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Writing Labor History - Steve Watkins & Rosemary Feurer
We delve into writing labor history with Steve Watkins, author of "The Mine Wars: The Bloody Fight for Workers’ Rights in the West Virginia Coalfields," a riveting true story of the West Virginia coal miners who ignited the largest labor uprising in American history. Watkins is joined by labor historian Rosemary Feurer.
This conversation took place during the American Writers Festival on May 19, 2024 and was recorded live. To learn more about the American Writers Festival, click here: americanwritersmuseum.org/american-writers-festival/
About "The Mine Wars:"
In May of 1920, in a small town in the mountains of West Virginia, a dozen coal miners took a stand. They were sick of the low pay in the mines. The unsafe conditions. The brutal treatment they endured from mine owners and operators. The scrip they were paid-instead of cash-that could only be used at the company store.
They had tried to unionize, but the mine owners dug in. On that fateful day in May 1920, tensions boiled over and a gunfight erupted-beginning a yearlong standoff between workers and owners.
The miners pleaded, then protested, then went on strike; the owners retaliated with spying, bribery, and threats. Violence escalated on both sides, culminating in the 1921 Battle of Blair Mountain, the largest labor uprising in United States history.
In this gripping narrative nonfiction book, meet the resolute and spirited people who fought for the rights of coal miners, and discover how the West Virginia Mine Wars paved the way for vital worker protections nationwide. More than a century later, this overlooked story of the labor movement remains urgently relevant.
About the panelists:
STEVE WATKINS is an award-winning author of twelve books for young readers, including "Down Sand Mountain," which won the 2009 Golden Kite Award for young adult fiction. He also writes books for grown-ups, and won a Pushcart Prize for one of the stories in his collection "My Chaos Theory." He is co-editor of the online ideas and features magazine "Pie & Chai," a former English professor at the University of Mary Washington, a longtime yoga instructor, and father of four daughters. He and his family live in Fredericksburg, VA.
ROSEMARY FEURER’S research and teaching interests focus on understanding the political economy of social conflict. She focuses on labor movements and conflict within the context of U.S. capitalist development spatially, socially and economically during the late nineteenth and twentieth century. Her new work follows the story that made for violent conflict in Illinois and also helped to make it the strongest unionized state in the nation, tentatively entitled "The Illinois Mine Wars, 1860-1930." It covers the epic conflicts that helped to define Illinois as one of the strongest labor states in the nation. She is also working on a new biography of Mother Jones, the renowned labor activist and agitator of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. She has always connected her research to public history projects, including tours, electronic media, oral history and video production. Feurer is the author of "Against Labor: How U.S. Employers Organized to Defeat Union Activism and Radical Unionism in the Midwest, 1900-1950."
Переглядів: 28

Відео

The Lasting Influence of Lorraine Hansberry: J. Nicole Brooks, Natalie Y. Moore & Ericka Ratcliff
Переглядів 28День тому
American Writers Museum and the Lorraine Hansberry Initiative present The Lasting Influence of Lorraine Hansberry. Playwrights J. Nicole Brooks and Natalie Y. Moore discuss the impact of Lorraine Hansberry on their work, on American writing, and on the city of Chicago. Moderated by Ericka Ratcliff, Artistic Director of the Congo Square Theatre. This conversation initially took place August 22, ...
Writing About Writers - Mary V. Dearborn, George Getschow, Harold Holzer & Monika Zgustova
Переглядів 2621 день тому
In this panel discussion, biographers and novelists discuss what its like to write about the lives and legacies of renowned writers. Featured writers include Mary V. Dearborn on Carson McCullers, George Getschow on Larry McMurtry, Harold Holzer on Abraham Lincoln, and Monika Zgustova on Véra Nabokov. Moderated by Peter Coviello. This conversation took place during the American Writers Festival ...
New Fiction Panel - Donna Hemans, Jessica Shattuck, Yukiko Tominaga & Michael Zapata
Переглядів 821 день тому
In this panel discussion, "New Fiction," four acclaimed novelists-Donna Hemans, Jessica Shattuck, Yukiko Tominaga, and Michael Zapata-discuss their craft, process, and recent novels: "The House of Plain Truth" by Donna Hemans - A lyrical, lush, evocative story about a fractured Jamaican family and a daughter determined to reclaim her home. "Last House" by Jessica Shattuck - A sweeping story of ...
Polarizing America: Chicago 1968 - Heather Hendershot & Kevin Boyle
Переглядів 67Місяць тому
Media historian Heather Hendershot discusses her book "When the News Broke: Chicago 1968 and the Polarizing of America," a riveting, blow-by-blow account of how the network broadcasts of the 1968 Democratic Convention shattered faith in American media. She sits down with historian Kevin Boyle to discuss these themes and shows how this historic moment has lead to our current media ecosystem and ...
Writing Other Worlds - Darcie Little Badger, Michi Trota & Suzanne Walker
Переглядів 31Місяць тому
Award-winning speculative fiction writers Darcie Little Badger, Michi Trota, and Suzanne Walker discuss their work, crafting other worlds with writing, and representation in the science fiction genre. This conversation took place during the American Writers Festival on May 19, 2024 and was recorded live. To learn more about the American Writers Festival, click here: americanwritersmuseum.org/am...
Panel Discussion - Amanda Flower, Sarah James, Brianna Labuskes, Brianna Madia & Dipika Mukherjee
Переглядів 27Місяць тому
In this panel discussion, "Making Up True Stories: Novels and Books About Real People," bestselling authors discuss fictionalizing real people, how a person’s life becomes a story, and the ethics of taking over someone else’s life. Featured writers are Amanda Flower, Sarah James, Brianna Labuskes, and Brianna Madia. Moderated by Dipika Mukherjee. This conversation took place during the American...
Writing Politics Today - Mark Bowden & Natalie Y. Moore
Переглядів 52Місяць тому
With new information coming out every day about the plot to overturn the 2020 election, reporter Mark Bowden sits down with Chicago journalist Natalie Y. Moore to talk about his new book, co-written with Matthew Teague, "The Steal: The Attempt to Overturn the 2020 Election and the People Who Stopped It." Bowden shares insights into what it's like reporting on politics today, what's at stake in ...
John Berendt and Taylor Mac discuss "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: The Musical"
Переглядів 157Місяць тому
Writers John Berendt and Taylor Mac discuss the Goodman Theatre's world-premiere stage musical adaptation of "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil." Berendt is the author of the original book the musical is based on, and Mac wrote the book for the adaptation. This conversation originally took place July 8, 2024 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. For a full list of upcoming...
Writing Chicago Food & Comedy - Jamie Loftus, Chelsea Hood, and David Hammond
Переглядів 622 місяці тому
Comedians Jamie Loftus and Chelsea Hood talk about Chicago hot dogs, comedy writing, and Jamie’s cross-country journey to write "Raw Dog: The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs." Moderated by food writer David Hammond. This conversation took place during the American Writers Festival on May 19, 2024 and was recorded live. To learn more about the American Writers Festival, click here: americanwritersmus...
A conversation with Paul Tremblay, author of "Horror Movie: A Novel"
Переглядів 3242 місяці тому
American Writers Museum presents a discussion with national bestseller Paul Tremblay about his new novel "Horror Movie: A Novel," a chilling twist on the "cursed film" genre from the author of "The Pallbearers Club," "A Head Full of Ghosts," "The Cabin at the End of the World," and more. Tremblay’s latest is an obsessive, psychologically chilling, and suspenseful feat of storytelling genius tha...
A conversation with R. O. Kwon, author of "Exhibit"
Переглядів 1383 місяці тому
American Writers Museum presents a discussion with bestselling author R. O. Kwon about her new novel "Exhibit," an exhilarating, blazing-hot novel about a woman caught between her desires and her life. Kwon is joined by fellow author Nami Mun. This conversation originally took place May 5, 2024 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. For a full list of upcoming programs and events...
American Writers Festival 2024
Переглядів 1283 місяці тому
Highlights from the 2024 American Writers Festival hosted by the American Writers Museum and Chicago Public Library. May 19, 2024 at the Harold Washington Library Center in downtown Chicago. 70 writers representing a variety of genres 30 author discussions, panels, and workshops 20 local partner organizations 5 stages at the Harold Washington Library Center 1 day to remember! Learn more here: a...
God(s) & Gaming
Переглядів 663 місяці тому
A panel discussion exploring religion through narrative games, presented in conjunction with the AWM's special exhibit "Level Up: Writers & Gamers," on display now. Learn more here: americanwritersmuseum.org/level-up-writers-and-gamers/ This discussion features Emily Crews, Executive Director of the Marty Center at University of Chicago Divinity School; Keisha Howard, creator of Sugar Gamers; G...
A conversation with Sara Paretsky, author of "Pay Dirt," a V.I. Warshawski novel
Переглядів 2564 місяці тому
A conversation with Sara Paretsky, author of "Pay Dirt," a V.I. Warshawski novel
A conversation with Daniel de Visé on how "The Blues Brothers" was made
Переглядів 3025 місяців тому
A conversation with Daniel de Visé on how "The Blues Brothers" was made
A conversation with Jennifer Keishin Armstrong, author of "So Fetch: The Making of Mean Girls"
Переглядів 326 місяців тому
A conversation with Jennifer Keishin Armstrong, author of "So Fetch: The Making of Mean Girls"
Quilter Dorothy Burge discusses "Dark Testament" and art as activism on Chicago Today
Переглядів 596 місяців тому
Quilter Dorothy Burge discusses "Dark Testament" and art as activism on Chicago Today
A conversation with Ed Zwick, author of "Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions"
Переглядів 5717 місяців тому
A conversation with Ed Zwick, author of "Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions"
A conversation with Tim Spofford, author of "What the Children Told Us"
Переглядів 897 місяців тому
A conversation with Tim Spofford, author of "What the Children Told Us"
A conversation with Laurence Leamer, author of "Capote’s Women"
Переглядів 1,5 тис.7 місяців тому
A conversation with Laurence Leamer, author of "Capote’s Women"
A conversation with Gabriel Bump, author of "The New Naturals"
Переглядів 1789 місяців тому
A conversation with Gabriel Bump, author of "The New Naturals"
Get Lit! - After Hours Events at the American Writers Museum
Переглядів 5549 місяців тому
Get Lit! - After Hours Events at the American Writers Museum
A conversation with Clara Kumagai, author of "Catfish Rolling"
Переглядів 1459 місяців тому
A conversation with Clara Kumagai, author of "Catfish Rolling"
Words and Machines: The Future of Writing with Jonathan Taplin and Michi Trota
Переглядів 629 місяців тому
Words and Machines: The Future of Writing with Jonathan Taplin and Michi Trota
Book A Private Event at the American Writers Museum
Переглядів 22910 місяців тому
Book A Private Event at the American Writers Museum
A conversation with Curtis Chin, author of "Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant"
Переглядів 30710 місяців тому
A conversation with Curtis Chin, author of "Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant"
A conversation with Patti Hartigan, author of "August Wilson: A Life"
Переглядів 18310 місяців тому
A conversation with Patti Hartigan, author of "August Wilson: A Life"
A conversation with Viet Thanh Nguyen, author of "A Man of Two Faces"
Переглядів 1,1 тис.10 місяців тому
A conversation with Viet Thanh Nguyen, author of "A Man of Two Faces"
A conversation with Peter Coviello, author of "Is There God After Prince?"
Переглядів 12310 місяців тому
A conversation with Peter Coviello, author of "Is There God After Prince?"

КОМЕНТАРІ

  • @kikexx54
    @kikexx54 4 дні тому

  • @Mr.Babadook
    @Mr.Babadook 5 днів тому

    He’s the best!

  • @Shipwreckd
    @Shipwreckd 6 днів тому

    This was great - the breadth of knowledge of these two men is quite astounding. Worth your time even if you think you know The Waste Land and its contexts.

  • @nativevirginian8344
    @nativevirginian8344 18 днів тому

    Enjoyable video & conversation. Thanks!

  • @johnkeeley167
    @johnkeeley167 Місяць тому

    Dominic A Pacyga is a Chicago treasure. Love him! So infrmative.

  • @CosmicDruidry
    @CosmicDruidry Місяць тому

    Thank you for sharing this. What a fascinating time in our history! Heather Hendershot is displaying some real expert-level knowledge here.

  • @WhatYaReading
    @WhatYaReading Місяць тому

    Loving this book ❤

  • @kitty8908
    @kitty8908 Місяць тому

    This definitely looks like a museum that I would go to!

  • @dadtype2339
    @dadtype2339 Місяць тому

    Also, Also.... Subscribed and 👍❤️

  • @dadtype2339
    @dadtype2339 Місяць тому

    16:24 I believe those are more commonly known as Hemostats. Retired Firefighter and Paramedic here. And Writer. In 2004, there was a writing competition called the NCWA (New Century Writer's Awards) It was kicked off in 2003, winners were announced in 2004 a year later. This contest was judged by Francis Ford Coppola, and Ray Bradbury. I entered two stories, but one got through and went pretty far, and though I didn't win, I did however, with that Story titles "Outer Darkness" wherein the future a group of human astronauts encounter an Alien derelict spacecraft that is hunted by the ghosts of its pilots. The story was 21 pages long out of the max 35 pages you had to work with. I didn't win, BUT I did make it to number 2 in the Top 10 Nominated by Ray Bradbury, these were 10 stories he liked and of the 10 his winner was picked, and Mr. Coppola had his top 10 nominees and his number one pick, and there was a third Judge, a Producer from Universal Pictures and a Top 10 with 1 winner which together made the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners. There were hundreds of thousands of entries it took a whole year to announce the winners. I was disappointed of course I lost to a story title "Milk" but that's the way the cookie crumbles as they say....but here is why I am telling this here.... I received a certified letter from Ray Bradbury that was typed, and in the letter, one page rectangle sheet, very nice paper soft with fine wrinkles, an off white or vanilla ice cream color, in this letter he wrote me to tell me how much he enjoyed my story, and he encouraged me to continue to write and think outside the box, and at the end he typed, Written on my '47 Royal KMM And then he made a space where he was able to sign and type his name. So when you showed his Royal KMM I got chills as I instantly remembered that letter and thought my God, a letter he wrote to me went through that machine! Goosebumps, actual goosebumps! Thank you so much for showing this event and although I was nowhere near it, I'm sorry I missed this. But I'm glad I finally got to see The Actual Royal KMM that letter I got was probably the very same one. I too use and collect Typewriters and write all my first drafts on a Typewriter then hand copy it into a computer, this was it's very familiar to me and it had an extra edit. In my current collection I have: 1990 brother EP-43 1983 brother EP-20 1972 SCM Electra 110 1968 Royal Aristocrat Special 1964 SCM Galaxie Deluxe 1959 Hermes 3000 1955 Golden Shield made by SCM They are all in perfect working order and I use them all when working, well except maybe the Aristocrat as it's a bet heavy of the hands even with the tension up on light, it's not meant for Book manuscripts. More like 1-3 page letters. But the best machine the real work horses are the SCM Galaxie Deluxe and 110 Electra, and the Hermes 3000....that Hermes is a Gen 1 curve body, and it's so so,,so nice to write one, absolutely a dream Typewriter that you can just go and go and go, just write and hands don't hurt, you absolutely can just get lost as the dream opens up and the Hermes 3000 vanishes. Thanks for reading ❤

  • @benjaminrogers1343
    @benjaminrogers1343 2 місяці тому

    The Pile lyrics sold it for me

  • @annchovey2089
    @annchovey2089 3 місяці тому

    Loved his books except for when he would slip in some propaganda.

  • @sonampalmo3578
    @sonampalmo3578 3 місяці тому

    I've very recently discovered Billy's work and LOVE it! He takes the world in so intimately and humorously. I want to write like him when I grow up😁.

  • @brentdelaurentis8114
    @brentdelaurentis8114 3 місяці тому

    It would have been nice to listen to this word for word and only word for word

  • @hoangthi7818
    @hoangthi7818 4 місяці тому

    A smart VN man. So many VN people can’t speak their mind the way Viet did. You’re one of the heroes.

  • @legibitiqua2
    @legibitiqua2 4 місяці тому

    I love them!!! The Ada was the first character of theirs I encountered who deeply impacted me. Emezi is an amazing author!

  • @jehrusamuelenriquez3700
    @jehrusamuelenriquez3700 4 місяці тому

    yzzy? ikaw to???

  • @DDdelight
    @DDdelight 5 місяців тому

    She is incredible and so gorgeous

  • @babyirene3188
    @babyirene3188 5 місяців тому

    This is an amazing interview. With the best questions I've heard an author get asked in some time. Very well done.

  • @kit888
    @kit888 5 місяців тому

    Blood Diamond is one of my favorite movies.

    • @peacelovejoyandhappiness
      @peacelovejoyandhappiness 5 місяців тому

      What made this your favorite movie? 🍿 By the way did you read this book hits flops and other illusions? Was it worth the read? Thank you.

  • @captainkeyboard1007
    @captainkeyboard1007 5 місяців тому

    The American Writers Museum is together!⭐

  • @春子e893ae
    @春子e893ae 6 місяців тому

    thank you so much 🙏 this was very helpful and simple❤

  • @KarlKrogmann
    @KarlKrogmann 6 місяців тому

    I love Joe, if for no other reason than he hired Harlan Ellison to work on Babylon 5. Talk about putting your money where your mouth is. Becoming Superman is a fantastic book; you don't make art happen, you let art happen.

  • @malirwade7907
    @malirwade7907 7 місяців тому

    This guy has no idea what he is talking about he needs to read the book nature knows no color line by JA ROGERS he probably already has but someone has paid him to preach this crap

  • @lubnaqureshi2853
    @lubnaqureshi2853 7 місяців тому

    Hi, Allison! I wrote for The Daily Cardinal when you were editor-in-chief.

  • @violettasimpson5451
    @violettasimpson5451 7 місяців тому

    Love anything that Elie presents. Had a difficult time trying to listen. The interviewer has a soft voice n would forget he had a microphone.

  • @alberg8
    @alberg8 7 місяців тому

    🌽

  • @gloriamitchell3518
    @gloriamitchell3518 7 місяців тому

    👍🏽👍🏽

  • @muiawat
    @muiawat 8 місяців тому

    31:27 stunning excerpt ! So many Vietnamese American women’s stories

  • @muiawat
    @muiawat 8 місяців тому

    17:32 dog man ! Well that was a turn hahaha viet knew he needed to change the talk around . Amazing

  • @houseoflolo
    @houseoflolo 8 місяців тому

    Absolutely adore this guy. Ellie, you're a genius!

  • @livetoskatefigureskating4238
    @livetoskatefigureskating4238 8 місяців тому

    Nice to see this interview!

  • @alvildasophiaalegria800
    @alvildasophiaalegria800 8 місяців тому

    Loved listening to her. I never knew of her work because I don’t follow Young adult literature and a friend gave me her name. Unfortunately, her work is not being promoted actively-daily.

  • @jackietalamantes9215
    @jackietalamantes9215 8 місяців тому

    Stumbled across this & I am very interested so thank you for posting this

  • @crispy2699
    @crispy2699 9 місяців тому

    Rest in peace Gary Paulsen. I simply would not be the man I am today without you.

  • @ogyaherd9667
    @ogyaherd9667 9 місяців тому

    how many interviewers can keep up with this dude - Mystal is a beautiful mind! Bless him & his family!

  • @Originalacousticmusic
    @Originalacousticmusic 10 місяців тому

    Reading all the Mr. Tucket books now - haven’t since middle school. I’m 30 years old now and I’m just as entertained reading them as I was when I was a kid.

  • @ReneeWilson-qr1jy
    @ReneeWilson-qr1jy 10 місяців тому

    I am watching this and yes the family history is very wonderful and sad I have researched ours for over 25 years I am pleased that the story of our grandmother is being told I am happy that pattie came to Spear with me

  • @lisalasoya2898
    @lisalasoya2898 10 місяців тому

    I am yet to listen to your lecture, which I intend to, I love oriental history. An educated woman is worthless woman, but Tan (the man) Yunxian born into an elite family, haunted by death, separations, and loneliness is being raised by her grandparents to be of use. Instead, of following pop American/Europian culture it is instigated to follow their traditions, it may not be what the book is about but by the way Ms. Tan is posed it indicates just that.

  • @TiffanyReneeJ_
    @TiffanyReneeJ_ 11 місяців тому

    Absolutely loved this conversation!

  • @joaoalbertodosanjosgomes1536
    @joaoalbertodosanjosgomes1536 11 місяців тому

    Great video. Congratulations.

  • @popcultureoverdosed
    @popcultureoverdosed 11 місяців тому

    This looks like the best museum of all time.

  • @user-ne9tj5ol4h
    @user-ne9tj5ol4h 11 місяців тому

    Many thanks for the presentation.

  • @Salemoamk
    @Salemoamk Рік тому

    Fff

  • @MissHoneyIsReading
    @MissHoneyIsReading Рік тому

    Book trailer for the book: ua-cam.com/video/gZEkICcu6LI/v-deo.html

  • @jb-vb8un
    @jb-vb8un Рік тому

    she omits the DEMOCRAT KKK PARTY - - - Each year after passage of the 1965 Civil Rights Act up until 1977, the Democratic controlled House passed at least one new law designed to restrain school integration-often in the guise of anti-busing legislation. Until 1974, the Senate rejected those bills. But as white resistance to busing escalated in many cities across the country, the House Democrats anti-busing majority began to pull more Democratic senators to their side. In 1975, Sen. Joseph Biden proposed an amendment that gutted Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which enabled the federal government to cut off funding to school districts that refused to integrate. Politico writes of the whole sordid affair, Biden morphed into a leading anti-busing crusader-all the while continuing to insist that he supported the goal of school desegregation, he only opposed busing as the means to achieve that end. This stance, which many of Biden’s liberal and moderate colleagues also held, was clever but disingenuous. It enabled Biden to choose votes over principles, while acting as if he was not doing so....In a seminal moment, the Senate thus turned against desegregation. The Senate had supported the 1964 Civil Rights Act, 1965 Voting Rights Act and 1968 Fair Housing Act....the Senate remained the last bastion for those who supported strong integration policies. Biden stormed that bastion... A Boston NAACP leader said, “An anti-busing amendment is an anti-desegregation amendment, and an anti-desegregation amendment is an anti-black amendment.” Republican Sen. Edward Brooke, the first black senator ever to be directly elected, called Biden's amendment “the greatest symbolic defeat for civil rights since 1964.” Brooke accused Biden of leading an assault on integration.

  • @jb-vb8un
    @jb-vb8un Рік тому

    Documentary filmmaker Sixx King is black and he's tired of black-on-black violence so he wanted to do something proactive to make a statement. So he put on a KKK outfit with a white hood and stood in public in Philadelphia to draw attention to an issue that the black community has not been able to solve - black men killing black men at record numbers. This is not just a Philadelphia problem, this is a problem in most large urban populations. Last year, Chicago reported more than 500 homicides, and most involved black men killed by black men. In Milwaukee County, of the 101 homicide victims in 2012, 71 were black males, according to the Milwaukee County medical examiner's office. King, 35, is tired and I am, too. While wearing the costume, he had a sign saying that black violence kills more blacks than the Klan ever has. Sixx said in 2011 more than 7,000 black people were killed; he said the KKK killed 3,446 blacks in 86 years. Black-on-black murders surpass the number of people killed by the KKK every six months. I know a number of blacks and some whites who will find what King did offensive. I understand that, but ask yourself this question: What do you see black politicians doing about the issue? I mostly hear crickets. Milwaukee Public Schools Superintendent Gregory Thornton said last year that he was appalled by the silence and lack of outrage after several MPS students were killed. King is bringing awareness to the black hypocrisy of being complacent when we know we have a problem and we are doing little to address it. We can talk about jobs all we want, and yes, high unemployment is a problem. But blacks have been poor for a long time and we didn't kill each other at the rate that we are doing now. This is not a gun problem; this is a societal problem that needs to be addressed, and our black leaders, churches, families, youth and schools should be demanding change.

  • @Baraborn
    @Baraborn Рік тому

    05:30 Amanda Waller represents the "untouchable coon" class, she's a cut throat political villain not an aspiration. That's SUPER tone deaf.

  • @christopherj.osheav5807
    @christopherj.osheav5807 Рік тому

    A teriffic lecture. A wonderful book. Thank you, Karl Marlantes.

  • @wthraven
    @wthraven Рік тому

    I purchased “ Writing with Pictures” last year and and now just reading it . I am taken back and so inspired.