Have you ever wondered what makes one person fundamentally different from another? If you have done so, you have pondered a question that may have dated back to the beginning of human existence. In this book, Prepare to Speak, the author answers that question. Its answer is among many of his quotations, which reads:Hearing"What makes one person fundamentally different from another is their hearing and their responsiveness to its reception.**"

Based on Natasha Trethewey’s collection of poems, The Alliance Theatre’s production of Native Guard is both an elegy to her mother and a journey into Mississippi’s Civil War history. In poetry and song, she reflects on her mother’s passing while contemplating the former slaves who became soldiers in a regiment known as the Native Guard. Trethewey’s work was the winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry.This recording was produced with the generous support of The Poetry F...