Matthew Arnold Stern
Contents
Books
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Guest
Matthew Arnold Stern is an award-winning writer and public speaker. He has written professionally since 1983. He published four novels, including Amiga and The Remainders, and a guide to impromptu speaking, Mastering Table Topics.
The Remainders
Black Rose Writing, 2021
"That's what books offer us, an opportunity to look into the lives of others, and for those stories to live on long after the people who told them are gone."
Credits
A World Without Books was created to help writers connect with readers. This Micro-Podcast provides authors a platform to share stories about writing, discuss current projects, and consider life without books. Listen to episodes on our website, Apple, Spotify, or wherever you podcast.
Past Forward is a curiosity company dedicated to educational accessibility. We work with community leaders from academic institutions, nonprofit organizations, private corporations, and public agencies to document today, with context from our past, and learn moving forward.
Transcription
Matthew Arnold Stern: That's what books offer us, an opportunity to look into the lives of others, and for those stories to live on long after the people who told them are gone.
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Hello, I'm Matthew Arnold Stern. I'm the author of five novels, including Amiga and The Remainders, and a book about public speaking called Mastering Table Topics. Of course, I love books. Our house is filled with them in bookshelves all over the place. I also understand that people have lived without books for a very long time. In many places in the world today, in cultures that do not have written languages, or don't have access to publishing, or in places where languages have been suppressed, they still don't have access to books.
In a world without books, we've depended on storytelling, and oral tradition, and passing tales along from one generation to another. That's how we got a lot of the stories that we have today, were oral stories that were finally written down. Books offer us three main things. First of all, they offer us longevity. I have books that are over 110 years old and they're still readable. I can look back at books that I had when I was a child. It offers us a glimpse back into time. Books also offer the ability to carry stories long distances. There are people who've read my books from all over the world. Also, books offer us fidelity that what we write down is what's going to appear on the page.
That's why I appreciate books so much, and that's why I create the books that I have. I write about people who are struggling with their pasts, and by facing their history, they're able to learn and grow from that. That's what books offer us, an opportunity to look into the lives of others, and for those stories to live on long after the people who told them are gone.
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