When I first saw this question the person who immediately came to mind, for some reason, was Grace Paley - I'm not even sure if she's alive anymore and if she is she might be very old. But a few years ago I went to see her give a reading and something about her writing and how she acted in person made me feel that she would be so easy to talk to and that I would be enriched by getting to know her and also that she would embrace me. But she is also very sharp-tongued. Another person like this who I think I would enjoy meeting is Faith Ringgold - I love her children's book Tar Beach.
But in general I like to meet all kinds of people.
I love perico ripiao!
And this song:
Samba de uma Nota Só
Tom Jobim/Newton Mendonça
Eis aqui este sambinha
Feito numa nota só
Outras notas vão entrar
Mas a base é uma só
Esta outra é consequência
Do que acabo de dizer
Como eu sou a consequência
Inevitável de você
Quanta gente existe por aÃ
Que fala tanto
e não diz nada
Ou quase nada
Já me utilizei de toda a escala
E no final não sobrou nada
Não deu em nada
E voltei prá minha nota
Como eu volto prá você
Vou cantar com a minha nota
Como eu gosto de você
E quem quer todas as notas
Ré mi fá sol la si dó
Fica sempre sem nenhuma
Fique numa nota só
One Note Samba
English lyrics by Tom Jobim
This is just a little samba
Built upon a single note
Other notes are bound to follow
But the root is still that note
Now this new one is the consequence
Of the one we've just been through
As I'm bound to be the unavoidable
consequence of you
There's so many people who can
talk and talk and talk
And just say nothing
Or nearly nothing
I have used up all the scale I know
And at the end I've come to nothing
Or nearly nothing
So I came back to my first note
As I must come back to you
I will pour into that one note
All the love I feel for you
Anyone who wants the whole show
Re mi fa sol la si do
He will find himself with no showÂ
Better play the note you know
Â