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A surprising number of teens I meet in rougher schools around the country find refuge in novels and creative writing. It's not always the usual suspects either, the high achievers.

People are used to music that justifies street culture but something that's not touched on is why these kids act the way they act, live the way they live.

The kids from the streets don't want preaching or messages. They want what they can identify with. They want to hear about the reality of their situation, not fairy tales. They don't care if it's ugly; they just want reality.

I think children have talent and insight, but it gets beaten out of them.

As a youngster, I never dreamed there could be a career actually earning a living writing music.

I've seen the power of the community. A young person can stand up, talk about his dream, and someone from the audience will come forth to help him make that dream come true. Great things can happen when you place the right ideas before the right audience!

Kids search for what's relevant, what connects with their life... now. They know bad things happen like Hurricane Katrina. Through character driven stories, they explore what it's like to survive, thrive, and become more themselves.

Every day you run into artists on the streets in SoHo or other creative people you want to do something with. There's nothing to match that chance encounter.

Every kid has a story to tell!

Kids will keep it real. If I've ever had in my life a great anchor, it's them. They get in your head, 'don't get too famous.' If you think you're really famous and think you're really hip, go hang out with your kids for an afternoon. That's about as earthbound as it's going to get.