"Soul of a People" Kick off this Saturday

Mayor Otis Johnson's office called to say that unexpected conflict arose and he will not be able to attend our Kick-off celebration this Saturday.

We'll miss the Mayor, but have full schedule planned for the afternoon (Oct 3rd, 1-5pm at the Bull Street Branch of Live Oak Public Libraries, 2002 Bull Street.) Between speakers and music, enjoy displays and exhibits on Savannah in the 1930's and the New Deal era, and a Krispy Kreme doughnut, which were first served in 1937.

The fun starts at 1pm at the Bull Street Branch of Live Oak Public Libraries, an especially appropriate place as the meeting room features a mural from the period.

1:30 Dr. June Hopkins’ address sets the stage for New Deal era and the Federal Writers’ Project.

2 p.m. Dr. Michael Price introduces the American Life Histories including a reading from an oral history about work-life in 1930’s Georgia.

2:30 p.m Dramatic readings from the Slave Narratives, introduced by Dr. Elizabeth Desnoyers-Colas;

3 p.m Jamie Keena performs, and discusses, popular music during the 1930’s.

3:30 p.m Dr. Kalenda Eaton will read from “Fire and Cloud” the short story which won Richard Wright first prize in a Story Magazine’s competition for FWP authors and early recognition.

4 p.m Dr. Barbara Fertig on “The Writer's Project gives Folklore a proper home.”

4:30 p.m Jamie Keena performs, and discusses, popular music during the 1930’s.

"Soul" scholars on Mid-Morning Live

Tune into WTOC's "Mid-Morning Live" today to hear from our "Soul" scholars Dr. June Hopkins and Dr. Kalenda Eaton.

Dr. June Hopkins, Chair of the History Department at AASU is lead scholar for Savannah's "Soul of a People" series. Dr. Kalenda Eaton professor in AASU's Dept of Languages, Literature and Philosophy is presenting the "Soul" program on Richard Wright, to be held 6:30 on Wed Oct 14th at the Armstrong Center.

And here's their appearance!

Mayor Johnson at "Soul" Kick-off

Savannah's Mayor Otis Johnson will bring greetings and present remarks at the Kick-off Celebration of "Soul of a People: Writing America's Story."

The Kick-off to "Soul" will be held at the Bull Street Branch of Live Oak Public Libraries on Saturday Oct 3rd from 1pm to 5pm. Displays, presentations and music will bring alive Savannah in the 1930's, a City looking for ways to combat economic depression.

Mayor Johnson will share his perspective as a Mayor of a city facing economic hardships and working to provide relief for its citizens.

For a complete schedule of events for the kick-off and the rest of the series please visit our "soul" website.

June Hopkins to present this Friday Sept 25th

Dr. June Hopkins, lead scholar for the "Soul of a People" grant project, will speak on our current economic crisis and President Obama's economic stimulus plan in relation to the Great Depression and FDR's WPA.
Friday, Sept. 25, 12:10 p.m., at Armstrong Atlantic State University's University Hall Room 156. (#14 on the campus map.) We look forward to seeing you there!

WHAT: Robert I. Strozier Faculty Lecture Series
WHEN: Friday, Sept. 25, 2009 at 12:10 p.m.
WHERE: University Hall, Room 156
WHO: Dr. June Hopkins, History

On Friday, please join us for the second installation of the 2009-2010
Robert I. Strozier Faculty Lecture Series. Dr. Hopkins, associate
professor and chair of the Department of History, will be speaking
about:

“Echoes From the Thirties”

Political analysts have drawn interesting parallels between the Great Depression of the 1930s and the present economic crisis as well as between President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal and President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus plan. Obama seems to be channeling FDR when he calls for governmental action now, suggesting that massive “shovel-ready” public works projects will jump-start a stagnant economy. The Works Progress Administration was Roosevelt’s centerpiece work-relief program. Run by Harry Hopkins, it generated 3 million jobs each year from 1935 to 1942 at a cost of $10.7 billion ($160 billion in present-day dollars). This lecture will examine the important similarities and differences between then and now through the lens of the relief and recovery programs initiated by the Roosevelt Administration.

The Faculty Lectures Series is FREE and open to the public.

Bob Edward's interview with David Bradley

This lovely and lively discussion of Soul Of A People, and interview with one of the film's featured scholars David Bradley, aired this weekend on Sirius Radio. This link will take you to Bob Edward's podcast of the entire show which also includes an interview with Karen Downey about her book on Francis Perkins--The Woman Behind The New Deal. Great listening!

http://podcast.com/episode/43980057/32910/?cp=1125

Nancy Camp

Producer/Writer

SOUL OF A PEOPLE Outreach Coordinator

Find out more about our work at:

http://www.sparkmedia.org/

Soul of a People to show Labor Day weekend

Soul of a People: Writing America's Story to Premiere Labor Day on Smithsonian Channel

June 18, 2009

Two part documentary tells the story of the Federal Writer's Project of 1930's to premiere Sunday, September 6 at 8 p.m.

It was a time of unparalleled national crisis; as millions of Americans faced unemployment, vanishing life savings, banks foreclosing on homes and feeling a general loss of hope, Americans turned to a newly elected President to lead them out of this turbulent time. It sounds eerily like today’s current events. But as viewers of a powerful new two part documentary, “Soul of a People: Writing America’s Story,” will see when it premieres on Smithsonian Channel this coming Labor Day Weekend, September 6 at 8 pm, the Great Depression also created a unique opportunity to capture the essence of America. “Soul of A People” explores one of the most controversial public assistance programs of the Great Depression. The Federal Writers Project was one of four arts programs under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) of newly elected President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Project employed thousands of unemployed writers, including Richard Wright, Saul Bellow and John Cheever, to fan out across America, interview its citizens, and produce a portrait of the USA from the ground up in a series of state travel guides. They captured a unique portrait of 1930’s Americana. But what began as a program to create guidebooks for every state ended up igniting a storm of controversy when writers sought out not only the triumphs of America, but also its tragedies. At its peak, the Project employed over 6,600 people in all 48 states. They included 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, are interviewed for the documentary. In addition to Kennedy and Terkel, 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: Writing America’s Story” 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 throughout the United States. Each library will work with a local scholar of the era to help present and plan and promote these programs. These exhibits will continue through the Fall of 2009 and are sponsored by the American Library Association and supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities “This is the perfect show for Smithsonian Channel,” said David Royle, Executive Vice President of Programming and Production. “It defines our mission of telling America’s stories with our distinctive voice. This is a story that speaks to our times and we feel is ideally timed for a Labor Day airing.” “Soul Of A People” will air exclusively on Smithsonian Channel on Sunday, September 6 at 8 pm.