As told by Rick Bragg

When I walked into Dr. Stovall's 200 lecture class Tuesday, I really wasn't sure what to expect from the guest speaker, a 1996 Pulitzer Prize winner of whom I'd never heard. I was really hoping what Rick Bragg had to say was more stimulating than Bob Woodward's speech a few weeks ago, which had almost put me to sleep.

However, an Alabama-raised country boy, Bragg did not let his southern roots down. He said that if you were born in the South, you were inherently a good story teller. He just cultivated that talent and hobby and made it his career.

Bragg had one of those movie stories about his life--the kind that makes you think of "Remember the Titans" or some other story that portrays someone moving up from the bottom and beating all odds. I thought it was interesting, as well as encouraging, that Bragg could go from an aspiring UPS guy to renowned New York Times and St. Petersburg Times writer.

I liked that after all he had accomplished, he still seemed to have a great appreciation for the hard work and teaching of his parents, who had "worked with their hands" cultivating land and literally working for their food. His story as a poor teenager who had to drop out of college because he could only pay one class at a time reflected his desire not only to write, but also to use words to change the way he lived and the way others interpreted things.

He acknowledged the ability of news writing to "set prisoners free" and reveal the truth to the public. Bragg's belief in the power of the written word reminded me of my own love for writing.