We posted that yesterday on Facebook. The topic so many people want to hear about is Wyclef’s relationship with his former Fugees bandmate Lauryn Hill, a subject he goes into detail about in his new memoir.

Here’s how Wyclef explains his decision to write about that:

He also talks about …

Being “bamboozled” in his effort to run for president of Haiti:

The earthquake and what he saw in the days that followed:

The strange story of his birth:

And more.

The Generation Stuck voicemail line is now up.

Do you have a story of being stuck to share? Want to respond to the stories you’ve read? We’re hoping to bring in as many voices as possible, to tell as many versions of this story as are out there.

An excerpt from an email we received today in response to our Generation Stuck call out. Pretty different from the other responses so far:

I grew up in a small, rural community in western North Carolina, with a working class background. During college, and after graduating with a Bachelor’s in Literature in 2004, when I was 21, I worked a variety of Human Services jobs, including working in a locked unit for violent juveniles with behavioral and mental diagnosis. The work was very hard, and staff were frequently assaulted … Pay was $8.75/hour. About six months after graduation, I moved out to a job working in the community with families who were in danger of being separated by DSS, and the court system. This was also a very demanding job; staff was on call 24/7, no paid vacations, no holidays, no benefits. The $11/hour paycheck I made there felt like a fortune to me, considering what I made working in the locked unit.

Ultimately, I worked a string of dead-end jobs throughout my 20s, despite trying desperately for several years to find better opportunities. I managed to score a lot of interviews, but was frequently told during the interviews, that I was “overqualified” because I had a Bachelor’s degree. The area of the country where I grew up, and lived after graduating from college (Asheville, NC), gradually evolved into a very desirable place for wealthy people to retire. I started to notice the cost of renting apartments increasing, but the wages that local people could feasibly earn were stagnant at best. I suspect this was occurring throughout the US, but it was more noticeable in my area, due to a combination of escalating factors. At the beginning of 2006, I realized I could no longer afford to stay in the tiny, but comfortable apartment I rented outside of town. I moved into a house with roommates, in a very poor area of the city, across from a housing project. People regularly attempted to break into the house, and there was gunfire at night. Sometimes, strangers would knock on the front door, as late as 10pm or 11pm, and offer to sell you their watch, because they were seeking drug money.

I moved to New England in late 2008, because I felt disenchanted with my hometown … Disillusioned with the idea of the mainstream work world as a way to better myself, I decided to pursue work as an exotic dancer in the Adult Entertainment industry … Being far away from my family, and anyone that I might possibly “shame” with my career choice, I opted to strip, but put a time limit on my new career. Within the first 3 months, I caught up on my car payments, and saved $2000 to get an apartment by myself, plus a few items of cheap furniture. $2000 was more than I had ever held in my hand at one time, despite working full-time jobs since I was 17. I have danced since that time, a little over 3 years. I did manage to achieve some level of stability working a job where I served as my own boss, and controlled my own money, and schedule. With dancing, I could work as much as I wanted, any given week. There was always somewhere else I could go to get more hours if my car broke down, or the clubs were slow. Instead of answering to a bureaucrat, or corporate manager in a suit, who did not even know my name, I answer only to myself. I do my job. I make my money. I go home … 

Last month … I completed a course that earned me a certificate in Personal Training. At this time, with one more year left on my Dancing Deadline, I am starting to pursue entry-level jobs at gyms with hopes of building a long-term career in the fitness industry, and re-entering the mainstream … If I think too hard about my 20s, I find myself bogged down, and recalling all the emails, the resumes and cover letters I sent out, the interviews, and the rejections. I am trying not to allow the negativity of my past job-hunting experiences influence my attitude, as I seek to re-enter the 9-5 work world. My plan is to just take it day by day, be confident in my skills and abilities, and believe that -eventually- it will happen for me.

Sophy, Morgan, Vincent, Ashley, Seth, Kerri, Roxanne, Christine, and Genevieve.

Nine members of Generation Stuck who will be blogging for us for the next couple months about their lives — and their expectations compared to the realities they have faced. The blog launches in a couple weeks. The first topic: Underemployment.

This is coming. Flyer designed by the very talented Mr. Jeff Simmermon.