San Antonio College Library

"The History of American Literature from 1950 to the Present offers a comprehensive analysis of the wide range of literary works that extends into the 21st century. It covers drama, poetry, fiction, non-fiction, memoirs, science fiction, and detective novels. This book features discussion of American works within the context of such 21st-century issues as globalization, medicine, gender, education, and other topics."--Publisher's website.

In Grover's Corners, New Hampshire, the time is 1901 and the place is America's collective memory. But Thornton Wilder's Our Town is not the sentimental nostalgia piece most people perceive. This program hosted by Eli Wallach offers wide-ranging and extraordinarily deep insights into the play from those who arguably know it best: Our Town alumni who over the years have brought the play to life on stage and screen. Interviews with Paul Newman (Stage...

The recipient of virtually every honor that can be bestowed upon a poet, Stanley Kunitz has been a source of encouragement for a century of budding talent and a tireless promoter of the arts. In this program, Bill Moyers and Mr. Kunitz discuss topics such as his love of life and the recurring theme of renewal in his work. Readings by Mr. Kunitz spotlight "The Flight of Apollo," "The Lincoln Relics," "The Quarrel," "Vita Nuova," "The Round," "The Portrait,"...

Artist/activist Amiri Baraka has managed to alter not merely the face of African-American writing, but its very sound and substance as well: among the first to promote Africanized English, he also introduced an element of jazz into poetry. In this program, Bill Moyers and Mr. Baraka discuss topics centering on the black experience in America. Readings by Mr. Baraka spotlight "Funklore," "First Fire," "The Pet's Reward," "X," "Wise-Africa," "Wise-One,"...

Robert Pinsky, Poet Laureate of the United States for an unprecedented third term, finds his inspiration in common things, transforming the culturally unpoetic into masterpieces of verbal expression. In this program, Bill Moyers and Mr. Pinsky discuss topics including his love of the English language, the pervasive influence of history, and the flourishing of poetry on the Internet. Readings by Mr. Pinsky feature "ABC," "Ginza Samba," "Poem with Refrains,"...

Coleman Barks, Professor Emeritus of English at the University of Georgia, has become the primary conduit for translating into English the ecstatic poetry of the 13th-century Sufi poet Jelaluddin Rumi, the bard of Islam. In this program, Bill Moyers and Dr. Barks discuss topics including the intricate challenge of transforming antiquated Persian idiom into modern English while retaining its essence. Readings by Dr. Barks spotlight five of Rumi's marvelous...

The poetry of Deborah Garrison, who recently made her debut with her critically acclaimed collection A Working Girl Can't Win, speaks in a voice sometimes defiant and tinged with sarcasm, but humorous, too, and sweetened by tender longing. In this program, Bill Moyers and Ms. Garrison discuss topics centering on her experiences as a woman in the workforce. Readings by Ms. Garrison feature "The Boss," "Please Fire Me," "A Kiss," "A Friendship Enters...

As America began to confront the injustices of Jim Crow, a new generation of literary voices rose up from below the Mason-Dixon Line - voices that spoke not just to the soul of the South but to the nation's. This program examines Southern American literature from the early 1960s to today's literary landscape. It highlights the work of Walker Percy, Alice Walker, William Styron, Ernest Gaines, Reynolds Price, Alex Haley, Margaret Walker, Lee Smith,...

"Sissy! The Effeminate Paradox in Postwar US Literature and Culture expands on recent cultural criticism that focuses on the ways men and boys deemed to be feminine have been--and continue to be--condemned for their personalities and behavior. Critic Harry Thomas Jr. does not dismiss this approach, but rather identifies it as merely one side of a coin. On the other side, he asserts, the opposite exists: an American artistic tradition that celebrates...

This overview of the biography and writing of F. Scott Fitzgerald from the Famous Authors series traces Fitzgerald's life and influences from his birth in St. Paul, Minnesota, to his university days at Princeton and literary celebrity and frivolity in New York, to his status as social purveyor of modernists in Paris, and his tumultuous marriage to the talented but troubled Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald and following alcoholic spiral.