Upcoming Soul of a People screenings in Florida to include Discussions with Director Andrea Kalin and Stetson Kennedy!

Spark Media's executive producer and director Andrea Kalin will be celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the Federal Writers' Project (FWP) when she visits Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale to host two screenings of Soul of a People: Writing America's Story with one of the film's subjects, famed author Stetson Kennedy.

The first screening of Soul of a People, which chronicles the efforts of writers around the country in "telling America's story" during the Great Depression, will take place on:

When: Friday, January 22, 2010 at 7 pm

Where: Wolfsonian Museum, Florida International University, 1001 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida

Contact: (305) 535-2644 or (305) 531-1001

The second screening of the documentary will take place on:

When: Saturday, January 23, 2010 at 2 pm

Where: Don Taft University Center's Performance Theater, Nova Southeastern University, 3301 College Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Contact: (954) 262-4613

Originally premiering on the Smithsonian Channel last fall, Soul of a People: Writing America's Story returns audiences to the Great Depression, when Americans endured a crisis not just of economy, but also identity, and millions of unemployed men and women looked to the government for a life raft. Hundreds of thousands found jobs with the Works Progress Administration (WPA), most wielding picks and shovels to build roads and schools. For a smaller cadre, however, the tools were little more than a pen, paper, and the spirit of investigation.

If you live in the Miami or Fort Lauderdale area, definitely come out to the show. Both screenings are FREE and open to the public. Hope you can make it!

Festival Selects "Worlds of Sound" Director's Choice

The Black Maria Film + Video Festival has selected Spark Media's documentary, "Worlds of Sound: The Ballad of Folkways," for its Director's Choice. The New Jersey based Festival is an international juried competition and awards tour that rewards cutting edge works from independent film and video makers. This means the one-hour film, narrated by Pete Seeger, and directed by Spark Media president Andrea Kalin, about Moses Asch -- the rebel record producer who founded Folkways Records -- will be hitting the festival circuit through the Festival's national public exhibition program. Keep an eye out for announcements about upcoming screenings. Congratulations to Andrea, Richard Carlin (author of the book, Worlds of Sound: The Story of Smithsonian Folkways), the Smithsonian Channel, Smithsonian Folkways Records, and all the fabulous staff and crew who had a hand in making the film. Cheers.

Seasons Greetings!

Happy holidays from all of us at Spark Media!

There is a lot of excitement in the air and some wonderful projects brewing, so be sure to stay tuned as the year turns and 2010 begins!

Be safe and much love,

The Sparklers

Soul of a People nominated for the WGA Award

This just in. The script for Soul of a People: Writing America's Story has been nominated for a WGA Award! Congratulations to the film's co-writers - David Taylor & Olive Emma Bucklin & Andrea Kalin (who also directed the film). The winner will be announced on February 20, 2010.

Congratulations to all the nominees - below is a complete list for the nominees in the category, Documentary, Other Than Current Events:

“The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln” (American Experience), Written by Barak Goodman; PBS

The National Parks: Americas Best Idea, “Episode Two: 1890-1915: The Last Refuge,” Written by Dayton Duncan; PBS

“The Trials of J. Robert Oppenheimer” (American Experience), Written by David Grubin; PBS

Soul of a People: Writing America’s Story, Written by David A. Taylor, Olive Emma Bucklin, Andrea Kalin; Smithsonian Channel

“We Shall Remain: Episode Three: Trail of Tears” (American Experience), Written by Mark Zwonitzer; PBS

“We Shall Remain: Episode Two: Tecumseh’s Vision” (American Experience), Written by Ric Burns; PBS

Thank you to everyone who attended the Soul of a People screening at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. The documentary played to a full house and was received by a wildly enthusiastic audience. After the show, director Andrea Kalin and co-producer/co-writer David Taylor introduced a surprise guest to the audience - Stetson Kennedy! One of the last living alumni of the Federal Writers' Project, the 93-year old Kennedy traveled all the way from Florida in order to attend the event, and was welcomed with a well-deserved standing ovation from the packed house.

We would like to extend a special thanks to Nona Martin and Jeanny Kim at the Smithsonian Institution for organizing this special event, and also thank Tom Phelps, Director of Public Programs at the NEH, and David Royle, Executive Vice President for Programming and Production at the Smithsonian Channel, who both gave a passionate and eloquent introduction to the film.

And thank you for everyone who attended. We hope you enjoyed the show!

Special Screening

Here Ye Here Ye: You are cordially invited for a special screening of Soul of a People: Writing America's Story at the plush 400 seat Smithsonian American Art Museum's McEvoy Auditorium this Wednesday, December 9th. It's a calling-all-cars-affair, with all the members of the production team, from cameraman to director, present. The evening will also feature honored guests and a surprise visit from a very special friend whose identity is being kept hush-hush. Join us and bring a friend.

Soul of a People's director Andrea Kalin sits down with Pulitzer-Prize winning author Richard Ford (the voice of Jim Thompson in the film) to discuss the Federal Writer's Project and the impact John Cheever (an editor on the New York Project) had on his writing. And much, MUCH more.

Soul Inspires Depression Life Histories Memory Book

Inspired by Soul of a People's rediscovery of the works of the Federal Writers' Project, the Middlesex Community College's Jean Burr Smith Library in Middleton Connecticut has launched a Life History project to collect stories of the Great Depression from those who lived through it or their families. They've also collected a treasure trove of links to Federal Writers' Project material in one convenient place. The legacy of the project lives on!

Federal Writers and Busboys and Poets

They meet at last. Soul will be screened at a Busboys and Poets near you (if you live around the nation's capital). If you've never been to Busboys, prepare to be converted. If you're a Busboys regular, take this opportunity to create a convert and bring a friend.

SCREENING TIMES:
Sun, Oct. 18 @ 5th & K, 8 PM - free
Sun, Oct. 25 @ Shirlington, 8 PM - free

* Busboys @ Shirlington
4251 South Campbell Ave
Arlington, VA 22206
(703) 379-9757

* Busboys @ 5th & K
1025 5th Street NW
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 789-BBAP (2227)

Book on TV

In this picture David Taylor, co-producer of the Soul of People documentary and author of Soul of a People: The WPA Writers' Project Uncovers Depression America sits down with Douglas Brinkley, American historian par excellence and literary executor of Hunter S. Thompson, for a little book talk on C-SPAN's BookTV. Brinkley delivers some of the most memorable lines as a commentator in the film, and we are all huge Brinkley fans. Both authors were in Washington D.C. for the Library of Congress National Book Festival, and you can catch their lively discussion and Q&A by clicking here.

Soul Hits Kansas City

A whirlwind of Soul of a People activity hits Kansas City. Andrea was in town pounding the pavement on the Soul of a People publicity circuit. You can hear an in-depth interview on KCUR and see pictures from the screening at the Kansas City Public Library. "It was a moral crisis," Andrea says in the interview, "the systems had failed the people....," sounds eerily familiar.

Soul Nabs 2009 Non-Fiction "Must-See" Pick

Good news Soul brothers and Soul sisters, Soul nabbed the 2009 MIPCOM Picks "Must See" distinction from Realscreen's editorial staff. We are honored. Read all about it, and check out the clip. "Yes, the recession may be looming large, but while conventional wisdom says that TV viewers want to "get away from it all" when plunked in front of the tube...."

Mayor of Savannah Kicks-Off Soul in Georgia

This just in. The city of Savannah is using Soul as a rallying point for social and political action to combat a depressed economy. Savannah's Mayor Otis Johnson will kick-off the Kick-off Celebration of "Soul of a People." Mayor Johnson will share his perspective as a Mayor of a city facing economic hardships and working to provide relief for its citizens. Living history! This news and much more from our partners at Lane Library at Armstrong Atlantic State University.

The Sun Sets on an Iconic Westerner

Writer, journalist, novelist, champion of the Western, Texan, voice of Vardis Fisher in Soul of a People, Elmer Kelton wore many hats. But his most iconic role was being himself, a man who lived the life he wrote about. It was in fact Elmer's life and life's work about cowboys, settlers, and the pioneering men and women who survived and thrived through grit, will and ingenuity in the rough and rugged landscape of the frontier, that drew Spark to seek him out for the role. The idea from the beginning of the voice overs was always to match up the character in the movie with a kindred literary spirit in America today. And Elmer was a perfect fit for the part of Vardis Fisher. People have commented that Elmer has a Texan accent, and that Vardis wouldn't have had such a thick drawl, but capturing the spirit of the character rather than a spitting audio image was much more important. And Elmer nailed it. And Elmer nailed it without even trying. Because he wasn't acting. Elmer was just being himself, and that's exactly why we wanted him to do Vardis. Andrea said he was a joy to work with, that he was a consummate gentleman, and full of wisdom and a plainspoken genius. Luckily Andrea had the foresight to do a little interview with Elmer at the end of the voice over session, and it is exactly the rift between Western authors and the Eastern literary establishment that Elmer addressed. It is a riveting listen. Elmer passed away in August, at the age of 83, in Texas. He died with his literary boots on, at work on his next novel. We send his family our condolences, and hope you pick up one of his books. Happy trails, cowboy.

Blast From The Past

If you've never heard of Anzia Yezierska, she was a renowned Jewish novelist famous for stories about the life of Jewish immigrants on New York's Lower East Side in the 1920s. Her book of autobiographical short stories, Hungry Hearts, was made into a major motion picture, and her sudden rise to fame earned her the label "the sweatshop Cinderella." The film Hungry Hearts would have been lost to the ages were it not for the National Center for Jewish Film, which restored it and added it to its collection--the biggest repository of Jewish-themed films outside of Israel. And its thanks to NCJF that we were able to use Hungry Hearts in our documentary. Anzia's sudden fall from fame into poverty because of the Depression provided the perfect entry point into the story of the Federal Writers' Project, a sort of reverse Cinderella story, and we could have not brought Anzia to life so vividly without NCJF and Hungry Hearts. We owe them a debt of gratitude for preserving this invaluable part of our national history. Check out the excerpt of Anzia from Soul, and visit NCJF's site, they have an amazing collection of films and resources.

This is Susan Brandehoff, next to the poster of the traveling exhibit of the film. If you had one guess, what do you think her job title might be? Yes, that's correct, she is the American Library Association's Program Director for Traveling Exhibitions and Broadcast Media. And a fabulous program director at that. We owe you many many thanks Susan. Way to exhibit!

Visiting Dena

Since I was in town I dropped by to visit Dena Epstein. She's in the film. She's the person you hear in the very beginning recount her memory of a run on a bank during the Great Depression, and she later tells of her mother's experience on the Writers' Project in Chicago. She is among the few remaining links to that part of our national history, and her experience and memories provided a bridge to the past for us as people and as filmmakers and for the audience. I thought it would be nice to say hi. We talked and ate soup with some her friends. It was nice. Thanks for hanging out Dena.

Drunk on excitement about the screening, Al and I drove down to Harpo productions and knocked on Oprah's door. We also rang the bell, and buzzed the intercom. She wasn't available. She was washing her hair or something. So we left a polite note and then stormed Harpo's gates, unsuccessfully. Then we thought it'd be okay to plug Soul next to their sign, until we triggered the laser beam alarm system and an army of armed security guards shot us down with rubber bullets and tazed Al on the spot (not cool Oprah). Okay, that didn't happen (sorry Oprah), but it was Oprah's place, and it wouldn't have surprised me if that did happen (because people love Oprah). The point is we were ready to risk life and limb for Soul and we love Oprah.

This is Al Stein, lecturer and archivist at Chicago State University, Spark Media's man in ChiTown, and all round awesome individual. Al was the glue that held the screening together, and my tour guide to the Windy City. This is Al in one of his many moments of relentless boosterism for Soul. His energy was infectious. We even tried to get Oprah to plug the screening (see the next post) You rock Al.

In front of me sat the two scholars on the panel (more on them later) watching the film. There was a lot of laughing. I found myself laughing at parts I never realized were that funny. People came up after and said they also cried, or were choked up. It was a very emotional experience for many people. You know, its not Oscar buzz, but its just as powerful to hear things like that. But if anyone out there has some Oscar buzz for Soul, that is also something we'd like to hear about.

On The Big Screen

I've seen Soul of a People about one zillion times. But I've never seen it on the Big Screen. We did a test run of the film in the Newberry Library screening room, and man, I gotta tell you, it felt good seeing it up there in all its glory. It's a totally different experience. I can't wait till Saturday to experience it with a live audience. I don't understand how any director or actor not sit in on a screening of their own film. On second thought, they're just lying, that's how.

Newberry Screening room

My jaw dropped. This the nicest screening room I've ever seen. Just look at the chandeliers, the chairs, the columns, the hardwood floors. Did you see the chandeliers? I truly do feel honored to be given the opportunity to present the film in Newberry libary's screening room. Seriously, thank you Al Stein and Rachel Bohlmann for making this happen.

Don't forget to give Joanne a kiss

I love you Joanne. Thanks for the shirt.

Obama's Chicago

This is Manny's Coffee Shop and Jewish American deli. If you live or work in, around or near, writing about, getting elected in, trying to get reelected in, are passing through, visiting, or even just thinking about setting foot in, Chicago, eating here is mandatory. Kapish?

Welcoming Committee

This is Kevin. He was sent to welcome me to Chicago. He told me the first rule of surviving on the streets of Chicago--"perfect your mad dog dude." So we gave it a try together. We did such a good job, two innocent bystanders succumbed to panic attacks at the sight of us mugging together, which led to police, ambulance, and news reporters arriving on the scene. We made the 5 o'clock news on a segment they called "Chicago's Meanest Mugs."

Thanks for the warm welcome Kev.

A City on the Make

But seriously, I understand everyone is facing a budget crunch, but really, Chicago Visitors Bureau, you can do better than this.

From Union Station to Union Station

Man, why can't the paparazzi ever leave me alone. Ever since Soul of a People aired on the Smithsonian Network last weekend at 8 pm Eastern Standard Time, I just can't get them off me. I'm just an associate producer guys. What's that? No, I don't use Vidal Sassoon. Who am I wearing? Hollywood discount liquidators. No, that is not a Gucci suitcase dude. Will I sign your what? Okay, that's it, seriously, stop it.

Scenes from a moving train 4

Train yards on Chicago's South Side

Scenes from a moving train 3

Hey, is that a triple AAA-rated collateralized debt obligation? A mortgage-backed security? An exotic derivative financial instrument? Is that a machine that makes, like, things? This must be some kind of trash from the 20th Century.

Scenes from a moving train 2

Dawn on the Indiana/Illinois border.