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George Pelecanos speaks at Trinity. [Click to enlarge]

On Wednesday, March 5, the Reese Room at the Smith House was packed to capacity for writer George Pelecanos' lecture. Many people were forced to sit on the floor or stand against the walls in order to hear Pelecanos discuss his books and his work on the hit HBO show "The Wire." Now in its final season, "The Wire" is one of the most critically acclaimed and beloved shows on television. Pelecanos serves as one of the main writers for the show, which portrays inner-city struggles in Baltimore from several perspectives and sides of the law. He has also written 15 novels and received a slew of awards for his work, including two Los Angeles Book Awards, and an Emmy nomination for his important contributions to "The Wire."

Pelecanos opened his talk by showing a scene that he wrote from season three of the show, from an episode titled "Middle Ground." The scene showed Cutty, who was formerly in the drug business and had served time because of it, asking Baltimore drug king pin Avon Barksdale for money to start a gym to help kids who spend most of their time on the corners. Barksdale agrees without question. Pelecanos stressed that Barksdale's character, someone who does destructive and harsh things but also gives back to the community, is the type of complex character that "The Wire" strives to portray and that actually exists on the streets. He then read a scene from his book Drama City, in which a recently-released former drug addict gives a confession at an NA meeting. The powerful emotion and language were on par with his "Wire" screenplays.

The final clip he presented was also from the show's "Middle Ground" episode, in which Barksdale and his long- time associate Stringer Bell discuss how they'd risen to the top after spending their youth as poor street kids. The scene's most memorable moment is Barksdale and Bell's mutual betrayal, in their fight to gain control of the Barksdale empire. The writing was once again crisp and emotional. Many people tout this scene as one of the best in any season of the show, and it is clear that Pelecanos' ear for dialogue and his uncanny ability to develop characters played a large part in the show's critical praise.

Pelecanos then fielded questions from the audience. Most of the questions were "Wire"-related, as fans tried to delve deeper into the formation of the characters and plots. But some audience members asked Pelecanos directly about his personal views and his long writing career, and these questions generated the most interesting answers.

When asked what he believed was the most essential component of being a good writer, Pelecanos replied, "Listening is the most important thing I do." He told stories of riding with the police on duty, going to trials, spending time on the corners, and going to a bar to have a beer and seeing what he could find out. He spoke about the process of writing in conjunction with others, saying "Working with a lot of writers can be a lot of fun. It can be really hard too … The good thing about it is it can elevate what you've done."

Another person asked Pelecanos if he viewed "The Wire" as a vehicle for political or social change. "As a group," he said, "we don't think there's big government solutions to this." He emphasized that the show's main objective was to expose people to the realities of inner-city life. He wanted to "show people how it works."

Pelecanos later said "What I feel is wrong with American fiction … and television … is it's written by people who haven't lived any kind of life." He had earlier told the story of his own career, where he worked several low level jobs before finding his talent for writing almost ten years out of school. This kind of experience shines in his writing, giving it a genuine and powerful impact. His work resonates with so many people because he creates complex and believable characters and situations that are memorable as well.

"The Wire" just wrapped its fifth season on Sunday night, ending a really great run for a really great show. Pelecanos certainly had very much to do with the hit show's incredible success. Hopefully, when awards season next rolls around, he'll grab an Emmy for his absolutely amazing work. Even if he doesn't win, he shouldn't have any problem at all bringing his strong brand of writing to both literature and television in the future.

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