Hi, I'm Lovar Burton and this is Lovar Burton Reads.

In every episode, I handpick a different piece of short fiction and I read it to you.

The only thing these stories have in common is that I love them and I hope you will too.

Today, I'm excited to share a story by Samuel R. Delaney.

When we decided to do a show in the Philadelphia area, this man immediately sprang to mine.

I've done a bunch of interviews with authors of stories who have been on this show, both in studio and live.

And his name has come up again and again, whether I'm talking to Nalo Hopkinson, Charlie Jane Anders, or Nisi Shaw.

Mr. Delaney, as I like to call him, has literally been named a grand master by his peers in the science fiction and fantasy writers of America.

His work is gorgeously written and I think it's because he allows himself to be enraptured by the written word.

He's referred to himself as a sentence, Lovar, and says that he is astonished at the sharp turns and tiny trimmers.

They can whip your thoughts across.

And we will definitely go on a journey through his sentences with this story.

He is the author of many acclaimed books, including Babel 17, The Einstein Intersection and Dolgren.

And by the way, he was the first African American writer to achieve note through commercial American science fiction.

Mr. Delaney has kindly provided us with a slightly edited version of his story for us to read,

but you can find the uncut version through his website, Samuel Delaney, that's d-e-l-a-n-y.com.

It's contained in his collection, I and Gamora and other stories from vintage books.

And on this episode, I had musical accompaniment from the Pennsylvania-based pianist Kendra E. Butler.

Kendra was the Kimmel Center's Jazz and Residency Artist from 2015 to 2016.

She studied jazz and classical piano extensively before she had even graduated high school and has

since performed all over the world. And in a twist that feels quite appropriate for this program,

by night and on weekends, she plays jazz and by day. Kendra is a fourth grade teacher.

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