[ Music ] >> Hi, I am Governor Jared Polis and today I will be reading from the "Lord of the Rings the return of the King."

By J.R.R.

Tolkien, page 220.

Frodo sighed and was almost asleep before the words were spoken.

Sam struggled with his own weariness.

He took Frodo's hand.

There he sat silent till deep night fell.

Then, alas, to keep himself awake, he crawled from the hiding place and looked out.

The land seemed full of creaking and cracking and sly noises.

There was no sound of voice, or a foot.

Far above the West.

The night sky was still dim and pale.

There, peeping among the cloud rack of the dark high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while.

The beauty of it smote his heart.

As he looked up out of the forsaken land and hope returned to him.

For, like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end, the shadow was only a small and passing thing.

There was light and high beauty forever the on its reach.

His song in the tower had been defiance rather than hope.

For then, he was thinking of himself.

Now, for a moment, his own fate and even his masters ceased to trouble him he crawled back into the brambles and laid himself by Frodo's side and putting away all fear he cast himself into a deep, untroubled sleep."

>> Hello, my name is Kwame Spearman, and I am the CEO and co-owner of The Tattered Covered Bookstores.

This year tattered cover along with PBS 12 has decided to start a leader as readers program.

Specifically, we are trying to show how some of our states most famous leaders have gotten to where they are in the importance of literature and that process.

Today we have an incredibly special guest, the governor of our state, Jared Polis.

Jerry, it's great to have you here.

>> It's a pleasure to be with you, Kwame.

>> Thank you so much.

And so, you chose an incredibly popular book, The Lord of the Rings.

Tell us why this was your book and to the extent, I think everyone probably has either read the book or seen the movie.

But, why is this book so important to you?

>> I read from The Return of the King, which is the final of The Lord of the Rings books.

Obviously, now other works within the same universe are being popularized on television.

Tolkien was one of the great legendary founding fathers in many ways the fantasy genre.

These are books that I grew up with and there are tales of brotherhood, overcoming challenges, introductions to fantasy worlds, rife with metaphors.

It was really, fun to be able to share that extra today.

>> I'm super excited to talk about your background.

You have been an entrepreneur.

You have been an entrepreneur before going into politics.

Can you talk a little bit about some of the things you did when you were growing up?

>> First of all, I grew up, in many ways, in the book and greeting card industry because my parents had a small publishing company.

I hope you saw some of my mom's books in your poetry section.

>> We do.

>> So, I go to the book show, one year, we had published a book by Dr. Ruth.

I was like her body person for 2 days which was fun.

Always working at the trade shows, which are important, as more important now as it used to be.

I don't even know if you go to the trade shows, do you?

>> We do every year.

>> I'm glad.

I used to go to the LA book show, the stationary show.

Really, all of those.

I grew up with my mom is an author, my dad is an artist.

I grew up in the literary household.

I then went into business and I started an Internet company,.com company selling flowers and electronic greeting cards those sorts of things.

The Internet access provider.

>> This is amazing.

I don't want to age you but when you are founding these companies, the Internet was still relatively new.

How did your interest in sci-fi and fantasy help to sort of steer you through this incredibly new thing?

>> Yes, it was like Internet one point no, it was the mid-90s.

>> He is not that old.

>> Well, the mid-90s, a long time ago.

I grew up loving Science Fiction.

That was my main genre.

Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick, Orson Scott Card, those were some of my favorites.

Many and also, you know, some of the cyberpunk genre, Stephenson.

You know, a lot of that was pressing.

It was kind of predicting these kinds of communication networks and how they would work.

But those are what I read as a teenager.

>> So, when you were building companies, and sort of innovating, did you sort of feel like you were in many ways, doing the same thing a sci-fi writer would do?

Except is from a business perspective?

>> The early days of the Internet were very exciting because, you know, I grew up where you know, to talk long distances somebody in another part of the world was very expensive.

To be able to think that you could like to communicate with a server in Kenya, India, or Japan, for free on the Internet that was a pretty exciting moment.

I experienced that for the first time in college.

Before that, I did local BBSs, CompuServe which is where sort of grew up with that first generation of electronic bulletin boards and online services with those that his that you and you connected.

>> I remember that.

>> I didn't know if you do.

A few years younger than me.

That's great.

>> Yes.

So, your career continues.

You achieve tons of success from an entrepreneurial perspective.

I appreciate you being so humble on that.

If we could talk about how books continue to influence your development and your transition into politics.

>> Well, you know, certainly there's a lot of good ideas in books.

We talked all about fiction books.

But certainly in terms of gaining sector expertise and things that I've had to learn in the United States Congress, and as governor, there is great nonfiction works that are digesting summaries.

The job involves a lot of reading.

Not always a longform book reading, sometimes it is scientific articles published in Journal certainly during Covid, you know read dozens if not hundreds.

Also, studies done in other areas.

A lot falls into the purview of the governor from managing healthy ecosystems to fire risk reduction.

There are longform articles and magazines, published scientific articles or books are all part of gaining the information I need to be data driven and effective.

>> I love it.

So, I want to ask one more Science Fiction based question.

Then we will get into The Lord of the Rings.

It didn't really occur to me this notion that science fiction, many science fiction books are talking about the future.

So, are there any themes in Science Fiction that you are observing today that we may be living in 15 or 20 years from now?

>> You know, first of all, all of the authors, the ones that I've read and loved, like I said Philip K Dick, the dystopian use of the future.

You have an Isaac Asimov.

Of course, the rise and fall of empires in the foundation series, robotics, and AI.

It's great work in that area, you have Orson Scott Card.

They have all of those things with a predicted those things.

It's not so much about the technology.

Like any novel, it is about the human condition.

Right?

Even told her that in many cases.

It's really about something that speaks to who we are as people.

It's not, you know they predicted this technology or that technology and you know Arthur C Clarke is another favorite of mine.

Really poetic work.

It is really just more about these stories that they are telling and how that portrays an aspect of the human condition through technology, through alien species, for future humans, for whichever form they are doing it.

>> You know, the name of the book is escaping me.

Recently, I had a conversation with one of our booksellers about a new sci-fi book where we have run out of water.

It sort of takes the approach- dispute read and is somebody who is in very into climate change just fascinating read.

Let's talk about- >> It may be a great book.

To me, I like my Science Fiction a little bit more poetic and whimsical.

It should be in a future setting where a society comes up with a great name for like Elenium 532.

To say that you are running out of water- >> To close to home.

>> You've got to just have at least some poetic metaphor for that I think.

>> Luckily, you're not the only one.

>> You can say we're running out of water.

>> Fair, fair.

So stay in the fiction truck with The Lord of the Rings.

There are so many themes that are present throughout the book or at least, so many themes that critics and scholars have talked about being present in the book.

What are some of those that resonate with you and why was this the book that you chose?

>> First of all, I carefully avoid scholarly work and literary analysis.

I just like to read books and have fun.

I don't know what the literary analysis is.

But this is the tale of an unlikely hero, right?

This is the tale of every man being thrust into having something, saving the world.

Thrust on their shoulders from the most unlikely and humble backgrounds.

And, how they rise and show those heroic traits as they undertake this amazing quest.

And interact with others along the way.

Great story.

It was rife with many metaphors of threats.

How people can overcome those in their everyday lives.

>> I just have to ask, you are a sitting governor, we just went through a pandemic.

Has this been inspirational?

Do you see any parallels to what you have had to overcome the past few years to The Lord of the Rings?

>> The passage that I read is really about kind of dark and challenging days and the light ahead, how the light shines through.

I think despite the 3 largest fires in the history of our state, a global pandemic, global inflation, we are, as a state, coming together and we are emerging stronger on the other end with a strong economic recovery, upping the bar on fire mitigation and risk prevention.

We have one of the highest vaccination rates for Covid in the country.

One of the lowest death rates in the country.

So, you always look to that light even in the darkest of days.

>> Would you argue that books like this maybe even this book specifically, gave you the resilience that allows you to do great things as a governor?

>> Well, you know like many folks during the heaviest days of the pandemic, and I was a combination of working from home and going to other places like a lot of folks.

I had a bit more time to be able to read.

Certainly, it was welcome for many of us, myself included to kind of experience and learn from some of these other realities and these other portrayals and visions during some of those times to give inspiration.

>> You talked about this as a story of an individual going through and really trying to in many ways, save the planet, how could an everyday person take that take a way to improve their own lives?

>> By the way, when you said save the planet, again, not having read any of the literary analysis, that is an easy college or graduate paper there just about how you know Solomon were destroying the trees in taking literally- just destroying the environment and you can make the case that this was about saving the planet as it really was.

As a quest that I undertake in many others even to this day trying to prevent the deforestation and climate change, and all of those issues that are occurring.

You know, I think we are all inspired by these kinds of artistic works.

>> It is so interesting.

On the lack of desire for the scholarly analysis, this is one of the books that I would say has been critiqued over the past 60 years.

Why no love for that scholarly analysis?

>> It would be fine to read but with the time that I have I would rather read more books.

>> That's fair.

>> I mean rather than just get so deep into one reading you know hundreds of articles about it.

I had read all of Agatha- I usually pick an author and I read all their books.

So, I wish they had more often.

Even prolific offers one of the most recent one I read was Agatha Christie.

>> Sure.

>> I don't know, 20 or 30 novels bunch of short stories I read them all.

Then I was interested enough where I did read one or 2 books of semi scholarly analysis which was interesting.

It still made me wish that she had been even more prolific, and I could've enjoyed more of her work.

In fact, I don't know if this is common in theater, but in art and books, after she passed away her estate officially sanctioned someone else to write Agatha Christie novels.

So, it's Agatha Christie novels by I think it is Sophie Hannon is her name.

There are like 3 or 4 that she has published in her style.

>> Did you read those as well?

>> I did.

Guilty as charged.

>> Where they- >> They fit within the parameters of her universe.

It wouldn't be her best, worst, or her worst, worst.

>> She had such a distinctive writing style.

>> She does.

But it's one that Sophie, to her credit was able to study and write in.

Her main protagonist and portray them in ways that at least, the estate of Agatha- not too different than what happened with this, actually.

Because J.R.R.

Tolkien son compiled a novelized much of the work.

Not so much the return of the King and The Lord of the Rings.

This was completed by Tolkien himself.

Other works were turned from scrappy notes into books by somebody other than the original author.

>> Favorite Agatha Christie book?

>> Oh, my goodness.

You know, I would say her early to mid-work was really good.

I like some of her books that portray travels across the world.

In part because I don't get to travel much as governor.

When she has you know kind of the archaeological digs in Babylon, the Caribbean, those are fun.

>> Do you use books to escape?

We talked about how you know, Lord of the rings, sci-fi.

Perhaps, it helps your entrepreneurial career, gave resiliency.

Do you also use books as a way to escape her day-to-day reality?

>> They are fun.

You know, as I said, Agatha Christie just definitely, you go back to you know, Victorian England- >> Sure.

>> The Nile.

>> Yes.

Usually just in a lodge in the winter with everybody there.

It is fun, it is cozy.

It isn't particularly challenging, and her case.

It is an easy read.

Another modern mystery writer, Alexander McCall Smith, the Number One Ladies Detective Agency.

I just found a new one I bought it here today.

Those are super quick and easy reads.

They are fun.

They are mystery.

But they are you know; Agatha Christie is mystery.

But is more about the setting and the characters.

I mean, it's not like walloping you on the head with a mystery.

Alexander McCall Smith is even less so.

It's just more about fun and Botswana and Africa.

There's the sense of belonging and land.

You know, it is a fun series.

>> Final question.

I think that we share the desire for children really embracing literature.

Has been a lot of pre-k work done in the state of Colorado during your tenure.

What is your pitch to someone to really help their children engage in more books and literature?

>> Certainly, learning to read is critical, right?

That is why, in my first term we got free full day kindergarten for every parent and now, universal preschool which will start next year because those building blocks are so important.

Like every parent, my kids are 8 and 10 I'm always trying to get them to read more.

Our son likes, I guess you could say nonfiction a lot more.

He's always very interested in that but I'm trying to get him interested in some aspect of you know I've introduced him to some of the offers I would like.

He likes the Avatar series which you know it has some serial books as well as just the graphic novels.

He reads those.

Our daughter is a third grader, so she is still aspiring and learning as a reader.

She's starting to move from picture books to children's books.

It is exciting to see them grow.

>> Do you like graphic novels at all?

>> I do.

>> One of the things that we have seen here is there's been a huge rise in graphic novels and the type of reader over graphic novels.

If you go back 15 years, those were just cartoons which had a totally different classification.

>> You still had very powerful ones as well.

You have had that.

I'm glad to see them taking their place among other forms of literary icons.

It is great to see a greater part of that mix or graphic novel.

I've always liked graphic novels.

It is fun to see that there is more available now, kids love them.

Most of the Avatar series are graphic novels.

They read some other ones as well.

Elf Quest was another one that I grew up with.

It was kind of like this.

Still, and iconic early graphic novel.

>> I actually don't know Elf Quest.

>> You have to know Elf Quest this was 80s, I think.

It might have even been the 70s were into the 90s.

That was kind of the timeframe, Elf Quest is a very iconic series of graphic novels.

You know, featuring, as you might have guessed, and Elvin universe.

It's not too dissimilar from Tolkien's universe.

Obviously, it's distinct great vision from the authors.

>> That's awesome.

>> I'm almost certain that it still in print because it's big.

>> I will see if we have it.

>> Oh, and if you are in the graphic novel genre, I also enjoyed Persepolis really a tale of a young Persian Iranian woman who escaped Persia the tales of the fall 79, the rise of the fundamentalist.

>> Sure.

>> You can tell very powerful and compelling stories to that genre.

It is exciting to see broader diversity of literary forms.

>> I really wonder if there is a connection, if you polled entrepreneurs and people who have done incredibly visionary things, as you have done throughout your career, if there is a link to an affection for sort of sci-fi.

Or, for reading about things that don't exist.

Or you know, fantastical worlds in which you are challenging your day to day assumptions on society.

Did you think that there's something there as far as at least- >> I think it's great that science fiction authors really try to envision the challenges of the future.

I mean, take Isaac Asimov for example, laws of robotics.

All of the laws that he did exploring what is a person, what's not.

That is very topical now.

It was a thought exercise 30 or 40 years ago when he wrote them.

Like, AI is here.

You know, you can talk to these bots, and you are like, is Elijah [indiscernible]?

It is that test.

This is the next 5 or 10 years really will raise a lot of these ethical questions that were raised by people like Isaac Asimov have a century ago.

>> It is fascinating to me.

I've never looked at it from that perspective.

It is the same thought exercise when you are innovating to think about you know, from a literature perspective something that should be existing in 50 years from now.

>> Yes.

And again, we always explore our own human condition through whatever world the author has created.

It is also interesting to enjoy the world.

That's why like Agatha Christie.

It is enjoyable interest.

You know, the 1920s England and our country manner.

It's kind of fun to enjoy wherever she is, whatever she's talking about.

Science fiction authors, it's fun to explore possible futures.

It always comes back to kind of, the story of the protagonists, the antagonist and what unfurls in the plot.

>> Awesome.

Governor Polis, thank you so much for joining us on Leaders and Readers Program.

>> Thank you it's a great pleasure, Kwame.

>> Thank you all for watching this edition.

[ Music ]