Yesterday, my department of Reading and Language Arts hosted Judy Freiberg who has been a writer for Sesame Street since 1975. She worked with Tony Geiss on The Land Before Time and An American Tail. It was nice to have a Syracuse connection with the show. After all, in my own textual lineage, I recognize that Sesame Street taught me to read. A Syracuse graduate has had a national influence, and if she didn't visit with our department today, I'm not sure I would have known who she was.
It was an honor to have lunch with her and to hear her wisdom. I'm always thrilled to learn behind-the-scene tales of writers and the multiple ways they work within systems. Sesame Street is a product of many people - it has a life of its own. Yet, behind the curtain are those who make it work...most of these individuals go unnamed and unknown. Elmo and Big Bird are in the vernacular of kids all around the world, but names like Judy Freiberg, are not. I suppose this is the power of writing. Our creations become our Frankensteins, which is both beautiful and tragic. Beautiful, because life (even when it is textual) can be gorgeous. Tragic, because it's hard to control a beast when it takes on a life of its own.
Sesame Street, without a doubt, is a life on its own. I can't imagine this world without it.
And for this reason, I'm thankful for Judy Freiberg and the other 'puppeteers' who script the world that changes the lives of children and adults everywhere. The power is omnipotence, indeed.
It was an honor to have lunch with her and to hear her wisdom. I'm always thrilled to learn behind-the-scene tales of writers and the multiple ways they work within systems. Sesame Street is a product of many people - it has a life of its own. Yet, behind the curtain are those who make it work...most of these individuals go unnamed and unknown. Elmo and Big Bird are in the vernacular of kids all around the world, but names like Judy Freiberg, are not. I suppose this is the power of writing. Our creations become our Frankensteins, which is both beautiful and tragic. Beautiful, because life (even when it is textual) can be gorgeous. Tragic, because it's hard to control a beast when it takes on a life of its own.
Sesame Street, without a doubt, is a life on its own. I can't imagine this world without it.
And for this reason, I'm thankful for Judy Freiberg and the other 'puppeteers' who script the world that changes the lives of children and adults everywhere. The power is omnipotence, indeed.
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