You know, do you remember those viewfinders from the 70s?
I was really into that and I had viewfinders and I had a projector.
I was allowed to bring boys up to my room
IF I was going to show them these projections I had.
So that was really exciting.
I did really like showing these projections in the dark and telling stories.
There were certain stories
that were supposed to go with them,
but I would change the order and make up other stories.
That was a very sort of calm moment for me,
these stories I would make up.
The Red Baron was a favorite one,
and then mixed with, if you can imagine,
the story about Bessie Smith and her car accident,
and that she wasn't able to get to the hospital
--or she was able to get to the hospital,
and they wouldn’t take care of her.
So these slides would all get jumbled together
and would end up being part of my slide show and my narration.
And you know, it kept people really quiet.
I mean, usually I was really territorial
and really fighting with boys from my neighborhood a lot,
and they were very--at least momentarily--
obedient and quiet and listening.