Debo's Work Highlight of "Soul of a People" Program
NEH grant events feature WPA's Federal Writer's Project
March 26, 2009
Story by Danny Groshong, OSU Library Communications Intern
For Immediate Release
STILLWATER -Throughout her life, Angie Debo said she sought only “to discover truth and publish it.” Her writings on American Indians and the Indian Territory put her at the forefront of the subject during a time when racism and errors in the favor of the settlers were believed as fact.
On April 2 at 7 pm, the OSU Library hosts "Soul of a People: Angie Debo and the 1930s-1940s." Speakers will focus on Debo's work from the 1930s and early 40s when she was involved with the then State Writers' Project, previously known as the Federal Writers' Project.
Debo wrote a total of nine books and edited others. She also published many articles, including in Harper's Magazine, and contributed chapters and forewords to numerous books. Her last book, Geronimo, was completed when she was 85 years old. She was also editor of the Oklahoma guide sponsored by the Federal Writers Project and authored the chapter on the state's history.
Speakers at the April 2 event include Jennifer Paustenbaugh, associate dean of OSU libraries, Glenna Matthews, who holds a doctorate in American history from Stanford University, and Patti Loughlin, professor of history at the University of Central Oklahoma.
The OSU Library will present a series of programs this spring which examine the WPA, the Federal Writers’ Project and Depression-era Oklahoma. The series, based on the upcoming documentary Soul of A People: Writing America’s Story, is made possible through a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities secured by OSU librarians, David Oberhelman and Barbara Miller.
Soul of a People: Writing America’s Story is a major documentary television program about the Federal Writers’ Project produced by Spark Media, Washington, D.C., and broadcast on the Smithsonian Channel HD (www.Smithsonianchannel.com). Soul of a People programs in libraries are sponsored by the American Library Association Public Programs Office with the support of the National Endowment for the Humanities: great ideas brought to life.
For more information on this and other events at the OSU Library, call 405-744-7331 or email lib-pub@okstate.edu.
Oklahoma State University is a modern land-grant system that cuts across disciplines to better prepare students for a new world. Oklahoma's only university with a statewide presence, OSU improves the lives of people in Oklahoma, the nation, and the world through integrated, high-quality teaching, research and outreach. OSU has more than 32,000 students across its five-campus system and nearly 21,000 on its Stillwater campus; with students from all 50 states and about 110 nations. Established in 1890, OSU has graduated more than 200,000 students who have made a lasting impact on Oklahoma and the world. CREATE - INNOVATE - EDUCATE - GO STATE!
URL: http://www.library.okstate.edu/news/spring09/debo.htm
Last Updated: 26 MArch 2009
