CriticandwriterDarrylPinckneyrecallshisfriendshipandapprenticeshipwithElizabethHardwickandBarbaraEpsteinandtheintroductiontheyofferedhimtotheNewYorkliteraryworld.DarrylPinckneyarrivedatColumbiaUniversityinNewYorkCityintheearly1970sandhadtheopportunitytoenrollinElizabethHardwick’screativewritingclassatBarnard.Itchangedhislife.Whenthesemesterwasover,hecontinuedtovisither,andhebecameclosetobothHardwickandBarbaraEpstein,Hardwick’sbestfriendandneighborandafellowfounderofTheNewYorkReviewofBooks.PinckneywasdrawnintoaNewYorkliteraryworldwhereheencounteredsomeofthefascinatingcontributorstotheReview,amongthemSusanSontag,RobertLowell,andMaryMcCarthy.YettheintellectualandartisticfreedomthatPinckneyobservedonWestSixty-seventhStreetcouldconflictwiththedemandsofhispoliticallymindedfamilyandtheirsenseoftheunavoidablelessonsofblackhistory.Inaddition,throughhispeersandformerclassmates--suchasFeliceRosser,JimJarmusch,Jean-MichelBasquiat,LucySante,HowardBrookner,andNanGoldin--PinckneywitnessedthecomingtogetheroftheNewWavesceneintheEastVillage.Heexperiencedtheavant-gardelifeatthesametimeashewasdiscoveringthesexualfreedombroughtbygayliberation.Itwashistimeforhope.InComeBackinSeptember,throughhismemoriesofthecityandofHardwick,weseetheemergenceandevolutionofPinckneyhimselfasawriter.
