From the Columbia Missourian, produced by students and faculty at the Missouri School of Journalism

Pulitzer prize-winning music critic Tim Page

… has transformed disability into ability. It’s a real-life twist on making lemonade out of lemons: When life handed Page Asperger’s Syndrome, he forged an illustrious career out of music criticism.

“Would I wish Asperger’s on anybody? No,” said Page, who was diagnosed in 2000. “On the other hand, it seems to me that a lot of things I did and am doing in my life happened because I had Asperger’s.”

At 53, Page has a formidable resume that could incite envy among journalists and music afficianados many years his senior … He worked for the Washington Post critiquing classical music starting in 1995. In 1997, he won a Pulitzer Prize in criticism for his work with the Post — work the Pulitzer board called “lucid and illuminating.” He used to be the chief music critic for Newsday, penned stories about music and culture for The New York Times and was the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s artistic adviser and creative chair from 1999 to 2001.

… Though he’s frank about its challenges, Page said Asperger’s shouldn’t be looked at as “some sort of horrible emotional death sentence.” With three sons and many friends he cherishes, Page maintains a relatively positive outlook on life.

“I’ve had a lot of the blessings that life has,” Page said. “It’s just a little complicated. Everybody’s life has some rain in it.”

Page is now a visiting professor with the Annenberg School of Journalism at the University of Southern California. He is visiting the University of Missouri to offer a series of lectures about his disorder, his career and the symbiosis between them.

See earlier post here.

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 15th, 2008 at 2:50 pm and is filed under Asperger's, arts/music, celebrities, personal stories, success stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.  Email This Post