit. i violated history and telling the truth by the great historian, angie debow. what a story hers is. the fact this woman for marshall, oklahoma has the courage to tell the truth about the indian land theft that were disgraced oklahoma but nevertheless needed to be told. interesting in her later years she said i've said some of the most awful things about oklahoma politicians that no one seemed to hold it against me and i think that's extraordinary. of course john hope franklin telling the story of the greenwood race riot in some of the prejudices that have been occurred in oklahoma. so when we look at oklahoma history, we see it as a matter of going back and collector in

history. in many cases at oklahoma. when toni morrison came to oklahoma to do research for her novel one of the things she said that struck her about this tape was the fact that it was much more lush than she had made. a lot of times it is interesting to people that i've written about oklahoma have actually caused this change course in our history. jim lehrer wrote a really funny satire about oklahoma politics denoting the fact that there wasn't a crown on the oklahoma capital. if you look at the picture here you can see sure enough we have a dome now. many people credited with getting a kick started. exhibits consist of the narrative. we divided up by genre because oklahoma is an extraordinary genre flick journalists, memoirists historian, literary novelists, playwrights. beyond that, we also have some

personal artifacts just so people can understand that these writers are some faraway literary figures. they are real people with real names. for example, we have some of s. e. hinton's artifacts on display. she of course created the genre of young adult literature when she was 16 years old and rusty outsiders. the amazing irony and the amazing irony and she got a c. in her creative writing class on the outsiders. but we have her riding helmet. she loves to ride horses. she also collects frogs, so we have her bronze frog. so that gives you an inside look at her and we have pulitzer winner tracy lives and he was disappointed he didn't get an oscar nomination for his screen adaptation of the stage county. he said the only award i ever wanted to win was the pine wood

derby trophy. so we have his timely derby trophy in his little racer. this is just a way to know these authors on a personal level, to get familiar with them and to understand that their work was very personal for them that it was there hard that they were writing it was their commitment to oklahoma and they made sacrifices in order to build their artistic dreams. wherein all heart, but also the art center and we are looking at some of the writers featured here. first of all, i love this quote. he said adventure is a romantic name for trouble. it sounds well when you write about it but it tells when you meet it face to face in a dark and lonely place. i think that was true for many of these writers. these writers are great examples of defined stereotype. elmore leonard, the great mystery writer also are a

western writer. he was so proud of his oklahoma route. one of his novels was serialized in "the new york times" anyway set partially in the luxurious hotel in seoul said. when the first illustrations came out for al gore to look at, the illustration that the male motel wasn't given all of its grandeur, so he helped invent this is a luxurious hotel. you need to show up for what it is and all that is grand about it. oklahoma had its struggles with women's rights. when it comes served until 1952. women have learned to work around that in many ways. one woman who came from new york boys helen churchill. she was trying to get divorced in new york and that was a working. her husband was very powerful and so she came to oklahoma territory to establish residence and actually get a divorce. while she was here she wrote the first novel.

that was written about oklahoma territory called oklahoma romance. i love the way "the new york times" describes the book as a story complicated with a land claim. and then we have a rich history of memoirists here. we have the author who went to school at the university of oklahoma. that desire reminds us many people have visited our state and carried it with them. she still has very fond feelings for oklahoma. of course the wonderful satirist and one of my favorite essays is what i see when i look at the face of the $20 bill and she recalls a road trip commemorating the trail of tears because their own journey of self-discovery. we are very proud talking about women's rights a moment ago.

when the man killer, principal chief of the cherokee nation wrote her memoir who fight so hard for women's rights. she made the statement once that was she just assumed the role of principal chief because the chiappetta resigned to accept another position that people were fine with that. the weapon until she ran in her own right as a woman as she was to do it read. we were also so grateful today. o-oscar clifton tolbert, author of once upon a time when we were colored is one of our most memorable authors. he's from mississippi originally. he says when he came to oklahoma he actually discovered his voice. now i think this is wonderful. he's not only writing about his mississippi homeland but he is writing a next-line oklahoma's history nsn marshall are doing a

documentary about the 1921 greenwood race riot. and then our journey asked -- journalist. we all know the classic line from paul harvey. now you know the rest of the story. but of course will rogers. some people remember from his wonderful movies he's the only person i've ever heard of who could actually wrote a mouse, but a trade. he is a tiny rope to rope the mouse. but our exhibit items .2 as he was a very dedicated and very dedicated working journalist. he was also a serious man in sometimes he used the folksiness he is known for to address serious subjects. for example, his radio address, he can be in that limousine is a timely statement about the inequities of poverty.

bill moyers is from oklahoma. think about the great things he's done that's extraordinary. and the two-time pulitzer winner who gave his life in the course of covering stories about war. first of all i want people outside of oklahoma to know we are a literate state that we are a state producing an extraordinary number of incredible writers. the iraq elephants come invisible man for goodness sakes. the 100 best books of the 20th century. i've heard it mentioned suzi had created a genre of young adult literature. john berryman, that has made a national -- international impact with their work. i want to make people more aware of that. but i want oklahomans to be able to embrace their own heritage. we need an oklahoma