Film Screenings Conclude Soul of People Spring Programming

May 4, 2009

For Immediate Release

STILLWATER Two landmark documentaries illustrate how the agricultural practices of the time contributed to the Dust Bowl: The Plow that Broke the Plains (1936) and The River (1938). The OSU Library is partnering with the Stillwater Public Library to present a free screening of these pictures on May 9 at 2 p.m. in the Stillwater Public Library.

Dr. Bill Bryans, OSU department of history, will begin the program by providing a historical overview. The films, written and directed by Pare Lorentz with scores by the great American composter Virgil Thompson, were selected for preservation by the Library of Congress due to their historical and cultural significance in shaping the public perception of the ecological and economic catastrophes of the 1930s.

After the screenings, representatives of the OSU Library’s Oklahoma Oral History Research Program will discuss an upcoming oral history project focusing on Oklahoma life in the 1930s. Interested attendees may schedule an oral history interview for that day or in the future. Interviews take approximately an hour and are recorded then transcribed. Interviewees receive a copy and a copy is deposited at the OSU Library.

The OSU Library presented a series of programs this spring which examined 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.

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!

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