Big Beliefs

This I believe. I've been listening to NPR long enough to appreciate those words and smile when I hear them, because I know someone is about to move or inspire me, or maybe just make me laugh. Bill Gates believes that "the power of creativity and intelligence can make the...

By Jessica Centers

September 13, 2007

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This I believe. I've been listening to NPR long enough to appreciate those words and smile when I hear them, because I know someone is about to move or inspire me, or maybe just make me laugh. Bill Gates believes that "the power of creativity and intelligence can make the world a better place." Colin Powell believes in America and its people. John Updike believes in "the human value of creative writing." And Westword's own food critic, Jason Sheehan, believes in barbecue.

Based on the 1950s radio program of the same name hosted by Edward R. Murrow, This I Believe is an international project inviting people to write statements on "the core values that guide their daily lives." Essays are archived online and played on public radio. The book This I Believe, which was recently released in paperback, features contributors from all walks of life, including a Brooklyn lawyer, a part-time hospital clerk and a member of the Rhode Island parole board. Just as Murrow described the original series, these contributions, too, are the "personal philosophies of thoughtful men and women…who need have nothing more in common than integrity — a real honesty."

Dan Gediman, executive producer of the series for NPR, will be at the Tattered Cover, 2526 East Colfax Avenue, tonight at 7:30 p.m. for a presentation and signing. Local essayists, including Dr. Pius Kamau, who believes in his duty to heal, and mountain climber Phil Powers, who believes in slowing down, will also be in attendance. To read complete essays, go to www.thisibelieve.org.
Wed., Sept. 19

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