I was asked to write about what I hope readers "take away" from my new novel, Anywhen.
So many things:
The spirit of almost half a million like-minded souls gathering and sharing a peaceful weekend despite food shortages, inclement weather, countless performance delays, and many other negative factors, only to leave there believing. Believing art and music could make the world a better place. Believing their voices were heard, loudly, by an older generation that was diametrically opposed to most of what they held dear and sacred.
That The Woodstock Music and Art Fair of 1969 taught us invaluable lessons about unity and peaceful protest. It's not only the mac daddy of music festivals; it was a seminal moment in American history. Amid the turmoil of a society deeply divided in myriad ways, those three days showed the timeless power of lyrics and music to unite, to sway hearts, to make solid declarations. To persuade. (If you don't think that's a timeless concept, I invite you to explore the impact of Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl Halftime Show.)
That we, as humans, possess a deep need to care for one another, to help each other, to share. Every person I spoke with who witnessed Woodstock found that the common thread woven through their experience.
I want readers to think about the many ideas posited in the story, about our attitudes regarding everything from race to war to eliminating global hunger. There is much for any book club to dissect in Anywhen; the brief glimpse of the future and whether it achieved the utopian hopes of Woodstock make for an exciting discussion.
But above all, as one reviewer expressed it: to have a front-row seat at the most amazing music festival of all time.
Joan Baez:Â "I knew I was singing to a city."
Edgar Winter: "When I played Woodstock, I'll never forget that moment looking out over the hundreds of thousands of people, the sea of humanity, seeing all those people united in such a unique way. It just touched me in a way that I'll never forget."
Richie Havens: "Woodstock was not about sex, drugs, and rock and roll. It was about spirituality, about love, about sharing, about helping each other, living in peace and harmony."
Max Yasgur (Dairy farmer and owner of the Woodstock site): "The important thing that you've proven to the world is that a half a million kids, and I call you kids because I have children that are older than you are, a half a million young people can get together and have three days of fun and music and have nothing but fun and music, and I God bless you for it!"
