Maurice Sendak remembered and understood how difficult a time childhood is. Playwright Tony Kushner talks about how his friend never condescended to kids and approached his work with the thoughtfulness and respect that they deserve. Lynn Caponera and Jonathan Weinberg of the Maurice Sendak Foundation, who met Sendak as children, discuss their experiences as lifetime friends of the artist.

Dave Eggers, author and the co-screenwriter of Where the Wild Things Are, a 2009 film adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s most famous book, recounts his friendship and collaboration with the author-illustrator. Eggers discusses everything from his own childhood memories of Sendak’s books (In the Night Kitchen “freaked me out”) to how Sendak’s strange and subconscious—not pedagogical or moralistic—storytelling aligns with his own writing for all ages.

Maurice Sendak’s storytelling prowess wasn’t confined to his books: he told fantastic stories – and would get angry if you didn’t believe them—in real life. Playwright Tony Kushner recalls Sendak’s first-hand account of his childhood encounter with a dybbuk (a malicious spirit in Jewish tradition). Lynn Caponera and Jonathan Weinberg of the Maurice Sendak Foundation also share how storytelling was part of the artist’s daily routine.