>>> COMING UP -- STORIES WE'RE CONNECTING YOU WITH TONIGHT -- A SEASONED PHOTOJOURNALIST REFLECTS ON CAPTURING AN ICONIC IMAGE OF THE SEPTEMBER 11th ATTACK ON THE WORLD TRADE CENTER.

>> AND I HEARD THE BIGGEST EXPLOSION I HAVE EVER HEARD AS I WAS RAISING THE HATCH.

AND I CLIMBED UP ON TO THE ROOF AND LOOKED TOWARDS THE CITY AND BOTH OF THE BUILDINGS WERE ON FIRE.

>> A REPORTER SHARES WHAT IT WAS LIKE COVERING A NATION-DEFINING MOMENT LIKE 9/11 HERE IN WESTERN MASS.

>> YOU NEVER KNOW WHO MIGHT HAVE BEEN IN THAT BUILDING.

I MEAN, WE HAD FULLY 20 OR MORE FAMILIES WHOSE LIVES WERE CHANGED FOREVER RIGHT HERE AT HOME.

>>> AND VISIT AN OPEN-AIR SCULPTURE EXHIBIT HOSTED ON THE GROUNDS OF NOTED AUTHOR EDITH WHARTON'S BERKSHIRES HOMESTEAD.

>> COMING TO SEE FLOWERS AND NATURE AND THE ARTWORK WHICH WAS A NEAT SURPRISE TO COME AND SEE.

>>> WE'LL BRING YOU THOSE STORIES AND MORE AS WE EXPLORE THE CREATIVITY, CULTURE, AND COMMUNITY THAT MAKES US WESTERN NEW ENGLAND.

UP NEXT ON "CONNECTING POINT."

>> SUPPORT FOR "CONNECTING POINT"IS PROVIDED BY OUR CONTRIBUTING VIEWERS.

CAPTIONING PERFORMED BY LNS CAPTIONING WWW.LNSCAPTIONING.COM >> GOOD EVENING, AND THANKS FOR JOINING US FOR "CONNECTING POINT."

I'M ZYDALIS BAUER.

>>> TOMORROW MARKS THE 20th ANNIVERSARY OF THE SEPTEMBER 11th ATTACKS ON THE PENTAGON AND WORLD TRADE CENTER IN NEW YORK CITY.

ON THAT FATEFUL DAY, SPRINGFIELD NATIVE MARK PHILLIPS WAS LIVING WITH HIS WIFE AND DAUGHTER IN BROOKLYN.

A SEASONED PHOTOJOURNALIST, PHILLIPS IMMEDIATELY GRABBED HIS CAMERAS TO CAPTURE THE TERROR ATTACKS AS THEY UNFOLDED.

ONE OF HIS PHOTOS, KNOWN AS SATAN IN THE SMOKE, BECAME A WORLDWIDE PHENOMENON AND AN INDELIBLE IMAGE OF ONE OF THE NATION'S DARKEST DAYS.

PHILLIPS SHARED HIS MEMORIES OF 9/11 AND WHAT IT WAS LIKE CAPTURING SUCH AN ICONIC IMAGE WITH PRODUCER DAVE FRASER.

>> THE WORLD TRADE CENTER BUILDINGS, THE TWIN TOWERS, WERE JUST SO IMPOSING.

I MEAN, EVERYBODY COMPLAINED THEY WERE BOXY, BUT AS A PHOTOGRAPHER, WHEN YOU LOOKED AT THOSE BUILDINGS, ALL DAY LONG THE LIGHT WOULD CHANGE ON THEM.

YOU COULD GET HALF THE BUILDING LIT, HALF OF IT IN SHADOW.

YOU COULD GET SHIMMERING LIGHT GOING ACROSS IT FROM REFLECTIONS OFF THE WATER.

SO THE BUILDINGS JUST HAD A REMARKABLE EFFECT FOR PHOTOGRAPHY.

THEY JUST DOMINATED THE SKYLINE.

9/11, 2001, MY WIFE AND I, WE WERE BOTH WORKING AT THAT POINT.

WE BOTH HAD PLACES WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE THAT DAY.

IT WAS MY DAUGHTER'S FIRST DAY OF PRESCHOOL AT MONTESSORI.

WE BOTH DECIDED TO STAY HOME, WALK HER TO SCHOOL, GO OFF AND DO OUR JOBS AND BE BACK IN TIME FOR HER GETTING OUT.

BUT THAT MORNING CHANGED RADICALLY WHEN MY WIFE SHOUTED TO ME FROM THE LIVING ROOM.

SHE GOES, MARK, YOU HAVE TO COME SEE THIS.

>> WE HAVE UNCONFIRMED REPORTS THIS MORNING THAT A PLANE HAS CRASHED INTO ONE OF THE TOWERS OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER.

>> I LOOKED OUT OUR FRONT WINDOW AND I COULD SEE SMOKE COMING UP FROM LOWER MANHATTAN.

I RAN AND GRABBED MY CAMERAS.

WE WERE IN A BUILDING ROUGHLY THREE MILES FROM THE WORLD TRADE CENTER FOOTPRINT.

WE HAD A ROOF DECK ON TOP OF OUR CO-OP BUILDING.

I RAN UP, STARTED CLIMBING THE LADDER TO GO UP ON THE ROOF AND I HEARD THE BIGGEST EXPLOSION I HAVE EVER HEARD RAISING THE HATCH TO GO ON THE ROOF.

I OPENED THE HATCH AND LOOKED TOWARDS THE CITY AND BOTH BUILDINGS WERE ON FIRE.

I HAD TWO CAMERAS THE DIGITAL CAMERA AND FILM CAMERA.

THE DIGITAL CAMERA WAS THE FIRST ONE I PICKED UP.

I WENT WITH THE DIGITAL BECAUSE I HAD TO DEVELOP FILM, SO I SLAPPED THE CARD FROM MY DIGITAL CAMERA IN MY COMPUTER.

THE FIRST PICTURE CAME UP AND IT LOOKED REALLY GOOD.

I GOT ON THE PHONE WITH AP AND I WORKED OUT A DEAL WITH THEM AND I HIT SEND, NEVER KNOWING WHAT WAS REALLY CONTAINED IN THE SMOKE OF THAT PHOTO.

THAT NEXT DAY, I WOKE UP IN THE MORNING AND I TURNED ON MY COMPUTER AND WHEN I HIT GET MAIL, IT WAS JUST ONE E-MAIL AFTER ANOTHER JUST KEPT COMING IN.

AND THEN MY PHONE RANG AND IT WAS MY PHOTO AGENT.

THE FIRST WORDS OUT OF HIS MOUTH WAS, DID YOU KNOW THERE WAS A FACE IN YOUR PHOTOGRAPH?

I FEEL LIKE THIS IMAGE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST SOCIAL MEDIA VIRAL IMAGES OF THIS DIGITAL AGE.

2001, THERE WAS NO FACEBOOK.

THERE WAS NO INSTAGRAM.

YOU KNOW, THERE WASN'T A DISSEMINATION METHOD FOR DIGITAL IMAGES.

BECAUSE IT ONLY RAN IN TWO NEWSPAPERS, BUT IT WAS E-MAILED, I MEAN, I WOULD HAVE TO GUESS IT WAS E-MAILED ALMOST A MILLION TIMES.

IT WAS SO HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THE BUILDINGS WERE GONE.

THE NIGHT AFTER THE ATTACK, WE WENT TO THE BROOKLYN HEIGHTS PROMENADE AND PEOPLE HAD LAID OUT CANDLES AND PICTURES OF MISSING PEOPLE ON THE RAILS AND YOU JUST LOOKED AT THAT AND YOU COULDN'T BELIEVE WHAT WAS GOING ON.

TO HAVE THE 20th ANNIVERSARY ON A SATURDAY KIND OF IS POIGNANT.

SO, YOU KNOW, YOU KIND OF FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE TO GIVE THAT DAY TO THE REMEMBRANCE.

EVERY TIME I LOOK AT THE NEW BUILDING, I THINK ABOUT WHAT'S GONE.

AND IT STILL FEELS RAW 20 YEARS LATER.

>>> THE SEPTEMBER 11th ATTACKS MAY HAVE TAKEN PLACE IN NEW YORK CITY, THE PENTAGON, AND A FIELD NEAR SHANKSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA, BUT THE EVENTS OF THAT DAY IMPACTED COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, INCLUDING RIGHT HERE IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS.

CYNTHIA SIMISON, THE CURRENT EXECUTIVE EDITOR OF "THE REPUBLICAN," MASSLIVE, AND EL PUEBLO LATINO, WAS WORKING IN THE NEWSROOM ON SEPTEMBER 11th, 2001.

SHE JOINED ME TO REFLECT ON WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO COVER A STORY OF THAT MAGNITUDE LOCALLY AND HOW WE CONTINUE TO HONOR THE LIVES LOST AND THOSE IMPACTED BY THIS DAY.

>> I WAS ACTUALLY ON MY WAY FROM AN APPOINTMENT IN WESTFIELD, SO AS I ARRIVED, IT WAS JUST AFTER 9:00.

SO THE FIRST PLANE HAD STRUCK.

WE KNEW THAT.

AND EVERYONE, AS I REMEMBER, WAS LITERALLY GLUED TO THE TV SCREENS.

IT WAS, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT WAS REFLECTIVE OF ALL OF US, EVERYWHERE, WHETHER WE WERE AT WORK, AT HOME, OR AT SCHOOL.

THE ENORMITY OF IT WAS LIKE WHAT IS GOING ON?

AND HOW IS THIS HAPPENING?

>> AS YOU MENTIONED, WE WERE ALL GLUED TO THE TV DURING THAT MOMENT, NO MATTER WHERE WE WERE.

THIS IS NATIONALLY AND I'M SURE INTERNATIONALLY.

EVERYONE WAS WATCHING THIS EVENT AS IT UNFOLDED.

HOW DO YOU COVER A STORY OF THIS MAGNITUDE ON A LOCAL LEVEL?

>> WELL, THE THING THAT HAPPENED IN OUR NEWSROOM WAS I GOT AN E-MAIL FROM A FRIEND IN WESTFIELD THAT SOMEBODY I KNEW AND THIS PERSON KNEW WAS IN THE BUILDING THAT DAY.

IT WAS DAN TRAN, WHO WORKED AT KANTER FITZGERALD.

I SHARED WITH A FRIEND WHO HAD KNOWN DANNY FROM THE SPORTS WORLD.

HE WAS A BASKETBALL PLAYER.

THAT IS WHEN IT STRUCK A LOT OF US THAT THERE COULD BE OTHER PEOPLE WE KNOW.

THERE COULD BE OTHER PEOPLE FROM WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS THAT ARE BEING IMPACTED THIS DAY.

>> BACK IN 2001, WE DIDN'T HAVE THE SAME ACCESS TO INFORMATION AT OUR FINGERTIPS AS WE DO TODAY.

WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO BE THAT LIFELINE OF INFORMATION TO THIS REGION OF THE EVENTS OF THAT DAY AS THEY WERE UNFOLDING?

>> YOU BRING UP A MAJOR ASPECT TO THIS.

NOT EVERYBODY HAD CELL PHONES.

I MEAN, THANK GOODNESS FOR THOSE FAMILIES WHO WERE ABLE TO CAPTURE FINAL MOMENTS WITH THEIR LOVED ONES.

BUT THINGS JUST WEREN'T THAT READILY AVAILABLE, SO THE INTERNET WAS FAIRLY NEW.

THE CONCEPT OF ONLINE NEWS WAS STILL IN ITS INFANCY, IN A WAY.

SO, THE PRINTED NEWSPAPER WAS REALLY DELIVERED THE NEWS IN THE HOME AT THE SAME TIME PEOPLE WERE WATCHING THE NATIONAL NEWS ON TV.

>> SO NOW, LOOKING BACK TWO DECADES LATER, ARE THERE ANY STORIES OR IMAGES THAT REALLY HAVE STUCK WITH YOU AFTER THAT DAY THAT IMPACTED THE COMMUNITIES LOCALLY, EITHER DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY?

>> YOU KNOW, I THINK EACH ONE OF US HAS SOME IMAGE THAT IS ICONIC, THAT IS MOVING, THAT IS TRAGIC, THAT'S, YOU KNOW, I LIKE TO THINK -- I TEND TO BE A POSITIVE PERSON, SO, YOU KNOW, IN TALKING TO OUR EDITORS HERE, QUITE FRANKLY, I LOOKED TO THAT PHOTO OF PRESIDENT BUSH WITH HIS ARM AROUND THE FIREFIGHTER WITH THE AMERICAN FLAG BEING A POSITIVE, WE WILL ENDURE.

>> AS SOMEBODY WHO WAS WORKING WITH THE MEDIA THAT DAY AND CONTINUES TO DO SO, HOW DID THIS EVENT CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE AND WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM IT IN YOUR POSITION?

>> I'M NOT SURE IT CHANGED MY PERSP PERSPECTIVE, BUT IT IS A REMINDER IN MY WAYS ALL NEWS IS LOCAL.

JUST LIKE ALL POLITICS IS LOCAL.

THAT YOU NEVER KNOW WHO MIGHT HAVE BEEN IN THAT BUILDING.

I MEAN, WE HAD FULLY 20 OR MORE PEOPLE, 20 OR MORE FAMILIES WHOSE LIVES WERE CHANGED FOREVER RIGHT HERE AT HOME.

AND THEN WE HAD FIRST RESPONDERS AND OTHER GOOD PEOPLE WHO GOT IN THEIR CARS OR TRUCKS OR AS UNITS WENT TO HELP WITH THE SEARCH, WENT TO BE PRESENT AT THE FUNERALS OF FIREFIGHTERS AND OTHER FIRST RESPONDERS.

I THINK IT SPEAKS TO THE KIND AND CARING COMMUNITIES THAT SURROUND US.

>> I KNOW THAT MASSLIVE, "THE REPUBLICAN," ARE WORKING ON A SPECIAL SERIES TO COMMEMORATE THIS DAY.

TALK TO ME MORE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE PLANNING ON DOING?

>> WELL THIS SERIES, IT IS RUNNING OVER THE COURSE OF EIGHT DAYS.

AND OUR EDITORS CONCEIVED IT AS A WAY NOT TO JUST DOCUMENT WHAT HAPPENED THAT DAY, BUT TO SHARE THE LEGACY AND WHAT'S HAPPENED IN THE INTERIM 20 YEARS, WHETHER IT TO BE THE FAMILIES WHO WERE AFFECTED OR -- AND A PIECE THAT WE'LL BE PUBLISHING THIS COMING SUNDAY ON THE WARS IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN.

AND HOW A WHOLE NOTHER GROUP OF FAMILIES' LIVES ARE BEING IMPACTED AND VETERANS.

WERE IT NOT FOR 9/11, THEY WOULD NOT BE THERE, YOU KNOW?

SO IT HAS A CONTINUING EFFECT ON ALL OF OUR LIVES.

>>> AND LOCALLY, PEOPLE CONTINUE TO REMEMBER AND HONOR THOSE LOST ON 9/11.

A MEMORIAL SERVICE HONORING THE FALLEN IS TAKING PLACE RIGHT NOW AT THE SPRINGFIELD 9/11 MEMORIAL.

WE'VE HEARD FROM A PHOTOGRAPHER ON THE GROUND IN NEW YORK AND A LOCAL REPORTER ABOUT WHAT IT WAS LIKE COVERING SEPTEMBER 11th.

IN AN ONLINE EXCLUSIVE, FORMER BUSH ADVISER BRAD BLAKEMAN REFLECTS ON SERVING IN THE WHITE HOUSE WHILE EVENTS UNFOLDED ON 9/11 AND THE DAYS THAT FOLLOWED.

>> I FOUND IT ODD A PLANE WOULD HIT THAT TOWER.

I WAS THINKING ABOUT THAT AND A SECOND PLANE HIT.

I TURNED TO MY ASSISTANT AND SAID THIS IS AN ACT OF TERRORISM.

I WENT TO THE SITUATION ROOM, EXPECTING THEM TO HAVE MORE INFORMATION.

THEY DID NOT.

THEY WERE WATCHING THINGS HAPPEN IN REAL LIKE EVERYONE ELSE.

I HAD A SCHEDULE FOR 21 DAYS.

NOW WE WERE SCHEDULING BY THE MINUTE.

>> YOU CAN FIND THIS INTERVIEW AS WELL AS EXTRA FEATURES, DIGITAL-ONLY CONTENT, AND SO MUCH MORE ONLINE RIGHT NOW AT NEPM.ORG/CONNECTINGPOINT.

>>> FROM LATE SPRING UNTIL EARLY FALL, VISITORS TO THE MOUNT IN LENOX, MASSACHUSETTS, CAN ENJOY A FREE OUTDOOR ART EXHIBIT AT THE HILLSIDE PROPERTY OF AMERICAN AUTHOR EDITH WHARTON.

THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE ESTATE AND THIS GROUP ON SCULPTORS, KNOWN AS SCULPTURE NOW, HAS ENDURED SINCE 2013 AND HAS INSPIRED DAY TRIP VISITS BY PEOPLE FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE, HAILING FROM ALL POINTS ON THE MAP.

THE EXHIBIT FATURES THE WORKS OF MORE THAN 30 ARTISTS AND "CONNECTING POINTS" BRIAN SULLIVAN VISITED OVER THE SUMMER TO BRING US THIS NEXT STORY.

>> FIRST TIME VISITORS TO THE MOUNT IN LENOX, MASSACHUSETTS, THE HOME OF AMERICAN AUTHOR EDITH WHARTON AND NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK ARE CAPTURED BY ITS BEAUTY AND SERENITY.

THE LANDSCAPING ALONE DRIVES 50,000 VISITORS.

THE IVEY STONEWALL THAT SURROUNDS THE COURTYARD ON THE LOWER LEFT SIDE OF THE ESTATE, OR THE MANICURED HEDGED WALKWAYS, IT IS VISUALLY STRIKING AND PHYSICALLY CALMING.

NOT TO BE OUTDONE BY NATURE, THEY FEATURE AN ART EXHIBIT SCULPTURE NOW.

STARTED 20 YEARS AGO, AFTER MEETING WITH THE MOUNT'S EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR THEY FOUND A HOME HERE EVERY YEAR JUNE THROUGH OCTOBER.

>> I CAME UP HERE FOR MUSIC AND I MET SUSAN WHISTLER, AND SAID, WOULD YOU BE INTERESTED IN A SCULPTURE SHOW HERE?

SHE SAID YES.

THE MOUNT WAS HAPPY.

SCULPTURE NOW WAS HAPPY AND THE ARTISTS WERE HAPPY TO HAVE BEAUTIFUL SITES.

>> THOSE SITES CAN BE FOUND SCATTERED ALONG THE HILLSIDE WHERE A SIGN LIKE THIS ONE IS NOT ONLY AIMED AT PEOPLE BEHIND THE WHEEL, BUT PEDESTRIANS AS WELL.

>> IT IS ABOUT A QUARTER MILE WALK FROM THE PARKING AREA TO THE HOUSE.

AND WE WANT PEOPLE TO REALLY TAKE THEIR TIME.

THE SCULPTURES HELP PEOPLE DO THAT.

NORMALLY THEY CAN WALK BAST TREES AND DMOEDS AND NOT SEE THEM.

ONCE YOU HAVE A BEAUTIFUL PIECE OF ART VERY CAREFULLY PLACED IN THE MIDDLE OF IT, IT CAUSES PEOPLE TO PAUSE.

>> ONE SUCH PIECE IS THIS ONE KNOWN AS WILDFIRE.

WHAT IT FIRST MAY APPEAR TO A PROPERTY'S TREE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING, IS THE ARTIST'S WAY OF CALLING ATTENTION TO THE DEVASTATION TAKING PLACE IN HER HOME STATE OF CALIFORNIA.

A YEAR IN THE WORKS, THE MAJORITY OF THAT TIME CASTING THE GLASS FLAMES THAT SIT ATOP THIS WORK OF ART.

>> IT IS LABOR INTENSIVE, BUT I WAS ABLE TO BRING LIGHT THROUGH THE WORK.

MY VISION WAS THE FLAMES WOULD LOOK LIKE THEY WERE ON FIRE AND THE SUN HELPS.

>> THE FOOT TRAFFIC AT THE MOUNT FROM ALL POINTS OF THE MAP, WITH CURIOSITY THE DRIVING FORCE TO THIS OUTDOOR ART MUSEUM.

WITH NATURE SERVING AS THE CANVAS, THERE IS NO TIME WASTED GIVING PATRONS THE THREE-DIMENSIONAL ART EXPERIENCE.

>> I CAME IN AND THOUGHT, THIS IS GOING TO BE COOL.

I SAW THE SCULPTURES THAT LOOKED LIKE GHOSTS AND THINGS.

THIS IS REALLY NEAT.

IT IS DIFFERENT THAN YOUR NORMAL MUSEUM.

>> THE PIECE IN QUESTION CAN BE VIEWED ON THE ART WALK TRAIL, A MIX OF ETHEREAL, BEAUTIFUL AND SPOOKY AN EMBLEMATIC OF THE DIVERSE SCLUP CHURS ON PLAY.

WHEN I CAME HERE I ONLY SAW THE BUFFALO SCULPTURE ON THE HILL.

I THOUGHT THERE WOULD BA PINK FLOYD ALBUM COVER VIBE, BUT I WALK THE TRIALS AND THE ROADWAY SEEING 30 SCULPTURES, THERE IS MORE OF A CHRONICLE OF NARNIA DREAMSCAPE.

>> EACH IS SET APART FROM THE OTHERS, TO GIVE EACH THEIR OWN SPACE AND CREATE THE UNIQUE MARRIAGE BETWEEN THE INDUSTRIAL AND NATURAL WORLD.

>> THERE IS SUCH A BIG CONTRAST OF IT JUST BEING IN NATURE AND IT SEEMS OUT OF PLACE, BUT THEN I FEEL LIKE THE MORE YOU LOOK AT IT, IT SEEMS LIKE YOU CAN TAKE IT IN ALL TOGETHER AND IT BELONGS, EVEN TO A DEGREE.

>> AS MENTIONED EARLIER, THE NATURAL BEAUTY OF THE MOUNT ATTRACTS COUNTLESS VISITORS FROM FAR AND WIDE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE CALENDAR YEAR, BUT FOR THE FIRST-TIMERS WHO HAPPEN TO ARRIVE BETWEEN THE MONTHS OF JUNE AND OCTOBER, SCULPTURE NOW OFFERS UP A NICE BONUS FEATURE TO THE LANDSCAPE.

>> I'M ALL THE WAY FROM NEW JERSEY AND CAME TO EXPERIENCE THE BEAUTY.

FOR ME, THE SCULPTURES WERE AN EXTRA SURPRISE.

>> SPEAKING WITH MY FRIEND, SHE HAD TOLD ME ABOUT THIS GARDEN WHERE IT USED TO BE AN AUTHOR'S HOUSE.

I WAS DRAWN TO THE IDEA OF COMING TO SEE FLOWERS AND SOME NATURE AND THAT IS WHEN WE GOT TO SEE THE ARTWORK, WHICH WAS ALSO LIKE A BONUS AND NEAT SURPRISE TO KIND OF COME AND SEE.

>>> TWO-TIME GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING STORYTELLER, MUSICIAN, AND WRITER BILL HARLEY RECENTLY RELEASED A NEW BOOK ENTITLED, "NOW YOU SAY YES."

THE NOVEL TELLS THE FICTIONAL STORY OF A YOUNG GIRL, HER ON-THE-SPECTRUM BROTHER, AND THEIR MONUMENTAL CROSS-COUNTRY JOURNEY AFTER THEIR MOTHER PASSES AWAY.

THE MASSACHUSETTS-BASED AUTHOR SPOKE WITH ME ABOUT THE BOOK, HOW HIS CAREER BEGAN, AND WHAT HE ENJOYS MOST ABOUT BEING A STORYTELLER.

>> WHEN I WAS IN COLLEGE, I GOT A GUITAR, I STARTED TO WRITE SONGS AND MY FRIENDS AND I, WE RAN A -- WE STARTED A DAY CAMP IN THE TOWN WHERE OUR COLLEGE WAS.

AND I HAD A DOZEN SONGS WE WOULD SING EVERY MORNING AND IN THE AFTERNOON WHEN THE CAMPERS, THE COUNSELORS WERE SICK OF THE CAMPERS AND VICE VERSA, THEY WOULD SAY, GO SEE BILL.

I BECAME THE DEFAULT PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAM THERE.

AND I HAD A COUPLE OF STORIES I WOULD TELL TO GO ALONG WITH THAT.

I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN INTERESTED IN HOW A STORY KIND OF CONTEXTUALIZES, PUTS SOMETHING IN ITS PLACE, A SONG, EXPLAINS IN A WAY NOTHING ELSE CAN.

I WAS JUST MYSTIFIED WHEN THE KIDS WOULD JUST DROP WHATEVER THEY WERE DOING AS SOON AS YOU SAY SOMETHING LIKE, ONCE UPON A TIME.

IT SEEMS TO WORK WHEN NOTHING ELSE DOES.

>> YOUR LATEST BOOK "NOW YOU SAY YES" TELLS A STORY ABOUT A CROSS-COUNTRY JOURNEY MADE BY A 15-YEAR-OLD AND A 9-YEAR-OLD ON-THE-SPECTRUM BROTHER AFTER THEIR MOTHER DIES.

WHERE DID THE INSPIRATION FOR THIS STORY COME FROM?

>> WELL, YOU KNOW, IT IS FUNNY HOW IT HAPPENED.

FOR ME, STORIES, BOOKS OR STORIES I TELL, THEY ARE ALL KIND OF THOUGHT EXPERIMENTS, ASKING YOURSELF WHAT IF?

THE GENESIS OF THIS STORY WAS MY NIECE FROM LOS ANGELES WHERE THE MAIN CHARACTER MARI IS FROM, WAS VISITING US.

SHE WAS 14.

I SAID, YOU SHOULD COME VISIT US MORE OFTEN.

SHE SAID AIRPLANE TICKETS ARE JUST TOO EXPENSIVE, UNCLE BILL.

I SAID, YOU COULD DRIVE.

SHE SAID, UNCLE BILL, I'M JUST 14.

I SAID WHAT IF YOU HAD TO THOUGH?

WHAT IF YOU HAD TO DRIVE, COULD YOU DO IT?

THAT WAS THE GENESIS OF THE STORY.

>> THIS BOOK EXPLORES THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM AND THE AUTISM SPECTRUM.

HOW DO YOU PORTRAY THESE CHARACTERS WHEN THEY ARE NOT NECESSARILY A REFLECTION OF YOUR OWN LIFE >> WELL, YOU KNOW, IT IS A REALLY GOOD QUESTION AND MY FIRST RESPONSE IS, I HOPE I HAVE.

I HOPE I HAVE HONORED PEOPLE WHO HAVE BOTH OF THOSE EXPERIENCES.

SO OBVIOUSLY, I DID A LOT OF RESEARCH, BOTH ABOUT THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM.

I TALKED TO A NUMBER OF PEOPLE.

I READ A LOT AND I THOUGHT ABOUT IT.

AND ALSO READ AND THOUGHT A LOT ABOUT AUTISM AND HUNG OUT WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE ON THE SPECTRUM AND TURNED TO PEOPLE WHO ARE VERY ACTIVE IN THAT COMMUNITY.

AND THEN AFTER I READ THE BOOK, I VETTED IT WITH THEM.

THAT SAID, YOU CAN STILL GET IT WRONG.

AND PROBABLY IN SOMEBODY'S MIND, THEY WILL SAY, WELL THAT'S NOT -- I DON'T THINK THAT'S RIGHT.

IN AUTISM COMMUNITY, ONE OF MY FRIENDS SAYS, WELL, YOU KNOW, WE SAY IF YOU MET ONE AUTISTIC PERSON IT MEANS YOU HAVE MET ONE AUTISTIC PERSON AND THAT IS ABSOLUTELY TRUE FOR KIDS WHO HAVE BEEN IN THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM.

YOU CAN SAY SOME THINGS GENERALLY.

THE SPECIFICITY OF IT IS SOMETHING YOU WRESTLE WITH.

SO, THE ANSWER IS VERY, VERY CAREFULLY AND HOPEFULLY YOU GET IT RIGHT >> ONE OF YOUR RULES OF THE UNIVERSE IS WE ARE MORE ALIKE THAN WE ARE DIFFERENT.

HOW WILL WE WITNESS THAT IN YOUR LATEST BOOK AND WHY IS THAT RULE SO NEAR AND DEAR TO YOU?

>> WELL, THIS BOOK IS REALLY -- I GUESS, I MEAN, ALL MY WORK, WHETHER IT HAS BEEN SONGS OR SPOKEN STORIES OR BOOK, I'M ASKING MYSELF ALL THE TIME, WHAT'S THE UNIVERSAL IN THIS STORY I'M TELLING OR THIS SONG I'M SINGING?

WHAT DOES IT SAY ABOUT WHO WE ARE AS HUMAN BEINGS?

SO IN THIS BOOK, MARI HAS REALLY, HER IDENTITY IS AT RISK.

AND SHE FEELS ISOLATED.

SHE FEELS THAT THERE IS NO ONE REALLY THAT GETS HER AND SHE'S AFRAID OF WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN TO HER.

BUT THROUGH THE COURSE OF THE BOOK, THROUGH THE PEOPLE SHE MEETS AND THE EXPERIENCES SHE HAS, SHE BEGINS TO UNDERSTAND THE WAYS THAT WE ARE ALL CONNECTED.

AND AT THE REALLY ONE OF THE HEART, THE CLIMAX, IT IS NOT THE CLIMAX, BUT THE EMOTIONAL OR SPIRITUAL CLIMAX OF THE BOOK, SHE SEES PEOPLE IN A WAY TO UNDERSTAND THAT EVERYBODY IS BROKEN.

AND IN SOME WAYS IT IS THAT BROKENNESS THAT WE MOST HAVE IN COMMON.

AND WHEN YOU SEE THAT, THE DEFENSES KIND OF DROP AND YOU OPEN YOURSELF A LITTLE.

SO THAT IS VERY MUCH AT THE HEART OF WHAT THIS BOOK IS ABOUT.

>> YOU ARE VERY WELL KNOWN FOR YOUR SONGS AND STORIES TAILORED FOR YOUNG READERS.

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY WRITING PIECING FOR THIS DEMOGRAPHIC AND WHAT THEMES RESONATE WITH YOU?

>> I THINK KIDS ARE FIRST CHECKING YOU OUT TO SEE WHAT YOUR ATTITUDE IS TOWARDS THEM.

A LOT OF WORK FOR CHILDREN IS PRESCRIPTIVE AND CAN BE CONDESCENDING.

THIS IS SOMETHING YOU NEED TO HAVE.

MY WORK HAS ALWAYS BEEN, DOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR TO YOU?

IS IT SOMETHING YOU MIGHT HAVE BEEN THROUGH?

DO YOU GET WITH THE FEELING OF IF I CAN MAKE THE CONNECTION, THEN WE ARE GOING TO BE ON AN EQUAL PLAYING FIELD AND THEY ARE GOING TO GO ALONG WITH ME.

SO MY WORK TENDS TO BE DESCRIPTIVE THAN PRESCRIPTIVE.

AND, YOU KNOW, CHILDREN ARE IMMEDIATE IN THEIR RESPONSE.

AND YOU -- ALTHOUGH THE MIDDLE GRADERS, MIDDLE SCHOOLERS ARE A LITTLE MORE RESERVED, BUT YOU KNOW FROM A KID WHETHER IT IS WORKING OR NOT AND THEY BUY IN.

AND ADULTS -- I DO A FAIR AMOUNT OF WORK WITH ADULT AUDIENCES, AND THEY SIT THERE AND BE POLITE.

IF YOUR STUFF IS NOT WORKING WITH A KID, YOU FIND OUT PRETTY FAST AND HAVE TO ADJUST.

I APPRECIATE THAT IMMEDIACY AND OPENNESS TO THE WORLD THAT ADULTS, WE'RE COVERED MORE.

WE'RE ALL COVERING UP.

KIDS ARE LESS LIKELY TO COVER UP AND I LOVE THAT ABOUT THEM.

>>> THAT DOES IT FOR "CONNECTING POINT" FOR SEPTEMBER 10th, 2021.

REMEMBER YOU CAN ALWAYS FIND THE STORIES THAT YOU SAW TONIGHT, AS WELL AS EXCLUSIVE FEATURES, DIGITAL-ONLY CONTENT, AND MORE ONLINE ANY TIME AT NEPM.ORG/CONNECTINGPOINT.

AND PLEASE BE SURE TO JOIN US AGAIN NEXT FRIDAY NIGHT AT 6:00 RIGHT HERE ON NEW ENGLAND PUBLIC MEDIA FOR MORE STORIES OF THE CREATIVITY, CULTURE, AND COMMUNITY THAT MAKES US WESTERN NEW ENGLAND.

WE LEAVE YOU TONIGHT WITH A LOOK AT A PHOTO EXHIBIT FEATURING THE WORK OF CHRIS MARION AND DENNIS LEGER.

THE EXHIBIT SHOWCASES THE INSTALLATION AND DEDICATION OF THE 9/11 MONUMENT IN SPRINGFIELD'S RIVERFRONT PARK, AND WILL BE ON DISPLAY AT ONE FINANCIAL PLAZA IN SPRINGFIELD THROUGH SEPTEMBER 17th.

I'M ZYDALIS BAUER.

THANKS FOR WATCHING, AND HAVE A GREAT EVENING.

>> SUPPORT FOR "CONNECTING POINT"IS PROVIDED BY OUR CONTRIBUTING VIEWERS.