For My People: The Life and Writing of Margaret Walker

Called a "national treasure" and "the most famous person nobody knows," Margaret Walker is a remarkable woman who is truly the fore-mother of the African American literary movement in America. As the program combines interviews with colleagues, former students, and Walker herself, viewers will witness the charm and forthrightness radiating from this petite powerhouse as she shares excepts from poems such as "I Want to Write," "For My People" and "Dark Blood." Breaking into the literary field during the Harlem Renaissance, Walker was mentored by a Who's Who of famous authors: W.E.B. Du Bois, Langston Hughes, Studs Terkel, Saul Bellow and Richard Wright. As a poet and author, Walker deftly chronicles the American black experience, economic struggle, social revolution, and the rhythm of music into her art. Recommended. Aud: J, H, C, P. (N. Plympton)