Gardening the Soul

Rating:
Summary: A very stimulating audio program!
Review: It is no secret that Alice Walker is one of the most prolific writers of our time. GARDENING THE SOUL is an interesting audio program whereby Alice Walker speaks candidly with Michael Toms, the co-founder of New Dimensions Radio, on a variety of topics such as: church life in the deep South, stories of the Old Testament, the real meaning of Aunt Jemima, the importance of pagan nature, her impressions of Fidel Castro and Cuba, the real nature of human nature, and about herself as a writer.

I believe my favorite discussion on this tape centers on how her writings, which comes in many different forms, feed on each other. Believing that everything in life has its own distinct nature, she describes her writings as one big garden that comes from one life - her life. Therefore, she sees her poetry as roses. Her novels are like root crops because they are so dense and talk about things that are really under the ground and deep. Her short stories are like tomatoes that are tasty enough for one to make a lunch out of them and go about the day without being committed. Her essays are like asparagus, whereby one can crunch on those for a snack. In short, she sees her writings as one large field that's being tended. Each form of writings growing there are expressions of the reality of the person who creates them.

GARDENING THE SOUL is a stimulating audio program and without a doubt, Alice Walker is a frank and powerful thinker/writer. Even though I did not agree with all of her philosophies, I did find what she had to say in this hour-long program were thought provoking ideas on how to live well and find happiness in a complex world.