Videos on Literature and Philosophy

Conversations With Ilan Stavans: Julia Alvarez 200-

Patricia Alvarado Nuńez, Joseph Tovares, Bill Francis, Ilan Stavans, WGBH Educational Foundation, and Insight Media (Firm)

Dominican American author Julia Alvarez and Ilan Stavans discuss the evolution of her work and her status as a successful Latino author. 1 videodisc (26 min.)

MEDIA 10-1135

 

Emerson the ideal in America c2007

Jim Manley, David A Beardsley, Stephen D Newman, and Ralph Waldo Emerson Institute

"The first video biography of 'America's Founding Thinker,' Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson's belief in 'the infinitude of the private man' still resonates with spiritual seekers today. Most people know Emerson's essay, 'Self-Reliance,' but there is much more to the fascinating life of the man and his circle, which included Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, and Margaret Fuller. The video features interviews with well-known Emerson scholars, including Robert D. Richardson Jr., author of Emerson: The mind on fire. You will never look at Emerson--or yourself--quite the same way again"--Cover. 1 videorecording (53 min.)

MEDIA 10-1468

 

Eugene O'Neill a documentary film 2006, c2005

Ric Burns, Arthur Gelb, Barbara Gelb, Marilyn Ness, Steve Rivo, Robin Espinola, Mary Recine, Christopher Plummer, Al Pacino, Zoe Caldwell, Robert Sean Leonard, Callie Thorne, Vanessa Redgrave, Liam Neeson, Natasha Richardson, Jason Robards, Brian Keane, Steeplechase Films Inc, and PBS Home Video

Eugene O'Neill was one of the greatest playwrights in American history. Through his experimental and emotionally probing dramas, he addressed the difficulties of human society with a deep psychological complexity. 1 videodisc (ca. 120 min.)

MEDIA 10-2138

 

Every child is born a poet the life & work of Piri Thomas c2003

Jonathan Meyer Robinson, Piri Thomas, Eric Camacho, Carlos Santiago, Jeremy Sanchez, Steve Rosario, Jose Oliveras, Adam Beckman, Kip Hanrahan, Sonia Rosario, Independent Television Service, Latino Public Broadcasting (Firm), and When in Doubt Productions

Through poetry, stories, and performance, Piri Thomas, author of the autobiographical novel Down these mean streets, looks back on his life as the son of Cuban and Puerto Rican immigrants, recounting his childhood in New York during the Great Depression, his membership in barrio youth gangs, his struggle with his mixed-race identity, his life as a heroin addict and armed robber, his six years in prison, and his emergence as a writer and educator. The film explores Thomas' utilization of creative expression as a means of confronting poverty, racism, violence and isolation. 1 videodisc (59 min.) :

MEDIA 10-2310

 

Fully awake Black Mountain College c2006

Cathryn Davis Zommer, Neeley House, and ElonDoc

A documentary film about the experimental college based in North Carolina from 1933-1957 and its enormous influence on community, collaboration, and American modern art. Looks at the unique educational style and long term significance of Black Mountain College through interviews with students, teachers, historians, and current artists. 1 videodisc (60 min.)

MEDIA 10-1888

 

James Welch c2004

James Welch, Matteo Bellinelli, Andrea Belloni, Claudio Belotti, Robert Lanchester, Radiotelevisione della Svizzera italiana, and Films for the Humanities & Sciences (Firm)

The Native American experience is portrayed in conversations with James Welch. 1 videodisc (48 min.)

MEDIA 10-1201

 

Salvation c2003

Bruce R Schwartz, Arlene Sarner, Gary LeRoi Gray, Ella Joyce, Haskell V Anderson, Ibrahim Muhammad, Langston Hughes, Films for the Humanities & Sciences (Firm), and Heinle (Firm)

A dramatization of "Salvation," Langston Hughes's autobiographical story that illustrates how his aunt's well-meaning efforts to bring him into the spiritual fold resulted in a moral crisis. 1 videodisc (31 min.)

MEDIA 10-1078

 

Zora Neale Hurston jump at the sun c2008

Kristy Andersen, Sam Pollard, Kim Brockington, Marceline Hugot, S. Epatha Merkerson, Marian Hunter, Don Vappie, Bay Bottom News (Firm), WNET (Television station : New York, N.Y.), and California Newsreel (Firm)

A biography of African American author and folklorist Zora Neale Hurston, the first black woman to enter the American literary canon. 1 videodisc (83 min.)

MEDIA 10-1408

 

 

Agee 1978

Ross Spears and James Agee

Reviews the life and career of James Agee, one of the most talented American writers of our time. In his short career, Agee worked as poet, journalist, film critic, screenwriter and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist. His story is told here by those who knew him best, including John Huston, Walker Evans, Robert Fitzgerald, Dwight Macdonald, Father Flye, and Agee's three wives. The film also features the words of James Agee. 1 videocassette (ca. 58 min.)

MEDIA 2-1502

 

Alex Haley a conversation with Alex Haley 1992

Alex Haley, Matteo Bellinelli, and Robert Lanchester

Alex Haley recounts the transformation of a college drop-out into one of America's most powerful non-fiction writers. 1 videocassette (50 min.)

MEDIA  DANA  2-5980   369

 

Alice Walker a conversation with Alice Walker 1992

Alice Walker, Matteo Bellinelli, and Edwin A Moore

Alice Walker shares with us her remarkable spiritual journey from a sharecropping childhood in rural Georgia to the peace and creativity of her present retreat in Northern California.  She reads from her poetry and discusses contemporary America with an anger and urgency rooted in an abiding optimism. 1 videocassette (30 min.)

DANA. MEDIA 389 2-1973

 

Arthur Miller an interview 1997

Arthur Miller, Alan Yentob, and Kevin Loader

"Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Arthur Miller speaks about his life and career"--Container. 1 videocassette (75 min.)

DANA 1643

 

As I remember it a portrait of Dorothy West 1991

Salem Mekuria and Dorothy A Gallagher

From the perspective of her 83 years, the still-active African-American writer Dorothy West relates her memories of growing up black, privileged and enthralled by literature. 1 videocassette (56 min.)

MEDIA 2-5032

 

August Wilson a conversation with August Wilson 1992

August Wilson, Edwin A Moore, and Matteo Bellinelli

Playwright August Wilson talks about his roots in the black community, how his plays express the African-American experience, how the African heritage of Black Americans is both expressed and repressed in American society today, and the importance of blues as cultural expression. 1 videocassette (22 min.)

DANA. MEDIA 365 2-1974

 

Beah a black woman speaks 2003

Lisa Gay Hamilton, Neda Armian, Beah E Richards, Clinica Estetico, Ltd, HBO/Cinemax Documentary Films, and Women Make Movies (Firm)

Beah Richards (1920-2000), actress-poet-activist, shares her wit and wisdom about her life as a black woman in America. 1 videocassette (91 min.)

MEDIA 2-6934

 

Bharati Mukherjee : conquering America 1994

Bharati Mukherjee, Bill D Moyers, and Gail Pellet

Writer Bharati Mukherjee discusses America's newest Asian immigrants like herself, as well as the tension, struggles, and dreams in the enculturation process. 1 videocassette (30 min.)

MEDIA 2-2584

 

Bill Moyers presents a conversation with Alice Walker 2004

Alice Walker, Bill D Moyers, Public Affairs Television (Firm), and Films for the Humanities & Sciences (Firm)

A leading voice among American writers, Alice Walker has published books of influential poetry, novels, short stories, essays, and criticism. In this program, Ms. Walker talks with Bill Moyers ..."--Container. 1 videodisc (58 min.)

DANA 227

 

The cask of amontillado 1982

The classic story of horror and revenge, involving a specially prepared chamber where prized amontillado is supposed to be stored, is told in pictures with narration. 1 videocassette (18 min.)

DANA 963

 

Charles Johnson a conversation with Charles Johnson 1992

Charles Richard Johnson, Matteo Bellinelli, and Edwin A Moore

Johnson describes his literary objective: to explore classic, metaphysical questions from East and West against the backdrop of African life and history. 1 videocassette (27 min.)

DANA. MEDIA 364 2-1970

 

Chester Himes the long climb 1996

Rex Barnett and Barbara Faison

A program on the life of novelist Chester Himes, who began writing while he was in prison and achieved fame for his detective stories. 1 videocassette (30 min.)

DANA 1255

 

Conversations With Ilan Stavans: Julia Alvarez 200-

Patricia Alvarado Nuńez, Joseph Tovares, Bill Francis, Ilan Stavans, WGBH Educational Foundation, and Insight Media (Firm)

Dominican American author Julia Alvarez and Ilan Stavans discuss the evolution of her work and her status as a successful Latino author. 1 videodisc (26 min.)

MEDIA 10-1135

 

Conversations with playwrights Arthur Miller and Israel Horovitz 1997, 1970

Arthur Miller, Israel Horovitz, and Ralph Curtis

A conversation with playwrights, Arthur Miller and Israel Horovitz, about the role of the artist in contemporary society, focusing on the artist as private man, public man and political man. 1 videocassette (28 min.)

DANA 927

 

Cowboy poets 1989

Kim Shelton, Slim Kite, Wallace McRae, and Waddie Mitchell

American cowboys have been writing and reciting poetry for more than a century. This little known literary tradition both belies the macho image of these Western heroes and serves as an imaginative form of oral history. Cowboy Poets travels to the Big Sky country of Nevada, Montana and Arizona to celebrate this tradition and to introduce these working cowboys who write poetry about the life and land they love. 1 videocassette (53 min.)

MEDIA 2-1477

 

Culture shock 2000

Marsha Bemko, Ellen Barkin, Dion Graham, Rachelle Ferrell, Courtney B Vance, and John Lithgow

Series of four documentaries explores why particular works or forms of art became (and some remain) controversial, gives points of view on the effects of the arts on individuals and on society, and addresses censorship and education. Each also is a self-contained documentary that analyses the particular form or work and presents the cultural milieu in which it was created. 4 videocassettes (270 min.)

DANA. DANA. DANA. DANA. DANA 1527 cassette 1 1527 1528 cassette 2 1529 cassette 3 1530 cassette 4

 

Edith Wharton the sense of harmony c2000

Edith Wharton, James Lord, Lisa Liebmann, Elizabeth Lennard,  Danielle Mémoire, Béatrice Barbat, Frédéric Robbes, Pamela R Peabody, Films for the Humanities (Firm), and France 3 cinéma (Firm)

Various works by Wharton are discussed. Archival photos, period footage, Wharton's correspondence, and readings from her oeuvre are used to show a portrait of a complex individual whose portrayal of society still resonates today. 1 videocassette (58 min.)

MEDIA 2-7387

 

Emerson the ideal in America c2007

Jim Manley, David A Beardsley, Stephen D Newman, and Ralph Waldo Emerson Institute

"The first video biography of 'America's Founding Thinker,' Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson's belief in 'the infinitude of the private man' still resonates with spiritual seekers today. Most people know Emerson's essay, 'Self-Reliance,' but there is much more to the fascinating life of the man and his circle, which included Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, and Margaret Fuller. The video features interviews with well-known Emerson scholars, including Robert D. Richardson Jr., author of Emerson: The mind on fire. You will never look at Emerson--or yourself--quite the same way again"--Cover. 1 videorecording (53 min.)

MEDIA 10-1468

 

For my people the life and writing of Margaret Walker 1998

Judith McCray

Through interviews with writers, scholars, and Walker herself, this documentary examines the life and work of Margaret Walker,focusing on the influence that her writing had on Black women writers. 1 videocassette (28 min.)

DANA. MEDIA 1639 2-5981

 

Fully awake Black Mountain College c2006

Cathryn Davis Zommer, Neeley House, and ElonDoc

A documentary film about the experimental college based in North Carolina from 1933-1957 and its enormous influence on community, collaboration, and American modern art. Looks at the unique educational style and long term significance of Black Mountain College through interviews with students, teachers, historians, and current artists. 1 videodisc (60 min.)

MEDIA 10-1888

 

Gerald Vizenor 1995

Gerald Robert Vizenor, Matteo Bellinelli, Andrea Belloni, and Robert Lanchester

Gerald Vizenor discusses his life, his experiences as journalist and social worker, his self identity, and his work. 1 videocassette (50 min.)

MEDIA 2-5458

 

Gertrude Stein when this you see, remember me 1989?, 1970

Perry Miller Adato and Gertrude Stein

Portrays events in the life of Gertrude Stein--hostess, art collector, friend of famous artists, and self-proclaimed genius--in Paris in the early twentieth century, using the author's words and the words of her friends to present a portrait of the woman. 3 videocassettes (90 min.)

MEDIA. MEDIA. MEDIA                         2-2031 cassette 1 2-2032 cassette 2 2-2033 cassette 3  

 

Gloria Naylor a conversation with Gloria Naylor 1992

Gloria Naylor, Edwin A Moore, and Matteo Bellinelli

Writer Gloria Naylor speaks on the influence of other black women writers, the influence of a southern background, early involvement with religion, learning to articulate one's experience, writing in different voices, and writing to explore one's beliefs. 1 videocassette (21 min.)

DANA. MEDIA 390 2-1971

 

Identifiable qualities a film on Toni Morrison 1990, 1989

Margaret Busby and Sindamani Bridglal

Interview with Pulitzer Prize-winning black novelist Toni Morrison.  She addresses the events of the Sixties which led her to write her first novel The Bluest Eye; the use of personal experiences as sources for her strong, black female characters; and the advantage to publishers of placing black writers in the mainstream. 1 videocassette (26 min.)

MEDIA 2-1270

 

In motion Amiri Baraka 1989?

St. Clair Bourne, Lou Potter, Imamu Amiri Baraka, and Carvin Eison

Documentary covering Baraka from his early days in Greenwich Village to his present (1982) literary and political activities.  Focuses on the final 2 weeks before his sentencing at federal court on the charges of resisting arrest. 1 videocassette (60 min.)

MEDIA 2-2243

 

Into the morning Willa Cather's America 1988

Richard Schickel, Hal Holbrook, and Gena Rowlands

Portrays the life, work, and times of writer Willa Cather. 1 videocassette (60 min.)

MEDIA 2-3614

 

James Baldwin 2004

Bob Portway, Clark Television, BBC Worldwide Americas, Inc, and Films for the Humanities & Sciences (Firm)

"This program covers Baldwin's life, from his youth in Harlem to later years as an expatriate in Paris to his death in 1987. Interviews with the author, his contemporaries, and critics create an intriguing portrait of Baldwin the man, the writer, and avid civil rights activist. The program explores Baldwin's views on the African-American experience through his writings"--Container. 1 videodisc (54 min.)

DANA 141

 

James Baldwin the price of the ticket 1989

Karen Thorson

Opening with the funeral of James Baldwin, this film traces the life history and accomplishments of this great black writer.  Includes interviews with friends and colleagues, including Maya Angelou, Amin Baraka, his brother David, and his mother Berdis. 1 videocassette (ca. 87 min.)

DANA. MEDIA 363 2-997

 

James Welch c2004

James Welch, Matteo Bellinelli, Andrea Belloni, Claudio Belotti, Robert Lanchester, Radiotelevisione della Svizzera italiana, and Films for the Humanities & Sciences (Firm)

The Native American experience is portrayed in conversations with James Welch. 1 videodisc (48 min.)

MEDIA 10-1201

 

John Wideman a conversation with John Wideman 1992

John Edgar Wideman, Matteo Bellinelli, and Edwin A Moore

Wideman candidly discusses the dilemma of the committed African American intellectual torn between the urban underclass and a predominantly white, middle class literary audience.  He writes because "African Americans have to carry alternative versions of reality in our heads and the model for doing that exists in art.". 1 videocassette (26 min.)

DANA. MEDIA 366       2-1975

 

Kerouac 1999?

John Antonelli, John Tytell, Frank Cervarich, Jack Coulter, Peter Coyote, Mystic Fire Video, Inc, and Fox Lorber Associates

Examines Kerouac's life beginning with his impoverished Catholic boyhood, through his development as one of the most important modern American authors, to his self-destructive demise at the age of 47. 1 videocassette (72 min.)

   (set)  DANA 1919

 

Leslie M. Silko 1995

Matteo Bellinelli, Leslie Silko, Andrea Belloni, and Claudio Belotti

"Silko discusses her own background and the interrelationship between her smaller, immediate Indian world and the larger brutal surrounding world"--Container. 1 videocassette (50 min.)

MEDIA 2-2587

 

Louise Erdrich and Michael Dorris searching for a Native American identity 1994

Bill D Moyers, Louise Erdrich, Michael Dorris, and Catherine Tatge

Bill Moyers interviews husband and wife writing team Louise Erdrich and Michael Dorris who discuss their literary collaboration, their shared thinking based upon their like backgrounds as mixed-blood Native Americans, and the Native American characters who people their novels. 1 videocassette (30 min.)

MEDIA 2-5455

 

Mark Twain 2001

Ken Burns, Dayton Duncan, Geoffrey C Ward, and Keith David

Recounts Mark Twain's life, told primarily through his own words. 2 videocassettes (220 min.)

MEDIA. MEDIA 2-4359 cassette 1 2-4360 cassette 2

 

Mark Twain's America 1993

Howard Lindsay, Donald B Hyatt, and Richard Hanser

Over 1,000 period photos eloquently reveal Mark Twain's rich and varied life. 1 videocassette (52 min.)

DANA 1890

 

Master smart woman a portrait of Sarah Orne Jewett 1984

Jane Morrison, C. L Keyworth, Frances Sternhagen, and Mary Stuart

Portrait of 19th century writer Sarah Orne Jewett. A re-evaluation of her contribution to American literature and as a role model and mentor to a new generation of women writers. 1 videocassette (29 min)

MEDIA 2-5112

 

Maya Angelou 1982

Ronald Blumer, David Grubin, Maya Angelou, and Bill D Moyers

Thirty years after she left it, Maya Angelou, poet, musician, and actress, returns to Stamps, Ark., the rural southern town where she grew up. She confronts the scenes of her past, turning over the leaves of memory to recount the inspirations and agonies of her youth in a segregated community. 1 videocassette (58 min.)

DANA. MEDIA 1023 2-3552

 

A meditation on Langston Hughes (1902-1907) and the Harlem Renaissance with the poetry of Essex Hemphill and Bruce Nugent (1906-1987) 1992

Isaac Julien, Nadine Marsh-Edwards, Ben Ellison, Matthew Baidoo, Akim Mogaji, Bruce Nugent, Essex Hemphill, and James Baldwin

A surreal dramatization, including documentary film clips, of Langston Hughes' milieu in the Harlem of the 1930's. The voice-over narration is from the poetry and prose of James Baldwin, Essex Hamphill, Bruce Nugent, and Hilton Als. 1 videocassette (45 min.)

DANA 865

 

N. Scott Momaday 1995

N. Scott Momaday, Matteo Bellinelli, Andrea Belloni, Robert Lanchester, and Claudio Belotti

The Native American experience is portrayed in conversations with author and artist N. Scott Momaday. 1 videocassette (50 min.)

MEDIA 2-2586

 

The Odyssey of John Dos Passos 1993

Stephen Talbot, Ruth Pollak, William Hurt, and Robert MacNeil

This documentary chronicles the life and work of one of America's most innovative and controversial writers. Tells his story through rare archival footage, interviews with family, and excerpts from diaries, letters and literary works. 1 videocassette (60 min.)

MEDIA 2-4207

 

Paule Marshall 1994

Paule Marshall, Michael Silverblatt, and Dan Griggs

"Paule Marshall, born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, has said that the source of her art is the expressive talk she heard as a girl among the West Indian women in her mother's kitchen.  Ms. Marshall...has written four novels and two collections of stories.  On April 12, 1994, she read from Daughters and talked with Michael Silverblatt in Los Angeles."--Container. 1 videocassette (60 min.)

DANA 726

 

Professor Edward Said in lecture the myth of the "Clash of civilizations" c1998

Edward W Said, Sut Jhally, and Media Education Foundation

In this lecture delivered at the University of Massachusetts, Edward Said in a critique of the groundbreaking book by Samuel Huntington takes aim at one of the central tenents of recent foreign policy thinking - that conflicts between different and clashing "civilizations" (Western, Islamic, Confucian) characterize the contemporary world. Said argues that collapsing complex, diverse and contradictory groups of people into vast, simplistic abstractions has disastrous consequences. Presenting instead a vision of the "coexistence" of difference, Said concludes with the fundamental challenge that faces humanity at the turn of the millennium. 1 videocassette (55 min.)

MEDIA. MEDIA 2-3626 2-7258

 

Profile of a writer Gore Vidal 1979

Hans-Jorg Weyhmuller and Gore Vidal

The series, Profile of a writer, provides a glimpse into the real lives of the writers whose words have fascinated us over the years.  This volume focuses on Gore Vidal, one of the most controversial American writers of our day.  He has been a politician, novelist, play wright and movie maker--but above all, he is society's observer.  In this presentation he talks about relatives-in-law, the Kennedys, as well as about some of his fellow writers--Hemmingway, Capote, Mailer.  Extracts from his movie Myra Breckinridge and dramatizations of highlights from his novel, Creation are also included. 1 videocassette (58 min.)

MEDIA 2-1475

 

 

Ralph Ellison an American journey 2001

Avon Kirkland, Andre Braugher, Ralph Ellison, John Amos, Paul Benjamin, and Jacques C Smith

"First documentary on one of the most gifted and intellectually provocative authors of modern American literature ... presents the first scenes ever filmed from Ellison's landmark novel, Invisible man"--Container. 1 videocassette (87 min.)

DANA 1634

 

Ralph Ellison the self-taught writer 1995

Rex Barnett and Steve Coulter

Ralph Ellison, one of the premier writers of the 20th century, was a man whose life was intricately entwined with black culture in America, yet whose writings were a beacon for people of all races. 1 videocassette (25 min.)

DANA. DANA 459 459

 

Richard Rodriguez victim of two cultures 1994

Betsy McCarthy, Bill D Moyers, and Richard Rodriguez

Presents Rodriguez's experiences of growing up in America as the son of immigrants, the loss of his "Mexican soul", and his first exposure to American culture. Discussion focuses also on the differences between Mexican and American cultures, including Rodriguez' observations on America's growing sense of loss and the essence of American society today. 1 videocassette (ca. 60 min.)

DANA 695

 

Richard Wright, black boy 1994

Madison Davis Lacy and J. A Preston

The life and influence of writer Richard Wright are shown through interviews with his biographers and critics interspersed with dramatic scenes from his life and writings. 1 videocassette (86 min. 40 sec.)

DANA. MEDIA 447 2-2620

 

Robert Creeley 70th birthday reading : St. Marks Church 1996 1996?

Robert Creeley and Mitch Corber

For love -- Anger -- Mazatlan sea -- Histoire du FloridaRobert Creeley talks about and reads selected poems from various stages of his career. 1 videocassette (55 min.)

DANA 1187

 

Robert Frost, a first acquaintance 1988, 1974

Robert Frost recites and discusses his early poems which were based on his experiences as a New Hampshire farmer. His daughter Leslie Frost, at the family farm, discusses his poetry and poetic theory with a group of local school children. 1 videocassette (16 min.)

MEDIA 2-3621

 

The source 1999

Chuck Workman, Johnny Depp, Dennis Hopper, John Turturro, Norman Mailer, and Neal Cassady

Filmmaker Chuck Workman takes a trip back to the '60s with this chronicle of the Beat Generation and its icons Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs. 1 videocassette (88 min.)

MEDIA 2-3996

 

The stories of Maxine Hong Kingston 1994

Maxine Hong Kingston, Bill D Moyers, and Leslie Clark

Bill Moyers interviews Maxine Hong Kingston who discusses her experiences as a writer of autobiographical fiction, and of growing up as a first generation Chinese American. 1 videocassette (ca. 60 min.)

DANA. MEDIA 1763 2-2585

 

T. Corraghessan Boyle world's end 1991

T. Coraghessan Boyle, Bruce Burger, and Tom Vitale

T. Coraghessan Boyle discusses his life and most recent book, The world's end. 1 videocassette (30 min.)

MEDIA 2-1630

 

The Ten year lunch the wit and legend of the Algonquin Round Table 1987

Aviva Slesin

From 1919 to 1929 in New York City's Algonquin Hotel, a group of poets, novelists, playwrights, critics, humorists and editors met each day to lunch and to exchange opinions, gossip and the most cutting wit of the day. The core members of the Round Table included Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, Edna Ferber, Harpo Marx, Alexander Woollcott, George S. Kaufman, Franklin Pierce Adams, Harold Ross, Robert Sherwood, Marc Connelly and Heywood Broun. This film documents the lives and times of these men and women whose legacy of humor and literary sophistication remains influential in American culture today. 1 videocassette (60 min.)

MEDIA D-436

 

Tennessee Williams and the American South 1999

Ilona Grundmann, Peter Reichelt, and Gary Bautell

Discusses the life of the playwright, his family, the social and economic situation of the South and the effect these had on his writing. 1 videocassette (45 min.)

DANA 1676

 

Three women artists Anna Sokolow, Alice Neel, Muriel Rukhauser [i.e. Rukeyser] 1998

Lucille Rhodes, Margaret Murphy, Anna Sokolow, Alice Neel, and Muriel Rukeyser

Anna Sokolow, choreographer (18 min.) -- Alice Neel, painter (18 min.) -- Muriel Rukeyser, poet (18 min.)Describes the careers and lives of three American women artists. Follow the outstanding choreographer of the twentieth century, Anna Sokolow, and famous figure painter Alice Neel, along with poet Muriel Rukeyser as they explain their interesting, yet diverse careers as artists. 1 videocassette (56 min.)

DANA 1633

 

Toni Morrison a conversation with Toni Morrison 1992

Toni Morrison, Edwin A Moore, and Matteo Bellinelli

This video introduces one of the most widely acclaimed contemporary American writers--Toni Morrison.  A leading figure in the in the movement for a new multicultural American literary canon, she explains that "American literature is incoherent without the contributions of African Americans.". 1 videocassette (25 min.)

DANA. MEDIA 388 2-1972

 

Toni Morrison a writer's work 1994

Toni Morrison, Bill D Moyers, and Gail Pellett

In this interview with Bill Moyers from the New York Public Library, Morrison discusses the characters in her work, the people in her life, the power of love, and how the invented world of fiction connects to life. 1 videocassette (52 min.)

MEDIA 2-2965

 

Visions of the spirit a portrait of Alice Walker 1988

Elena Featherston

Explores the roots of Pulitzer Prize winning author Alice Walker's Southern Black feminist consciousness through in-depth conversations with the writer and members of her family. 1 videocassette (58 min.)

MEDIA 2-712

 

Voices of power 2000

Michael J Schmiedeler, Gus Gnorski, Bell Hooks, Alice Walker, Martha L Wharton, and Valerie Lee

This program examines the emergence of African-American women as popular and powerful voices of social conscience. 1 videocassette (29 min.)

MEDIA 2-5308

 

W.E.B. Du Bois a biography in four voices 1995

Louis Massiah, Wesley Brown, Thulani Davis , Toni Cade Bambara, and Imamu Amiri Baraka

In this film, four prominent African American writers, Wesley Brown, Thulani Davis, Toni Cade Bambara and Amiri Baraka each narrate a period  of his life and describe his impact on their work. 1 videocassette (116 min.)

MEDIA 2-2904

 

W.E.B. DuBois of Great Barrington 1992

Lillian Baulding

Traces the life of W.E.B. DuBois from his birth in Great Barrington, Massachusetts through his years in Ghana, Africa.  This biographical program examines his life through archival footage, photographs, and interviews with people who knew him. 1 videocassette (58 min.)

DANA. MEDIA 1531 2-4239

 

Walt Whitman sweet bird of freedom 1997

Philip E Schmidt, Marcelo M Cruz, Dal McKennon, and Willard Manus

An aging Walt Whitman gives insight about his life and his art.  We learn about the frustrations he has endured as a poet, and of his disappointing relationships with his publishers, editors, and contemporary Ralph Waldo Emerson.  Portions of poems from Leaves of grass are interwoven throughout. 1 videocassette (29 min.)

MEDIA 2-3711

 

What happened to Kerouac? 1986

Richard Lerner, Lewis MacAdams, Nathaniel Dorsky, Malcolm Hart, and Eve Levy

This is a masterful film biography of the great American writer Jack Kerouac, who inspired and defined the Beat Generation. The images come from poets, ex-wives, ex-girlfriends, a daughter, a priest, and the incredible footage of Kerouac on the Steve Allen (1959) and William Buckley (1968) television shows. 1 videocassette (96 min.)

DANA 1483

 

Where the heart roams 1987, 1994

Paul George Csicsery

People who create romance -- The journalist -- Chelley's story -- Sensuality & sex -- The hero -- The heroine -- The protege -- Ten months laterMeet Barbara Cartland, Janet Dailey, Jude Deveraux, Rebecca Brandewyne and more in this look into the world of romance writers and their fans.  Authors and editors debate about sexual content of romantic novels, types of characters, and even how to write about kissing. 1 videocassette (81 min.)

MEDIA 2-3386

 

William S. Burroughs commissioner of sewers 1991, 1990

William S Burroughs, Klaus Maeck, and Jürgen Ploog

Interweaves footage from Burrough's public readings, experimental films in which he appears, his paintings, and an extensive interview with German writer Jürgen Ploog. 1 videocassette(60 min.)

MEDIA 2-2034

 

The World of Piri Thomas 1980?

Piri Thomas, Gordon Parks, and Dick McCutchen

Piri Thomas, painter, author, and former convict and drug addict, describes the life of a Puerto Rican in New York City's Spanish Harlem. 1 videocassette (60 min.)

MEDIA 2-5133

 

Writing women's lives 1999

Isabel Allende, Harriet Doerr, June Jordan, Doris May Lessing, Bharati Mukherjee, Mona Simpson, Gloria Steinem, Amy Tan, Nigel Sanders-Self, and Melissa Sanders-Self

Eight prominent contemporary women authors tell about what matters to them in regared to childhood, love, marriage and children, starting out, the process, publishing, politics, philosophy, success and motivation. 1 videocassette (60 min.)

MEDIA 2-176

 

Zora is my name! 2003

Zora Neale Hurston, Zora Neale Hurston, Iris Merlis, Neema Barnette, Ruby Dee, Ruby Dee, Louis Gossett, Flip Wioson, Oscar Brown, Paula Kelly, Rober E Mosley, Beah E Richards, Count Stovall, and Lynn Whitfield

Dramatiization of the life of Zora Neale Hurston, who wrote of the folklore of the rural south. 1 videocassette (88 min.)

DANA 1813

 

Zora Neale Hurston a heart with room for every joy c2006

Paul Iacono, Russell Hornsby, and Films for the Humanities (Firm)

Illuminating biography of Hurston--a compelling story of a free spirit who achieved national prominency yet died in obscurity--examines the rich legacy of her writings. 1 videodisc (42 min.)

DANA 234

 

Zora Neale Hurston jump at the sun c2008

Kristy Andersen, Sam Pollard, Kim Brockington, Marceline Hugot, S. Epatha Merkerson, Marian Hunter, Don Vappie, Bay Bottom News (Firm), WNET (Television station : New York, N.Y.), and California Newsreel (Firm)

A biography of African American author and folklorist Zora Neale Hurston, the first black woman to enter the American literary canon. 1 videodisc (83 min.)

MEDIA 10-1408