I want you to know that you have my permission to read anything you want. No, don’t thank me. I’m very generous that way. And as for your fear that vulnerable members of the community, perhaps even including yourself, will be subject to bad influences if they read anything they want, I agree with Andre Gide, who said that you couldn’t be influenced by anything unless it was meant to be, unless there was some genuine inner response from your soul. So he said that there were no bad influences.

Have you checked in with your soul lately? If you haven’t then that’s the problem. It’s siren song is always calling out to you. Homer was wrong. You shouldn’t stop up your ears. Your ship won’t flounder, it will reach Ithaca.

Maybe you wouldn’t know Cormac McCarthy from your postman.You must have greatly appreciated it when Oprah gave you permission to read him. There was the added advantage that you got to bear witness while Oprah talked to CM.

I wonder if you realize that there are thousands of writers on Facebook? Many of them would be willing to friend you. When you read a book that you like, since you have my permission, you might want to go on Facebook and see if the writer you enjoyed is receiving visitors.

You can send a message to the writer on Facebook. And if your message is full of the respect, understanding and gratitude that you should show to any artist, they might respond to you. Of course that’s not as wonderful as watching Oprah do it while you fulfill your destined role of couch potato. Oh wait….it might actually be more exciting than watching Oprah. I mean to participate yourself, even in a moderate way. You have my permission.

There are legions of super talented writers out there struggling not to give up their art. Hoping for a word of encouragement. Why don’t you give it to them? Of course, Oprah can encourage them. And also scold them when they do something naughty like tell a fib. Like that James Frey guy who just lies all the time. Would you believe it? He lies even when he’s writing novels. I greatly suspect that he’s making those novels up out of his own imagination. But he has my permission.

Don’t get too upset by writers fibbing. It’s their business to create fictions. They’re wonderfully adept at it. Sometimes they just forget to turn the fibbing machine off. They have my permission, even if they don’t have Oprah’s. Am I allowed to say that? Writers are the greatest of liars. Maybe you’re jealous that you can’t lie as well as James Frey.

You have my permission to explore literature. Don’t know how? You can’t walk your ass down to an indie bookstore and ask what you should read? Try it. Walk into Three Lives if you’re in NY or to any other indie bookstore you can find. Stand in the center of the store and cry out in a loud voice: “I don’t know what to read!!!” I assure you, you’ll get good service.

If you’re not the forward type, just go to the bookshelves and look at the books. That’s all. Just look. The books that need you to read them will call out to you. Take your time. No one is going to throw you out of their store for looking at books. They’ll give you permission.

Afraid to leave the house? Try the internet. Writers on Facebook also have writers who are friends on Facebook. If you like a writer’s work, you might also like the fiction of their friends. Good Reads is a wonderful site, user friendly to explore. You’ll get sucked in, hearing the siren call of literature. Compelled, almost against your will, to participate in the utter ecstasy of art. But it’s not really against your will. That’s your soul waking up from its customary torpor. Doesn’t that sound like fun?

Of course, if you do all that, if you get out of the house more, or find a soul mate writer through the internet who is equal to your passions and your dreams, your thoughts and fears for the future, who can stimulate the hell out of your somnolent mind, you might end up getting fed up with asking for anyone’s permission.