so tell us about joseph heller's, the guy's guy, and in. i would love to know he was funny in person. >> well we didn't go to girlie clubs together. valerie heller is with us in the audience, but i didn't just say that for her benefit. we are coming together, which is odd for this reason. i reviewed for "the new yorker" the sql to "catch-22", a book called closing time, which is a sort of mad, jumbled novel and it is used to -- yosarian 40 odd years later. i couldn't resist quoting the line that sequels weren't necessarily equal. i'm a great admirer of "catch-22" but it was by no means all that admiring. i was very surprised when about a week later, a handwritten letter arrived and i looked at the upper left hand corner and saw the name joe heller and i thought oh my god. i actually delayed opening it for a few hours. i got it open and it said joe heller and it was one of the sweetest letters i have ever had. he said you know i think you understand my book better than i did and my wife was in tears when she read the last paragraph. so how co

so tell us about joseph heller, the guy's guy, the man's man. >> well, we didn't go to girly clubs together or anything. valerie heller, his widow, is in the audience, so -- but i didn't want just say that for her benefit. [laughter] we our coming together was odd for one reason, i reviewed for the new yorker the sequel called "closing time" which is sort of a mad jumble of a novel, and it's yo, and aria -- yosarian 40-odd years later. and it was -- i couldn't resist in the opening sentence quoting the old line that sequels respect necessarily equals. it was, i wrote a respectful review because i'm a great admirer of "catch-22," but it wasn't all that admiring, and i was surprised when about a week later a letter arrived, and i looked at the upper corner it said joe heller. i thought, oh, my god. i actually delayed opening it for a few hours. gotta open it, it's from joe heller. and it's one of the sweetest letters that i've ever had. and it said i think you understand my book more than i did, and my wire was in tears, so how could i not write back? remember the fax machine? i'm very glad t

programs featuring james baldwin and mary barack a, allen ginsberg, joseph heller, must build to therim. your writers like dave barry, carl heisman, less stand deferred, and james w. hall were fighting their voices and audiences. we have programs in spanish and creole, riders from the caribbean. my ambiance came to lender under that big tent that was the miami book fair that first glorious year. but it was not really as easy as it might seem. back then nobody thought of serious stuff or reading went on down in miami. i remember the time that i asked a pretty prominent publisher if you would send a pretty prominent author to us. his response was something like, no, you know, not her, but we have this author of a new nonprescription drug book would be perfect. old people, beach readers. that is the way miami was looked at. no as we move in toward 28 book fares, it is taking place right now. if you're quiet -- if you are quite you might be able to hear john reading tonight right now down in miami. and if you're going to be there on sunday he might be able to catch michael more as well w