We asked Mister Riordan what influenced him to write this series.

VOA: special.2009.10.12

"When we went to write this thing, the goal was to keep it traditional, yet keep it fresh."

VOA: standard.2010.04.09

Mary Dawson, in her Internet Writing Journal, writes that this season influenced songwriters to write some of the greatest songs of all time.

VOA: special.2009.11.09

This led him to write and record songs for his own album, "A Long Time Coming."

VOA: special.2009.03.27

Berlin agreed to write and produce a musical show called "This is the Army."

VOA: special.2009.12.20

reached Number One on the Country chart. Although he didn't write the track, he says, "This song identifies who I am.

VOA: standard.2010.04.09

I said,'Well,listen. I've got two degrees in this." "I can write as good as anybody down there.'

VOA: standard.2010.08.04

This brought in their writing skills. After we talk about all of them, we will write the numbers down - now this is three and two more - before we even tell them the plus sign, you know,how to join things together."

VOA: standard.2010.08.10

He also offered some tough talk. "I emphasized that this has to be a point in time in which we begin to write a new chapter based on improved governance, a much more serious effort to eradicate corruption, joint efforts to accelerate the training of Afghan security forces so that the Afghan people can provide for their own security,".

VOA: standard.2009.11.02