Examine the visionary work and turbulent life of one of the greatest and most influential American writers: Ernest Hemingway. Intimate and insightful, the series weaves together Hemingway's biography with excerpts from his work. The film penetrates the myth of Hemingway to reveal a deeply troubled and ultimately tragic figure.

Examines the life and legacy of African American poet, memoirist, and civil rights worker Maya Angelou, from her upbringing in the Depression-era South to her work with Malcolm X in Ghana to the recitation of her inaugural poem for President Bill Clinton. Includes Angelou's own words woven together with archival photographs and videos as well as interviews with Angelou's friends and family.

An engrossing and fascinating exploration of the complex relationship of Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas during a three-month period in 1936.

A candid and comprehensive biographical portrait of the novelist, essayist, journalist and activist, Norman Mailer. Compiled from over 20 hours of exclusive interviews with the writer, this profile includes rare archival footage, photographs and original manuscripts from the Mailer archives. Both fascinated by and at odds with his country, Norman Mailer personally explores the tensions that exist between reality and fiction in this unprecedented film....

"This freeform intimate look at the private man in the public spotlight goes behind the scenes of America's most popular radio show, A prairie home companion, and inside the imagination of the man who created it"--Container.

Illuminates the life and career of well-known children's book illustrator Tasha Tudor.

Truman Capote was one of the most popular American writers of the 50s and 60s, as well as being the central figure in the American literary establishment. With titles from the romantic Breakfast at Tiffany's to the factual account of a murder In cold blood, his range of styles was broad and influential. The program presents Capote's life story, examines the social and political events which influenced his work, and includes commentary, archival documents...

"This program covers Baldwin's life, from his youth in Harlem to later years as an expatriate in Paris to his death in 1987. Interviews with the author, his contemporaries, and critics create an intriguing portrait of Baldwin the man, the writer, and avid civil rights activist. The program explores Baldwin's views on the African-American experience through his writings"--Container.

The subjects of Steinbeck's writing and fascination included the sea, traveling and common people. Steinbeck won a Pulitzer Prize in 1940 and the Novel Prize for literature in 1962.

Grace Paley reminisces about her work, life and family and her early literary and political influences. We see Grace at home, in interviews and at her fabled readings. Grace's close friends and colleagues -- Jean Valentine, Poet Laureate of New York; Vera Williams, author , illustrator; and others -- remember Grace as a writer of genius, a "combative pacifist and cooperative anarchist," and a loving friend. -- Container.