A Wrriter frrom Norrthwesterrn

Four months ago, I wrote about how Northwestern University was honoring one of its graduates with a Hall of Achievement award from the Medill School of Journalism.  That alumni was George R.R. Martin, author of the book series, A Song of Ice and Fire, better known as Game of Thrones.  The celebration also included him being the guest of honor at a Wildcat football game.  Martin graduated as an undergraduate in 1970, and then stayed to get his Masters degree at Medill.

I just received the alumni magazine, cleverly-named Northwestern, which features a cover story on Martin with a very nice interview by Elizabeth Canning Blackwell and some fun photos from his early years, including a few when he was at the university.  It also includes mention that he started the Northwestern chess club, and that he lived at Bobb Hall his freshman year -- where I lived my sophomore year.  (And needless to say, loved its name.)  There's a funny story in the article about how he says his mother never quite grasped that the name was a building , and thought it was his roommate, often asking her son, "How's Bob?"

You can read the interview here with a side bar link to the photos.  There is also a link to the video of a quite-wonderful hour-long Q&A he did while visiting the school.  But we prefer to make things easier for you, because you deserve it.  So, here it is embedded below.  (A word of note: there's a bit of introduction before George R.R. Martin finally is invited to the stage, which comes a little after the 9-minute mark.  He begins with brief remarkes, and then sits down for the Q&A.)