Thursday, July 13, 2006

In these times you have to be an optimist to open your eyes when you wake in the morning. ~ Carl Sandburg


Hello friends,

Our work continues to fund, research, produce and air on national PBS a documentary film that capture the spirit and story of Carl Sandburg's unique life and vision of America.

The long awaited response came from The National Endowment for the Humanities with the bottom line of no funding. But above that bottom line was abundant optimism for the subject, ideas, how our proposal was written and the team assembled. Here are a few quotes from the panel of reviewers:

"The proposal makes a a good case for the 'humanities' relevance of Sandburg's life... I think this biography would have great, broad appeal. It illuminates an important aspect of American culture."

"The team Bonesteel has assembled is the impressive thing about this proposal."

"The music sound bed will add remarkable texture to the story. The diverse range of participants who have agreed to be interviewed is impressive."

"I was please to see that Sandburg's political complexities and his lesser known ties to the world of folk music will be addressed as well, since these might broaden the life, times and contributions to American letters, and I found the treatment included with the proposal compelling."

We continue on seeking funding and may very well apply again to the NEH, NEA and others that have favorably reviewed our plans but have failed to fund us. As many of you know I see this project as a long haul... a tough road that we will cover in good time.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

THE DAY SANDBURG DIED: I was a bit shocked to learn from you that ; “… since his death, in July of 1967, his status has faded. Sandburg's poems, once taught in schools across America, are spotted much less frequently in textbooks and classrooms…”. Would some decline be due to the ongoing growth in the variety and importance of alternative art forms ? Here I am thinking about popular music and the mp3 revolution. What is more, I am thinking about a friend’s daughter who is completing her Master’s in Pop Music (my label). Once teaching, she may attract some students away from poetry and towards music,and musical lyrics.

TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGIN: In fact when I scanned your one isolated line; , “… In these times you have to be an optimist to open your eyes when you wake in the morning….” I immediately thought of John David’s (Airwave’s), “You are the new day” song lyrics. http://groups.wfu.edu/soul/lyrics.htm#17 While Sandburg’s line certainly rings true in these bad-news times, David’s lyrics hint at solutions. Anyway, we know that many past treasures , get overlooked by “the forces of change” – or whatever ! That said, there was an optimisim, confidence , and clarity in Sandburg that I do not find anywhere today – and certainly not in “ A Bridge over Troubled Water” or Bohemian Rapsody !

Great effort.

Great site.

Great insight on Sandburg events.

I ‘d like to attend a Sandburg event in the North East some day.


Cheers,
Howard Leigh
Ottawa, Canada