List $29.95

Written & audio book narrated by Anna Deavere Smith - Unabridged Nonfiction - 1 MP3 COMPACT DISC - 4.5 hours

Publisher, Blackstone Audiobooks (February 2006)

ALERT! YOUR CD PLAYER MUST BE MP3 COMPATIBLE! MP3 audiobooks on compact disc can be played on newer CD players that support MP3 technology and accept a 4.75" diameter disc, and on any personal computer that has Microsoft's Media Player or similar software.

Listen to an MP3 audio clip.

"With a pithiness that wards away the preachy, Smith succeeds in conveying the pain, the joy and the effort that characterize a life on the stage and in the world." —Publishers Weekly

From “the most exciting individual in American theater” (Newsweek), here is Anna Deavere Smith’s inspiring yet brass-tacks advice to all aspiring artists.

“I have agreed to mentor you for a period of five years. Somebody you know (have I got it right that it was your grandmother?) made the highest bid on me as an item at a charity fundraiser. My deal was that I would mentor whomever ‘won’ me at the auction in some way for the next five years.”

In the manner of Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet, Anna Deavere Smith advises her young artist on everything from how to stay healthy to tips for building a diverse network of friends and professional alliances. Inspiring and deeply moving, this book has life-changing potential.

About the Author: ANNA DEAVERE SMITH has had a high-profile career as actor, teacher, and playwright. She has won two Obies, two Tony nominations, a MacArthur "genius" fellowship, and a Pulitzer Prize nomination. She is currently director of the Institute on the Arts and Civic Dialogue and is a professor at New York University.