Keith B. Phillips

When I was eleven, I was asked to be in a school play. It was about Gilligan’s Island. And because I was skinny and had dark hair, they thought that I would be a good match for Gilligan. I loved that show and watched it whenever I could. I studied the script every night for a week. When it came time for the play I knew every one’s part. The interesting thing was that for months after the play, I could recite it word for word in my mind. I could see the words on the pages of the script in my head and in the dark of night. It was an empowering feeling. I loved the printed page. Words on paper, the smell of a book, the feel of covers, the texture of the pages. All those things were there with my eyes shut tight—as Dr. Seuss assured us.