38. The American Guide Series
Image from Parigi Books
Imagine if there were a federal works program to support unemployed writers? In the 1930s, there was! In this week’s mini episode, we’re taking a look at the fascinating American Guide Series, a collection of travel guides to the United States that was part of the New Deal’s Federal Writers’ Project, employing more than 6,500 mostly unknown writers during the Depression Era. Zora Neale Hurston, Margaret Walker, and Dorothy West were among the many authors who wrote material and collected first-person accounts for the series.
Discussed in this episode:
Florence: A Delicate Case by David Leavitt
A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel
The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton
The Tennessee Valley Authority
A Room With a View by E.M. Forster
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Martha Gelhorn Lost Ladies of Lit Episode
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
The Living is Easy by Dorothy West