August Wilson won the Pulitzer Prize for "Fences" in 1987 and "The Piano Lesson" in 1990. In addition to these honors, he earned numerous other prestigious recognitions such as the Best Play award from the New York Drama Critics’ Circle, which he won in 1985, 1986, 1999, and 1990. Wilson finished a lifetime goal to write ten plays that represent black America through each decade of the 20th century shortly before his death on October 2, 2005. His ninth play in the cycle, "Gem of the Ocean," premiered in 2003. In this 2002 interview, August Wilson talks about how he is able to create characters who strike a chord with so many in his audience. “Everyone is so anxious all the time to tell other people what they think about the world. I see people do this all day, standing in the supermarket line. So I just say, ‘what are the philosophical ideas that my characters are expressing?’ and when you go see them, they’re not cardboard characters. Why? Because they’re expressing philosophical ideas—very often the same ones that you as an audience member have.” Reflecting on his life, Wilson says "I've found as you get older, life is very, very brief. A little flash and we're gone, so why not enjoy it while you're here? You know, life is not all one thing, but it's a combination of joy and pain and loss and gain and all those things all rolled up into one massive ball of energy. Hey, man, I'm part of this thing! I don't know how long, but I'm here now." New Letters on the Air is a production of New Letters literary magazine published at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. It is funded in part by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.

August Wilson won the Pulitzer Prize for "Fences" in 1987 and "The Piano Lesson" in 1990. In addition to these honors, he earned numerous other prestigious recognitions such as the Best Play award from the New York Drama Critics’ Circle, which he won in 1985, 1986, 1999, and 1990. Wilson finished a lifetime goal to write ten plays that represent black America through each decade of the 20th century shortly before his death on October 2, 2005. His ninth play in the cycle, "Gem of the Ocean," premiered in 2003. In this 2002 interview, August Wilson talks about how he is able to create characters who strike a chord with so many in his audience. “Everyone is so anxious all the time to tell other people what they think about the world. I see people do this all day, standing in the supermarket line. So I just say, ‘what are the philosophical ideas that my characters are expressing?’ and when you go see them, they’re not cardboard characters. Why? Because they’re expressing philosophical ideas—very often the same ones that you as an audience member have.” Reflecting on his life, Wilson says "I've found as you get older, life is very, very brief. A little flash and we're gone, so why not enjoy it while you're here? You know, life is not all one thing, but it's a combination of joy and pain and loss and gain and all those things all rolled up into one massive ball of energy. Hey, man, I'm part of this thing! I don't know how long, but I'm here now." New Letters on the Air is a production of New Letters literary magazine published at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. It is funded in part by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.