←Recommendations of Simple Black Marks

A wonderful monologue about the joy of teaching the written word. As someone who does that from time to time, it definitely resonated with me. The work it comes from, "A Good Year," is simply excellent, so there's no wonder this monologue is excellent as well.

A short yet profound monologue that resonated with me as someone who is studying to become an English teacher. This is a great role for either a man or woman and its message is truly timeless and universal. Incredibly well done!

A succinct expression of the passion and grief that educators carry — Hoping that their clear voice of reason might rise up above the fray of conspiracies and terror and politicking — And knowing that it probably won't. Still, they try. Will the light they cast on words bigger than any one of us help illuminate a young person's future? Maybe. Let's hope it's still possible.

As a retired professor, this monologue hits home. Williams captures all the right words to convey his character's passion for the written word! A powerful, honest piece of writing!

A simple and beautiful piece celebrating education, knowledge, and the power of the written word. None of these things are as widely valued as they should be these days and Williams not only advocates for them but also for their safekeeping for they are in constant peril.

The monologue would make a strong audition piece for any actor.

A simple and beautiful piece celebrating education, knowledge, and the power of the written word. None of these things are as widely valued as they should be these days and Williams not only advocates for them but also for their safekeeping for they are in constant peril.

The monologue would make a strong audition piece for any actor.

Really powerful monologue about how the written word, language, books can really open new worlds for us, inspire us to be better. It's why I love teaching, and why you can't help but fall in love with Philip Middleton Williams' writing.

SIMPLE BLACK MARKS is anything but simple. In just a minute or so, Williams (through his teacher character) expertly unpacks ageless passions about books, learning, and the art of teaching which, like good theatre, is meant to illuminate and agitate rather than inculcate. Bravo!

There's irony in Philip Middleton Williams' monologue here. The idea that simple words on paper are more powerful than all the bureaucracies of man is a good one, but it is being wielded by a teacher stepped on by that very same bureaucracy. The teacher is right though, as ideas are notoriously hard to squelch, and he/she feels it important for his/her students to remember that. If only one at a time. This is beautiful writing.