THE WRITER'S DEN

Ray Bradbury Humanitas Award Speech

I thought I'd post the speech that Ray Bradbury gave when he received his Humanitas Award ... seems like a good day for it.

Dear Lord,

Help us to remember the gift of excellence that lies within us if we but call and bring it forth. Help us to recall that in excellence is surprising profit, for the soul, for the mind, and for life that we live, beside that soul and with that mind, help us to know that only in our loves can we create and out of that creation, change some stray, small part of the world we touch.


Remind us to know that the more we create out of love an idea, the better our work, our lives, our influence becomes. Tell us again, for we forget that work done without love is stillborn, mindless and lost in the very hour of its deliverance.

Help us to love ideas, and the creation, even as we love our neighbors and because we are proper creators ourselves. Tell us to lie down with that one inescapable person, our lovely selves, knowing that if the work of the previous day was a surprise of joy we stumbled upon through curiosity, true need and rare zest, and the energy that comes from wild discovery. We are good company for the night.

Teach us not to hesitate atop cliffs but to leap into our writing without wings. And teach us with passion and love, how to build wings on the way down, hoping for a soft landing.

We ask these things because poor creatures that we are, we do forget, and must remind ourselves, as you remind us that love is the final answer and excellence its hallmark and profit, which is peace of mind, its everlasting residue.

Please Lord hear this, amen.