RIP, August.

The world has lost one of it's great artists. August Wilson died today.

When I was 21, I took my first trip to New York City with my Grandmother and my aunt. It was a wonderful experience, being in such a dynamic city and spending a week with those two wonderful women. We stood on line in Time Square for tickets to see Jelly's Last Jam on Broadway, but we could only get tickets for a drama called Two Trains Running. That play truly changed my life. The performers included Roscoe Lee Brown, Al White, and some kid named Larry Fishburn. I was entranced with the play and to this day, 12 years later, the story, the writing, and the performances still move me. It was one of the most dynamic pieces of theatre I have ever seen. It inspired me to follow my dream and to some day have the opportunity to move hearts and minds like mine was moved that afternoon.

I hope one day to have the honor of performing in one of his plays, and I pray that I will do his words and his legacy justice.

Rest in peace, August, and thank you for not only your beautiful body of work, but for inspiring me to follow my dream.