Images from the Vardis Fisher collection in Albertsons Library's Special Collections are featured in a new documentary, "Soul of a People: Writing America's Story," which will air four times over the next several days on the Smithsonian Channel.
The documentary is about the Federal Writers Project, a New Deal initiative to employ writers during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Vardis Fisher was the Idaho state director for the Federal Writers Project, and his 400-page guidebook to Idaho was the first in the project's American Guide series to be completed and published, to nationwide critical and popular acclaim.
The story of Fisher's work with the project, including his testy relationship with New Deal administrators, is interwoven throughout the 90-minute documentary. He is one of several writers featured in the film; others include Studs Terkel, John Cheever, Richard Wright, Ralph Ellison, and Zora Neale Hurston.
The producers of the documentary visited Albertsons Library during the course of their research, and images from Boise State's collections are found throughout the film.
According to the Smithsonian Channel's website, it is scheduled to air this Friday September 18 at 2 pm Mountain Time, Saturday at 7 pm, next Tuesday at 5:30 pm, and next Wednesday at 6 am Mountain Time. Please check local listings to confirm the times.
More information about the documentary can be found at http://www.smithsonianchannel.com/site/smithsonian/show_soul_people.do
The guide to the Library's Vardis Fisher collection is on the Special Collections website at http://library.boisestate.edu/special/findingaids/fa159.shtm
Alan Virta,
Head Librarian
Special Collections
Special Collections
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