♪♪ >> Cathy: IN THE NEW BOOK "LUCKY TOMORROW," THE STORY OF A YOUNG FLOWER VENDOR WHO JUST MOVED TO MINNEAPOLIS THREADS THROUGH VIGNETTES OF PEOPLE LIVING IN THE TWIN CITIES, IN SEATTLE, ACROSS THE SOUTHERN U.S., EVEN OUT TO TOKYO, JAPAN.

AUTHOR DEBORAH JIANG-STEIN DREW FROM HER OWN LIFE, THE LIVES OF PEOPLE SHE'S WORKED WITH, AND FROM PEOPLE SHE'S SIMPLY OBSERVED IN CRAFTING THESE CHARACTERS, ALL TO CONJURE UP THE QUIET MOMENTS WE SHARE AS HUMANS.

IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU AND THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.

>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

>> Cathy: THE BOOK IS SO INTERESTING.

IT OPENS BY TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE WHO GO THROUGH LIFE UNSEEN.

>> EAH.

>> Cathy: WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

>> WELL, BECAUSE OF MY WORK IN PRISONS, I SEE THOUSANDS, MANY THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE UNSEEN.

BUT I WAS THINKING ON THE WAY HERE, WOMEN, PEOPLE IN RETIREMENT HOMES, PEOPLE OF COLOR, JUST PEOPLE KIND OF CAST OFF OR UNSEEN IN A WAY AND DISCONNECTED, NOT DELIBERATELY, BUT BY, YOU KNOW, BEING PUSHED TO THE SIDE.

SO I JUST CHANNELED THAT THROUGH MY CHARACTERS.

>> Eric: WHEN YOU TOUR A REHAB CENTER OR A PRISON AND SOME OF YOUR COMMENTS ARE JUST TREMENDOUS, YOUR AUDIENCE FOCUSES -- THE FOCUS OF YOUR AUDIENCES ARE OUTCASTS AND VISIONARIES.

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THAT?

I LOVE THAT.

>> YOU KNOW, I WAS THINKING, SO I'M FASCINATED BY THE LAYERS AND COMPLEXITIES OF PEOPLE, AND JUST THOSE MOMENTS, BECAUSE LIFE IS JUST A COLLECTION OF MOMENTS.

SO THEY ARE, THEY'RE IN THEIR HEAD AND LIVING THEIR LIFE, AND SO TO ME THEY'RE VISIONARIES IN THAT WAY.

THEY'RE IMAGINING WHAT THE WORLD COULD BE FOR THEM.

>> Cathy: YOU HAVE A CHARACTER IN THE BOOK A RECURRING CHARACTER, THELMA.

DOES THAT CHARACTER REFLECT PARTS OF YOURSELF?

>> SHE DOES, SHE IS THE OPPOSITE OF ME, SO SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN THE BIRTH MOTHER THAT RELINQUISHED ME FROM BEING IN PRISON.

I GOTH, FROM THE MEMOIR AND JUST MY SPEAKING I'M A LITTLE BIT TIRED OF MY OWN STORY, IT'S ALL I KNOW.

AND I THOUGHT, SO WHAT DOES THE OTHER SIDE LOOK LIKE?

AND I ALSO MEET A LOT OF WOMEN IN PRISONS WHO HAVE LOST THEIR CHILDREN, HAD THEM REMOVED AND I MEAN IT'S THE SAME THING NOW AS IT WAS DECADES AGO.

>> Cathy: AND YOU, WE SHOULD SAY, DEBORAH GOES TO PRISONS AND HELPS WOMEN WRITE.

>> WRITE AND ALSO JUST ABOUT MESSAGING STORY.

I'M GOING NEXT WEEK TO THE FEDERAL PRISON IN WASECA TO TALK TO A GROUP OF WOMEN ABOUT HOW TO MESSAGE YOUR STORY WHEN THEY'RE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY.

THE WAY I WAS KIND OF TAUGHT.

IT WAS MEDIA TRAINING ACTUALLY.

I HAD AN INTERVIEW WITH I THINK IT WAS "PEOPLE" AND THEY SAID SO WHAT'S THE WORST CRIME YOUR MOTHER DID?

AND I THOUGHT, YOU'RE ASKING ME THAT INSTEAD OF THE THOUSANDS OF WOMEN I'VE WORKED WITH?

SO I HAD TO LEARN TO REFRAME IT AND I THOUGHT I COULD TEACH THAT TO THE THOUSANDS OF WOMEN AND MEN THAT I MEET.

>> Eric: PEOPLE ON THE EDGE HAVE INSIGHTS FOR THOSE IN THE CENTER.

>> I THINK SO.

>> Eric: ANOTHER ONE I JUST LOVE.

>> THEY DO, WE DO.

WELL, BECAUSE I THINK WE'RE ALL ON THE EDGE, IT JUST DOESN'T SHOW.

YOU'VE BEEN ON THE EDGE, WE JUST DON'T KNOW ABOUT IT.

AND SO I THINK IT'S A COMMONALITY.

I MEAN, WE ALL HAVE SOME KIND OF ISOLATION.

MY CHARACTERS ARE A LITTLE BIT MORE EXTREME, BUT TO E I'M HIGHLIGHTING A COMMONALITY ABOUT ALL OF US.

>> Eric: AM I RIGHT THAT THE SHORT STORY SPRANG FROM POETRY?

>> YES, I WROTE MOST OF IT AS PROSE POEMS.

>> Eric: HOW WAS THAT TRANSITION TO DO?

>> WELL, IT'S HARD TO MARKET POETRY BUT ALSO I WANTED TO EXPAND THE STORIES.

SO I JUST HAD TO GO INTO ANOTHER FORM.

>> Cathy: WAS IT HARD, I MEAN, BECAUSE I PERSONALLY THINK IT WOULD BE HARD TO MINE MY PAST.

>> I HAD ALREADY DONE IT FOR THE MEMOIR.

>> Cathy: YES, I REMEMBER THAT.

>> AND A STORY LIKE MINE I'M STILL LEARNING THINGS BUTT THE GOVERNMENT BURIES THINGS.

I HAD LEARNED THAT MY BIRTH MOTHER WAS PART OF A FEDERAL MEDICAL EXPERIMENT WHERE THEY WOULD TAKE HEROIN ADDICTS, WITHDRAW THEM IN PRISON AND THEN RE-ADDICT THEM, IT WAS IN KENTUCKY, THEY CAULKED IT THE NARCOTICS FARM.

MY UNDERSTANDING IS SHE WAS PART OF THAT EXPERIMENT.

AND SO I HAVE LEARNED THINGS SINCE THE MEMOIR AND SOME OF THAT KIND OF SHOWS UP IN THE STORIES.

I'M SPRINKLING IT INTO FICTION.

>> Cathy: YOU HAD A BIG EVENT YOU HAVE TO TELL US ABOUT THAT.

>> WE DID, SHERRY CAGE, A PROMINENT ACTOR AND DIRECTOR IN MINNEAPOLIS WAS ON STAGE WITH ME, IT WAS AT CHILDREN'S THEATER, MAYBE 175, 200 PEOPLE I KNEW ABOUT -- IT WAS SPECTACULAR.

I'M LEARNING FROM THE QUESTIONS THAT PEOPLE ASK, WHICH IS FASCINATING.

I NEVER WROTE THE BOOK THINKING THAT "LUCKY TOMORROW" WOULD BE ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH.

I'M JUST INSIDE THE CHARACTERS, AND NOW I'M HEARING FROM READS AND INTERVIEWS AND REVIEWS THAT THIS IS A CALL TO AWARENESS ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH, AND I KNEW ABOUT INCARCERATION AND FAMILY SEPARATION, BUT THE MENTAL HEALTH THING I HADN'T EVEN IMAGINED, SO.

>> Eric: AMAZON AND YOUR LOCAL BOOKSTORE.

>> YES, AND THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA PRESS.

BIRCHBARK AND ANY INDEPENDENTS AROUND THE COUNTRY.

>> Cathy: GET THOSE INDEPENDENTS IN THERE, DEBORAH.

>> THANK YOU SO MUCH, THANK YOU