107. Gavin Edwards – Kindness and Wonder: The Fred Rogers Philosophy

Gavin Edwards is a journalist, nonfiction writer, and New York Times best-selling author of 12 books, including Kindness and Wonder: Why Mister Rogers Matters Now More Than Ever and The World According to Tom Hanks. Gavin is a veteran writer who has penned magazine cover stories on celebrities such as Jared Leto and Travis Barker and has written for several publications, including The New York Times, Wired, and Rolling Stone. In addition to his work as a writer, Gavin is also a public speaker who has appeared on NBC’s Today, NPR’s All Things Considered, and VH1’s Behind the Music. Gavin joins me today to discuss the life and philosophy of Fred Rogers. He explains what led him to write about Mr. Rogers and shares some of his favorite stories about him. He describes his process of selecting personalities, icons, and topics and how he approaches the people he writes about. He also underscores the power of research in making interviews engaging and explains why the act of writing is valuable unto itself. “If people spent their days being 3% more like Fred Rogers, we’d all be in a much better place.” – Gavin Edwards This week on The School for Good Living Podcast: Writing an oral history of Bill Murray and how Gavin approaches an icon he wants to write aboutWriting about people who have a philosophy of life and how they’re manifesting it in the worldWhat led Gavin to write about Mr. Rogers and how he wanted his book to impact readersAsking a child for a prayer and Gavin’s favorite stories about Fred RogersHow Mr. Rogers lived a life of congruence and directionHow Gavin’s life was touched by delving into Mr. Roger’s lifeThe willingness to look at the world through another person’s eyesHow spirituality informed Mr. Roger’s work and his connection with other peopleThe fundamental lesson from Mr. Roger and what he thought about death and dyingThe power of presence and attentiveness in giving interviewsAsking the right questions to bring an interviewee away from a routine responseA writing lesson that has served Gavin well and why he writes in long-handThe impact of anecdotes and using writing tools to bring life to a storyResources Mentioned: Kindness and Wonder: Why Mister Rogers Matters Now More Than Ever by Gavin EdwardsThe World According to Tom Hanks by Gavin EdwardsThe Tao of Bill Murray: Real-Life Stories of Joy, Enlightenment, and Party Crashing by Gavin EdwardsCloud Atlas by David MitchellRed Plenty by Francis SpuffordPale Fire by Vladimir NabokovThe Artificial Silk Girl by Keun IrmgardDeep Human Connection: Why We Need It More Than Anything Else by Stephen CopeLoose Ball: The Short, Wild Life of the American Basketball Association by Terry PlutoConnect with Gavin Edwards: RuleFourtyTwoGavin Edwards on TwitterSubscribe, Rate & Share! Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of the School for Good Living Podcast, with your host, Brilliant Miller. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave us a rating and review. Don’t forget to visit our website, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. And be sure to share your favorite episodes with your friends and colleagues on social media to inspire others to improve their lives and reach their full potential. The post 107. Gavin Edwards – Kindness and Wonder: The Fred Rogers Philosophy first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.