Soul of a People: Writing America's Story
Soul of a People: Writing America's Story explores one of the most controversial New Deal programs created by FDR during the Great Depression. Seen through the eyes of some of its most famous alumni -- Richard Wright, Ralph Ellison, Zora Neale Hurstson, John Cheever -- the film follows the Federal Writers' Project as they 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. 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 narrated by Academy Award-nominated actress Patricia Clarkson, directed by Andrea Kalin, based on the book, "Soul Of A People," by David A. Taylor, and features commentary from literary luminaries Studs Terkel, Stetson Kennedy, Douglas Brinkley and David Bradley.