Hundreds of thousands of people had lost their jobs.  Banks were collapsing. People could not pay mortgages and abandoned their homes.  This was America in 1933, and Franklin D. Roosevelt had just been elected president.  To alleviate the crisis in the country’s economic and political systems, Roosevelt quickly created the still controversial Works Progress Administration (WPA) to put people back to work, building roads, bridges and schools.
    

     One small section of the mammoth WPA initiative was the Federal Writers’ Project (FWP).  Instead of building roads and bridges, the FWP’s formerly jobless writers and artists helped to create a remarkable portrait in words of something less tangible: the country’s soul.
 

     The Highland Park Public Library will present a series of programs in May and June which will look closely at the unique accomplishments of the Federal Writers’ Project. Probably the most widely known achievements of the Federal Writers’ Project were the travel guides created for every state—the famous “American Guides” series.   A number of writers who toiled in FWP offices around the country later became prominent in the nation’s literary landscape.  Authors such as Richard Wright, Saul Bellow, Zora Neale Hurston, Eudora Welty, Ralph Ellison, John Cheever, Dorothy West, Kenneth Rexroth, May Swenson and Nelson Algren got their start in the Writers’ Project.  Some went on to win National Book Awards and the Pulitzer Prize; others established a foundation for successful writing careers in many different genres. 

     “We’re very pleased that our library was chosen to receive a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities for these programs, said Jane Conway, Executive Director of the Library.  “We have plans for a number of events that will introduce people to the Federal Writers’ Project and to the amazing resources it created, and remind people of what the 1930s were like.  The travel guides, interviews with former slaves and other citizens, and the many other works created by FWP writers are a rich historical treasure available to everyone.  Reading the words of an ex-slave, or the experiences of a grocery store owner in a small town during the 1930s makes history vital and vibrant.  We look forward to sharing these resources with the community.”
 

     The Library’s programs kick off on Sunday, May 17, with a community-wide celebration, turning back the clock to the 1930s.  Period jazz music, vintage cars, sloppy joe sandwiches, which likely debuted in the ‘30s, and memorabilia will set the scene.  Visitors can attend lectures on the New Deal, the WPA and the Federal Writers Project and attend a screening of a documentary about the FWP, “Soul of a People: Writing America’s Story.”  Other programs include a lecture on FWP author Richard Wright and a discussion on first-person accounts of life in the ‘30s created during the Federal Writers’ Project.  Additionally, “Today Show” correspondent Mike Leonard lectures on the travel guides.
 

     The Library’s programs support the upcoming television documentary “Soul of a People: Writing America’s Story” about the Federal Writers’ Project produced by Spark Media, Washington, D.C.  “Soul of A People” is being broadcast on the Smithsonian Channel HD (check local listings or visit http://www.SmithsonianChannel.com).
 

     WPA funding was slashed in the late 1930s and most of the work of the Writers’ Project ceased.  But across the country—in archives, libraries, universities and other repositories—it can still be found.  It is slowly coming back into public view as a new generation of readers and researchers discovers its historical riches and its glimpse into a tumultuous and fascinating era of American culture.
 

     “Soul of a People” programs in libraries are sponsored by the American Library Association Public Programs Office with the support of a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: great ideas brought to life.   For more information, call (847) 432-0216 or visit hplibrary.org and http://www.SmithsonianChannel.com.
 

Events

1930s Celebration, Sunday, May 17, 1-5 p.m.
Step back in time as the Library turns back the clock to the 1930s.  Enjoy period music and memorabilia.  Michael Gabriel from Roosevelt University’s Center for New Deal Studies lectures on the New Deal and the WPA at 2 p.m.  Dr. Harry Ross, National-Louis University, Chair, Department of Secondary Education, discusses the Federal Writers’ Project and previews excerpts from the documentary film “Soul of A People: Writing America’s Story” at 3 p.m. 

Richard Wright’s “Native Son,” Tuesday, May 19, 7 p.m.
University of Chicago professor Kenneth Warren, who specializes in American and African-American literature, will discuss Federal Writers’ Project author Richard Wright and his book “Native Son.”

The State Guides: Helping You Find Your Way, Thursday, June 4, 7 p.m.
Mike Leonard, popular “Today Show” correspondent and author of “The Ride of Our Lives,” discusses the Federal Writers’ Project travel guides created for every state and talks about his family’s own cross-country travels.
Sponsored by Whitehall of Deerfield Healthcare Center.

American Life Histories, Thursday, June 11, 7 p.m.
Dr. Harry Ross, National-Louis University, Chair, Department of Secondary Education, will discuss a selection of “American Life Histories” created during the Federal Writers’ Project. These histories are first-person accounts of life in the 1930s in Chicago and New York City.