E-mail a friendDecember 18, 2008
Grammy- and Emmy-winning musician-songwriter-producer will.i.am discusses his social activism. John Corcoran, author of The Bridge to Literacy, describes life masquerading as literate.
will.i.am
will.i.am
Web Exclusive: will.i.am tells a story about Berry Gordy and his son. Gordy will be on Tavis Smiley on Jan 8 and 9. (3:57)
Full interview. (16:17)
Frontman and producer for the Grammy-winning Black Eyed Peas, will.i.am has also completed solo projects and collaborated on tracks with numerous other artists. YouTube visitors know the Emmy-winning musician-songwriter for videos—that quickly went viral—supporting Barack Obama's presidential bid. He works in film, portraying a mutant in the upcoming X-Men outing, and launched the Dipdive interactive Web site. He's also studied fashion and has his own clothing line. He's currently prepping his group for their spring '09 album.
John Corcoran
John Corcoran
Author tells the story of surviving high school and college with a 2nd-grade reading level. (1:37)
Full interview. (10:34)
John Corcoran finished college, taught high school and worked in real estate development—all while successfully hiding the fact that he could only read at second-grade level. Eventually, he resolved to learn how to read. Now a national literacy advocate, Corcoran created a foundation, which helps tutor students, and has served on numerous advisory commissions, including the National Institute for Literacy. He's also written two books. In The Bridge to Literacy, he addresses the crisis state of illiteracy in America.