[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-detail-153354-en":3,"doc-seo-153354-105":31,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":91},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",{"doc_id":7,"user_id":8,"nickname":9,"user_avatar":10,"doc_module":4,"category_id":11,"category_name":12,"doc_title":13,"doc_description":14,"doc_content":15,"file_id":16,"file_url":17,"file_type":18,"file_size":19,"view_count":20,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":21,"is_downloadable":21,"audit_status":21,"page_count":22,"language":23,"language_code":24,"site_id":25,"html_lang":24,"table_of_contents":26,"faqs":27,"seo_title":28,"seo_description":14,"update_tm":29,"read_time":30},153354,24189269381491,"Bill Black","https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/160000cf11732dd8392?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1788146458752108895",2,"Literature","Nation of Writers - Episode 20 - Prince","Nation of Writers publishes the complete written responses from poet C Liegh McInnis and Kerry Black, founder of Superfly Productions, originally discussed in a two-hour American Writers Museum podcast interview. The document focuses on Prince’s lyrics and music, including how McInnis encountered Prince’s early work, what inspires him about Prince’s emotional range and real-life storytelling, and which artistic influences appear in Prince’s songwriting. It also explores Prince’s impact on culture, how his approach blends political, sexual, and spiritual engagement, and what makes his sound distinctly rooted in American blues traditions.","Nation of Writers,“Episode 20: Prince”  \nGuests: C Liegh McInnis--The Lyrics of Prince Rogers Nelson and Kerry Black—Prince: The Immersive Experience  \nJune 28, 2022, 1:00 p.m. Central Standard Time  \nAired Podcast Interview: [https://americanwritersmuseum.org/podcast/episode-20-prince/](https://americanwritersmuseum.org/podcast/episode-20-prince/)  \nOn June 28, 2022, C Liegh McInnis (poet, short story writer, and author of The Lyrics of Prince) and Kerry Black (founder of Superfly Productions and Prince: The Immersive Experience) were interviewed by the American Writers Museum for their podcast, Nation of Writers, about the lyrics, music, and legacy of Prince. Their interview lasted for about two hours. Since only a portion of their responses could be included in the aired interview, below are McInnis’ complete responses. We hope that you enjoy both the aired audio interview and McInnis’ complete responses.  \nFirst, tell me a little bit about yourself and what you’re up to now.  \nI am a poet and short story writer from Clarksdale, Mississippi. I recently took an early retirement from Jackson State University—Thee I Love, to complete three manuscripts: a poetry collection, a short story collection, and an essay collection. Other than that, I’m still publishing poems and short stories in various journals and anthologies, including two poems in a newly released anthology, Black Fire—This Time, edited by Dr. Kim McMillon.  \nCan you tell me about how you first encountered Prince’s work?  \nPrince’s first single,“Soft and Wet,” released in 1978, was played on black radio. My uncle was one of the first people to own For You as well as the poster of Prince sporting his big afro, and just about everybody in the black community had his second album, Prince (1979) . I loved that the first two albums had rock, funk, and soul grooves that appealed to every aspect of me. Then, Dirty Mind (1980) became a community cult classic with everyone discussing that album for one reason or another. Dirty Mind is the album that synergized everything about music that I love. It does what T. S. Elliot demands all artists to do. Learn and master the history of one’s art while simultaneously carving a unique place for oneself.  \nCould you share some of what you think is most profound and inspiring about Prince and how he remains relevant today?  \nHe has a song for all circumstances or occasions. Unlike most, Prince understood that human beings are pie charts with many slices. While most people only focus on two or three of the slices of their human pie chart, Prince was determined to learn and engage all of the slices of his being, which enabled him to write nuanced and complex songs—musically and lyrically—that appeal or resonate with listeners on multiple levels. On his very first album,“Baby” is about an unwed couple facing an unintended pregnancy. Prince presents a male persona who represents the full spectrum of emotions: shock, fear, doubt, acceptance, and responsibility. Ultimately, Prince’s lyrics provide a blueprint for young male fathers to know that it’s natural to be scared, but that love, especially the love of one’s child, should trump the fear and enable the male to become a good father. He begins: “Baby, what are we going to do? I barely make enough money  \nfor two.” Yet, he ends: “Baby, we’re gonna work it out/ I hope our baby has eyes just like yours.” Like most of his songs, this is a song for real life that shows the human capacity for overcoming the difficult and creating beauty.  \nWhich writer(s) do you think influenced Prince? Where do you see that influence show up in his writing?  \nWe can deconstruct this lyrically and musically.  \nLyrically, Prince is the child of Smokey Robinson, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Marvin Gaye, Maurice White, George Clinton, Bob Dylan, Lennon and McCartney, and Joni Mitchell as he wrote about the complete human experience—romantic, social, and political because he was always trying to juxtapose and explor","cbCaifrA5OvIMyzE","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaifrA5OvIMyzE","pdf",570947,4,1,12,"English","en",105,"# Episode details\n## Guests and theme\n## Published date and platform link\n# Interview transcript\n## Introduction and current work\n## First encounter with Prince\n## Profound inspiration and relevance\n## Influences on Prince’s writing\n## Transformation of songwriting and music\n## What makes Prince uniquely American\n## Writing process and writer uniqueness","[{\"question\":\"Who are the guests in Nation of Writers Episode 20 about Prince?\",\"answer\":\"The episode features C Liegh McInnis and Kerry Black. The American Writers Museum hosts the conversation focused on Prince’s lyrics, music, and legacy.\"},{\"question\":\"How did C Liegh McInnis first encounter Prince’s work?\",\"answer\":\"McInnis describes hearing Prince’s early releases through black radio, including the single “Soft and Wet.” He also cites family and community exposure to early Prince albums.\"},{\"question\":\"What does the interview say makes Prince uniquely “American”?\",\"answer\":\"Prince is framed as rooted in the blues, which the text calls the original American music. His grooves and rhythms are described as blues-based, and his blending of funk and rock is presented as an extension of that tradition.\"}]","Nation of Writers - Episode 20 - Prince | PDF",1787874154,18,{"code":4,"msg":32,"data":33},"ok",{"site_id":25,"language":24,"slug":34,"title":13,"keywords":35,"description":14,"schema_data":36,"social_meta":86,"head_meta":88,"extra_data":90,"updated_unix":29},"nation-of-writers-episode-20-prince","",{"@graph":37,"@context":85},[38,53,68],{"@type":39,"itemListElement":40},"BreadcrumbList",[41,45,48,51],{"item":42,"name":43,"@type":44,"position":21},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":46,"name":47,"@type":44,"position":11},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",{"item":49,"name":12,"@type":44,"position":50},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/literature/",3,{"item":52,"name":13,"@type":44,"position":20},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/nation-of-writers-episode-20-prince/153354/",{"url":52,"name":13,"@type":54,"author":55,"headline":13,"publisher":57,"fileFormat":60,"inLanguage":24,"description":14,"dateModified":61,"datePublished":62,"encodingFormat":60,"isAccessibleForFree":63,"interactionStatistic":64},"DigitalDocument",{"name":9,"@type":56},"Person",{"url":42,"name":58,"@type":59},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-09-05","2026-08-27",true,{"@type":65,"interactionType":66,"userInteractionCount":20},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":67},"ViewAction",{"@type":69,"mainEntity":70},"FAQPage",[71,77,81],{"name":72,"@type":73,"acceptedAnswer":74},"Who are the guests in Nation of Writers Episode 20 about Prince?","Question",{"text":75,"@type":76},"The episode features C Liegh McInnis and Kerry Black. The American Writers Museum hosts the conversation focused on Prince’s lyrics, music, and legacy.","Answer",{"name":78,"@type":73,"acceptedAnswer":79},"How did C Liegh McInnis first encounter Prince’s work?",{"text":80,"@type":76},"McInnis describes hearing Prince’s early releases through black radio, including the single “Soft and Wet.” He also cites family and community exposure to early Prince albums.",{"name":82,"@type":73,"acceptedAnswer":83},"What does the interview say makes Prince uniquely “American”?",{"text":84,"@type":76},"Prince is framed as rooted in the blues, which the text calls the original American music. His grooves and rhythms are described as blues-based, and his blending of funk and rock is presented as an extension of that tradition.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":52,"og:type":87,"og:title":13,"og:site_name":58,"og:description":14},"article",{"robots":89,"canonical":52},"index,follow",{"doc_id":7,"site_id":25},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":92},[93,97,100,104,109,114,119,124,129,132,136],{"id":21,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":94,"show_sort_weight":95,"slug":96},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":11,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":12,"show_sort_weight":98,"slug":99},80,"literature",{"id":20,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":101,"show_sort_weight":102,"slug":103},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":105,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":106,"show_sort_weight":107,"slug":108},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":110,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":111,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":120,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":121,"show_sort_weight":122,"slug":123},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":125,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":126,"show_sort_weight":127,"slug":128},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":130,"show_sort_weight":127,"slug":131},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":133,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":134,"show_sort_weight":133,"slug":135},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":137,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":138,"show_sort_weight":105,"slug":139},19,"General","general"]