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CRVE Film Viewing/Performance
Wednesday, September 5, 8:00 p.m.
Cutler Majestic Theater
Student attendance is mandatory
The selected segments from The Source, the documentary film by Chuck Workman, 1999, provide an introduction to the Beat movement and the ascension of "Howl" and Allen Ginsberg from the San Francisco "Beat" renaissance to literary acclaim, notoriety, fame and infamy. The first selection is an overview of the l940s and l950s and the forces, influences, institutions and individuals that shaped the era. The second segment focuses on the Beat migration to San Francisco and the vibrant and robust artistic bohemian community and long standing tradition of dissent.
The second film selection is Poetic License, a short documentary by filmmaker Mario Van Peebles in the Sundance First Amendment Project, 2004, about the controversy that erupted after the reading of the poem "Somebody Blew Up America" by New Jersey Poet Laureate Amiri Baraka. This documentary film includes the discussion of other renowned clashes between the government and advocates for free speech and artistic expression.
Don Imus, one of the nation's most prominent broadcasters and host of "Imus in the Morning," was fired on April 12, 2007 by CBS over racially insensitive remarks he made on his program. Imus found himself at the center of a storm after he called members of the Rutgers University women's basketball team "nappy-headed hos." Protests ensued, and one by one, numerous sponsors pulled their ads from Imus' show. MSNBC dropped its simulcast of the program, and on April 12, 2007, CBS fired Imus from his radio program. The film screening will conclude with an audio track of former radio host Dom Imus' controversial remarks about members of the Rutgers University women's basketball team that caused nation-wide protests.
Following the film viewing, Emerson College faculty and staff members will present a dramatic reading of excerpts from poet Allen Ginsberg's 1957 censorship trial.
CRVE Panel Discussion
Thursday, September 6, 10:30 a.m.
Cutler Majestic Theater
Student attendance is mandatory
A panel discussion of experts will explore the impact the Beat Generation and the censorship trial had on First Amendment rights and limits, free speech, and the role of Journalism in censorship and free expression. The panel discussion will discuss the questions presented in the reading guide and central themes. The panel will be led by Carole Simpson, former ABC News senior correspondent and ABC Weekend News anchor, three-time Emmy award winning journalist, and current Leader-In-Residence at Emerson. Following the panel discussion there will be an opportunity for students to participate in the discussions and ask the panelists questions.