Soul of a People: Writing America’s Story

Center for Southern Folklore in conjunction with the Belz Museum is proud to present the powerful new documentary “Soul of a People: Writing America’s Story” which premiered nationwide this past Labor Day weekend on the Smithsonian Channel. This video explores the Federal Writers Project, one of the most controversial public assistance programs of the Great Depression. The screening will take place at 6 p.m. in the Center’s Folklore Hall located at 119 S. Main Street @ The Peabody Place Trolley Stop in the heart of downtown Memphis. Admission is free and the Center will be providing beverages.

The 1930s was a time when millions of Americans faced unemployment, vanishing life savings, banks foreclosing on homes and a general loss of hope. However, through government grants for programs such as the Federal Writers Project, the Great Depression also created opportunities for thousands of unemployed writers including Richard Wright, Saul Bellow and John Cheever. These writers fanned out across America, interviewing its citizens and producing a portrait of the USA from the ground up in a series of state travel guides. But the Federal Writers Project also ignited a storm of controversy when writers portrayed not only the triumphs of America, but also its tragedies.

At its peak, the Project employed over 6,600 people including a handful of published authors, old newspaper reporters, former school teachers and others. Two of its better-known workers, Studs Terkel (in one of his last interviews before passing away in October 2008) and Stetson Kennedy, appear in this documentary. In addition, the documentary features interviews with a diverse group of leading authors, poets, and historians, including Douglas Brinkley and David Bradley, who provide witty and heartbreaking insights into the Project.

Filmed entirely in high definition, “Soul of a People” is a Spark Media Production produced for Smithsonian Networks™ with a major funding grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. It is produced and directed by Andrea Kalin and based on the book, “Soul of a People,” by David A. Taylor. Taylor also serves as co-producer and co-writer for the documentary. Award winning actress Patricia Clarkson is the narrator.

“Soul Of A People” will be the subject of a series of organized exhibits, lectures and panels at over thirty libraries and historical institutions throughout the United States. Each venue will work with a local scholar of the era to help present and plan and promote these programs. These exhibits are occurring during the Fall of 2009 and are sponsored by the American Library Association and supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

For more information on this program contact Nancy Knight at 901-523-2787 or Brian Paris at 901-525-3655 or visit www.belzmuseum.org or www.southernfolklore.org

Additional information can be found at http://www.smithsonianchannel.com/site/smithsonian/show_soul_people.do

To learn more, go to www.southernfolklore.com