. >> i quoted so many times on this program the great paul roebson, i think he's a great american hero, often overlooked. i quote him because he was right when he said that artists are the gate keepers of truth. i believe that. with every core of my being. the flipside of that though is in moments like these, and you are -- you're eloquent, not just articulate, but eloquent in talking about what this moment means and yet what you write is fiction. the question is whether or not you ever feel like writing fiction in a moment where the nonfiction of our lives is so real, you know where i'm going with this? ever feel out of place or wasting your time? >> no, fiction, you know, historically, fiction has been one of the great ways of telling the truth. you know, if you gee -- >> agreed -- >> if you think about war and peace is the most, the most brilliant trait of the russian campaign. et cetera, so fiction itself is just another road to the truth. what i do think has happened, certainly to me, i can't speak for other writers, but to me, is it's made me question and set aside some of the wa